Bas Rutten Believes Ubereem Is The No. 1 Ranked Heavyweight

Overeem from guard is very capable. He has a very nice guillotine which is his favourite sub, sub defense, TDD, and is well aversed on the mat. Certainly not ADCC level but definitly not a beetle on his back unlike some pure strikers.

 

So you're going on what you think will happen, rather than the reality that Werdum subbed both Fedor and Overeem?

Overeem is a great striker, other than that there are plenty of fighters who can more than match his quality.

 

I consider Big Nog and Cro Cop to be pretty much finished and irrelevant now, that's just my opinion, so with that in mind: Fedor aside, what other active heavyweight has anywhere near the same experience that Overeem has?

This is a guy who has been in with Cro Cop, Hunt, Shogun, Arona, L'il Nog, Werdum, Belfort, Vovchanchyn, Liddell... some of them more than once.

He has 45 fights. He has been active for over a decade.

You can't have that sort of know-how after a few handpicked UFC outings.

And he is unbeaten in his last 9 fights, looking extremely strong and dominant in most of those, and treated a huge natural heavyweight (who gave Fedor a bit of trouble) with absolute ease and contempt in his most recent fight.

The current version of Overeem has the physical muscle of a heavyweight, combined with the experience of a Pride veteran, and the athleticism of a light-heavyweight/middleweight.

I think that right now he is an extremely formidable force, and I'd back him to beat anyone except Fedor... but he'd certainly be in with a shot in that one too.

 

He's been in there.....and lost, got the **** beat out of him if we are honest. If that moves him up the rankings, there is something wrong.

He is bigger, yes, but Shogun KO'd him from guard, Arona just put on a clinic grappling, Werdum subbed him off his back...see a theme?

His striking is much better now, but he is still quite vulnerable on the ground, and Werdum has already beat him; not to mention Werdum has an infinitely better record at HW.

 

I am sure them both being Dutch has no influence at all with Bas making that proclaimation.

I would say Alistair has not been fighting top opposition. Before he fought Bret Rodgers, his last 4 fights were Fujita, James Thompson, Tony Sylvester :huh, and Gary Goodridge. A whos who of washed up fighters, bums and slash both.

 

I don't care who has who where, I just want to see Dana summon the courage to let his fighters fight NON- company guys. When will he set his champs against other champs lke evry other org in the world?

 

When a company makes money by doing that.

 

Dana has done it, Pride didn't return the favor.

 

Arona and Werdum just happen to be two of the best grapplers in the world. Shogun himself is also excellent on the mat and during their fight did not highlight Overeem's deficiencys from guard. Im afraid those are a bit of a reach if you're going to use examples like that as bonafide proof of Overeems "apparent" lack of a ground game.

 

He did that already when he was sure Chuck was going to win the PRIDE GP. Chuck got his ass handed to him.

 

They never needed to. Their light heavy and heavy division sucked ass. Can you imagine the carnage if PRIDE heavys had descended on the UFC back then? Much less for a prime Shogun Hendo Wandy and Rampage?

 

I completely disagree with Karo and Bas take on Brock. MMA is about beating the best. Rankings are based on a what have you done for me lately system and lately Brock has been winning against the best. He was the only guy who could touch Fedor and until Fedor wins again, he is number 1.

 

First off, that is bull****, Chuck and Randy were at least equal to anybody Pride had.

Second, it's about reciprocation. Chuck was sent over twice, once in a tournament, then Pride sent Wanderlei over in a farce publicity stunt wearing a pride t-shirt but never going to let him fight.

So the UFC put a world class fighter on the line twice (3 fights), and Pride stole publicity.

People wonder why the UFC won't "Co-promote"

What about all the fighters that were too small for 205 and too big for 155, before Pride made a 185 division? Any number of them could have been sent over.

Chuck was offered up for a Wand fight, even having to do a tournament to get it, Pride never offered Wandy.

 

After two of the most brutal KO's in history, Mezger at Pride 14 and Overeem in the first round.

 

I stopped reading at this point.