By: Darnell Myrick

Coming off of a win against Fabricio Werdum at Strikeforce, Overeem vs. Werdum on June 18, Alistair Overeem moves on to the semi-finals of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix. He will face Antonio Silva next in the Grand Prix (date TBA).  With the win, Overeem also avenged a loss to Werdum when they fought in PRIDE in 2006. Overeem was submitted to a kimura by Werdum.

With a win over Werdum, who was considered a top 5 heavyweight by many people, especially with his win over Fedor Emelianenko, Overeem will more than likely move up in many MMA Rankings, but does he deserve a spot in the top 5 of the heavyweight rankings? He is arguably the best heavyweight in Strikeforce. He is also the current Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion. He hasn’t lost a fight since 2007 as he has won 10 out of 11 fights since 2007 (one no contest). He’s also beaten Brett Rogers, Vitor Belfort, and Sergei Kharitonov in the past. He is considered one of the best strikers in the world as Overeem won the 2010 K-1 Grand Prix.

Over the last couple of years, a lot of criticism has been made over the guys he’s beaten. Many critics believe that he has not been tested by a top heavyweight. If he was in the UFC, he would have likely been tested by some of the best heavyweights in the world. But by beating Werdum, a lot of questions should be answered about whether if he is a top 5 heavyweight.