Strikeforce goes to St. Louis MO to host its Heavy Artillery event. I will be focusing primarily on the main card, this event will also feature the first title defense from the organizations longtime heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem who won the title back in 2007. Now onto the picks.

Main Event: Heavyweight Championship

Champ Alistair Overeem vs. Challenger Brett Rogers

This will be Overeem’s first time fighting on U.S. soil since he won the title oh so long ago. Alistair has been keeping busy since then with a steady diet of tomato cans and trying his hand at K-1 racking up a 6-4 record against some of the worlds best. Brett Rodgers is coming off the only loss in his career in a spirited performance against the consensus best heavyweight in the world Fedor Emelianenko. While The Demolition Man may be the more technical striker he is not invincible.

Rodgers will get battered but as long as he stays away from Overeems nightmarish plum and clinch knees he will be okay. After surviving the initial onslaught from Alistair, The Grimm will turn the tables, expect the fight to end in brutal fashion.

- Rodgers will have the power and the belt via TKO

- Brett

Andrei Arlovski vs. Antonio Silva

Despite his suspect chin, Arlovski is too good a fighter to get beaten by a talented but still gatekeeper level fighter like Bigfoot.

- Arlovski via tko

Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza vs. Joey Villasenor

Villasenor is a well rounded fighter but Ronaldo is a world class bjj player and one of the best on the ground in mma. Though his stand up is passable it should be enough to keep Joe at bay long enough to sub him.

- Jacare via sub

Roger Gracie vs. Kevin Randleman

This other than the main event is one of the most compelling bouts of the card, but not in a good way. On one hand you have Randleman who is dangerously past his expiration date as a fighter and another one dimensional but young Gracie. Expect Kevin’s notorious cardio and shop worn body to fail him yet again.

- Gracie via sub

Antwain Britt vs. Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante

Two up and coming light heavyweight will trade leather for notoriety. With guys like this who like to trade its a bit of a coin toss, so I go with…

- Feijao via TKO

Props to Ester Lin from All Elbows for the photos.