Strikeforce HW GP Semi-Final bout: Daniel Cormier vs. Antonio Silva
Odds: (+135 Cormier /-165 Silva )
Betting Pick: Cormier
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In the first of two Heavyweight Grand Prix semifinals, undefeated wrestling phenom Daniel Cormier will step in to replace Strikeforce Heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem against gigantic grappler Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva. Cormier is a dominant wrestler and very heavy-handed, but Silva is a big step up for him and is capable of testing his strengths and his weaknesses to their limit. Cormier is going to have to put on the performance of his career if he wants to become a surprise Grand Prix Finalist.
Daniel Cormier is 8-0-0 as a professional, using a devastating blend of truly world-class wrestling and heavy-handed boxing to carve out an undefeated record. His takedowns are dominant and once he is on top of his opponents, he is extremely difficult to defend against. He has brutal ground and pound and dominant positional control, and he also has fairly effective submissions to go along with it. Against Silva his submission prowess will not matter, because Silva is clearly the superior submission grappler. Against Jeff Monson, Cormier showed that he can survive a dangerous submission fighter, but he is going to have to be very careful to either keep this fight standing and try to outbox Silva or to constantly control position on the ground so he doesn’t give something up when he makes a mistake.
Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva is coming off the biggest win of his career, a complete drubbing of former World #1 Heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko. Silva is a pretty gigantic Heavyweight, and he uses his size and reach extremely well. He isn’t the most technical boxer out there, but he has extremely heavy hands, good wrestling, effective submissions, and scary ground and pound. Silva works best taking his opponents down and just beating them down from top position. On the feet he is effective but somewhat slow and ungainly. There is no question that Cormier is the best wrestler Silva has ever had to face, so it will be interesting to see how he handles a standup fight or having to work off his back.
This is an interesting fight. Cormier has never had to deal with anyone who could test his wrestling and his striking at the same time on the level that Silva can. On the other hand, Silva has basically never fought anyone he couldn’t outwrestle and control on the ground. It’s entirely possible their wrestling will largely cancel each other out. I think Cormier is the better wrestler, and should be able to score at least a few takedowns during this fight, but he is going to have to be careful on the ground not to get swept and caught underneath Silva. In the end, I think Cormier is just a little more dangerous, and should be able to score enough points to earn a narrow decision win.
Prediction: Daniel Cormier via Split Decision.
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