ESPN Mixed Martial Arts

Quinton Jackson and I weren't supposed to share a flight from Los Angeles to Tokyo, but circumstances demanded it.

He was headed to Japan for the first time; this trip was my fourth. Jackson was nothing if not curious, which is among the many things I learned about him during that journey in the summer of 2001. As we flew over the Pacific, Jackson wondered a million different things about Pride FC, Japan, its people and food, and though he couldn’t have imagined it at the time, the country would become his professional home for the next five years.

I saw "Rampage" fight for the first time 13 months earlier at King of the Cage 4. A slugfest against a debuting Marvin Eastman was tucked near the bottom of a lineup that included Duane Ludwig, Falaniko Vitale, Fabiano Iha and Daijiro Matsui. Wearing a heavy chain around his neck and a wrestling singlet on his body, Jackson didn’t appear to know how to do anything but be tough. He certainly didn’t know how to fight, not in a professional sense, and lost on points. Jackson, however, wasn’t easy to forget. Recognizing his potential, promoters Terry Trebilcock and Tedd Williams matched him with eight guys you've never heard of to build up his record.

The 11-month winning streak was convincing enough that Jackson, who by then had earned a reputation on the Southern California fight circuit as an exciting prospect, got a call to fight Japanese superstar Kazushi Sakuraba at Pride 15. He didn’t know what Pride was. Didn’t know who Sakuraba was. But he said "yes", and was booked to fly out on Wednesday of fight week. He didn’t make the flight, of course.

An anonymous tip alleging Jackson was an armed felon attempting to flee the country prompted airport police to arrest him at gunpoint on charges of probation violation. Eight hours in jail, bail having been paid, Jackson hopped on a flight the next day.

He could tell a story, had a good one to share, and an eager listener.

At the time Jackson blamed the arrest on his chief second, Chris Brennan, who wanted to fight Sakuraba himself, “Rampage” claimed. A couple of days later, with Brennan in his corner, Jackson nearly slammed his way to a shocking win.

This sort of melodrama has accompanied Jackson at every stage of his career. Over the last two weeks, for instance, “Rampage,” now a grizzled veteran and former champion, has talked a lot, sparked headlines, and created a story. He was done with the UFC, he said. He wanted out because he felt disrespected and underpaid. He also made waves when he told Fighters Only Magazine he utilized testosterone replacement therapy against Ryan Bader.

All that led to Tuesday’s news that, no, he wasn’t going to get his release from the UFC. Instead, he’d have to make good on the terms of his deal with Zuffa and fight Mauricio Rua again. Jackson frolicked around on Twitter, promising 10 more years of fighting thanks to his TRT prescription.

See, whether it’s played-up nonsense Pride tried to pitch Japanese media about Jackson being homeless and living in a bus, or true-to-life realities that make him among mixed martial arts' most unique and reported upon figures, Jackson is always happy to sell.

Acting as a second job came later in life, but it’s fair to say Jackson has long been a performer. Even when he’s at his most serious, there’s plenty of showmanship to be found when he fights. All he ever wanted to do is entertain. That’s how he passed time growing up in a rough patch of Memphis. And at the age of 33, that’s basically what he’s doing now, only with a bonus of large checks attached to his performances.

For certain periods, “Rampage” became one of the few mixed martial artists to hit it big. His famous knockout of Chuck Liddell in 2007 capped ESPN’s first real venture into covering the UFC and mixed martial arts. Liddell was the man everyone knew coming in. Jackson was the man everyone knew coming out. One fight later “Rampage” tussled with Dan Henderson for the right to unify the light heavyweight division, and claimed the No. 1 ranking.

This period was Jackson’s brightest moment as a professional. He enjoyed great wins in Japan, including picture-perfect efforts like the night he dismantled Kevin Randleman, yet Jackson’s 2007 represented the culmination of what so many people felt he was capable of.

“It” realized.

The issue with his flavor of entertainment: sports is a results-based business unfolding in a finite window. Selling, promoting and entertaining are extremely useful when they fall in line with winning. But “Rampage” hasn’t done so consistently since UFC gold adorned his waist. For Jackson to have a chance at spinning his greatest yarn, that must change starting with his attempt at retribution against Rua later this year.

It’s been more than 11 years since UFC 29 -- the last time the promotion held an event in Japan. As one might imagine, quite a bit has changed since then.

One of the most vivid memories Chuck Liddell has of that trip is a broken scale on which the fighters weighed in. At the time, it wasn’t uncommon for these professional athletes to make weight on a standard bathroom scale.

At that particular weigh-in, Liddell recalls his opponent, Jeff Monson, tipping him off to a slight malfunction.

“Somebody broke the scale that morning,” Liddell told ESPN.com. “My opponent came over and said, ‘Hey man, the scale isn’t really working. You can lose 10 pounds by leaning on it a different way.’

“So, we didn’t have to finish cutting weight that day. I just went over there, stood on the scale and kind of leaned.”

It’s safe to say that the American fighters set to compete on this weekend’s UFC 144 card won’t get away that easily at the weigh-in, but certain aspects of fighting in Japan haven’t changed over time.

Liddell and fellow former UFC champion Tito Ortiz both downplayed the challenges associated with competing overseas but added that it’s certainly a different atmosphere.

For Ortiz, the biggest difference was competing in front of the Japanese crowd, which is known for remaining silent -- as in completely silent -- during a match, except in key moments.

“You can literally hear a pin drop in between rounds,” Ortiz said. “Some fighters fight off that adrenaline. I myself feed off fans. There, everything was so quiet. I could hear my elbows bust off Wanderlei Silva’s face [at UFC 25].”

Liddell, who fought in Japan four times in his career, remembers a simple suggestion before his first fight there at UFC 29 going a long way.

Plenty of fighters who have fought overseas have commented on the need to adapt to the host country’s time zone immediately. Even if that means forcing your body to stay awake when you’re exhausted, the sooner you acclimate, the better.

It was especially important for Liddell, who said he didn’t arrive in Japan a week to 10 days out from the fight, as most UFC athletes do these days.

“The best advice I got was to get on the schedule over there right when you land,” Liddell said. “I sleep well on planes, so I didn’t have a problem with it. But if it’s bedtime when you land, go to bed. If it’s morning, try to stay up. Get on a normal schedule.”

“

You can literally hear a pin drop in between rounds. Some fighters fight off that adrenaline. I myself feed off fans. There, everything was so quiet. I could hear my elbows bust off Wanderlei Silva's face.

” -- Tito Ortiz, on UFC 25 in Japan

Of course, replenishing your body after cutting weight is a big aspect of fighting in the UFC. It’s a potential challenge for U.S. fighters on the UFC 144 card -- particularly those who either don’t like Asian cuisine or have never tried it.

Ortiz, who first fought in Japan at UFC 25 against Silva for the title, at first he resisted the idea of eating sushi after the weigh-in. Eventually that became the meal for that fight and, surprisingly, every one after.

“I wasn’t a huge sushi fan, but I decided to try it out because it has the carbs in the white rice and protein from the fish,” Ortiz said. “My weight got back up to where I wanted it to be, and my energy was through the roof -- I think because the food was so clean.

“A lot of fighters may think they don’t want to eat sushi or Japanese food after they weigh in. I’d remind them that’s an option. A lot of that stuff is good for your body.”

The minimal challenges the fighters will adapt to at UFC 144 should pale in comparison to the experience each of them is about to have. Both Liddell and Ortiz said all things considered, competing in Japan was a huge positive in their careers.

And perhaps the main reason for that is the Japanese fan base. Ortiz said the experience was the closest he’ll ever get to feeling like a true Samurai because of the respect he received.

Liddell laughed when recalling that the fans who approach for autographs often have something to offer in exchange.

“They’re fanatics. They are great fans,” Liddell said. “I get a lot more gifts over there. They’ll bring me something, like a CD or framed pictures. I get that here in the U.S., but not as much. It’s just a different thing.”

Frankie Edgar's UFC lightweight title defense in Tokyo against Benson Henderson, the main event for UFC 144 on Saturday, screams "action fight."

While we've heard that tune aplenty in the run-up to UFC events, including, disappointingly, the recent Carlos Condit-Nick Diaz tilt, there's every reason to suspect these two 155-pound mixed martial artists will make good on expectations. Presuming that happens, Edgar-Henderson would join a distinguished list of high-paced, meaningful lightweight fights that graced Japanese soil.

The division has long been one of Japanese MMA's strongest points. Built during the early days of Shooto and given the light of day when Pride adopted the class (technically, that was 160 pounds), lightweights have long looked to Japan as the place where they could get a tough fight against world-class opposition. In part that was due to Zuffa axing the lightweights in the mid-2000s, but that doesn't paint a complete picture. The division has produced many world-class Japanese fighters, and would have done so regardless of what was happening in the States.

With Zuffa's wrong having long been righted, it's fitting Edgar-Henderson will go down on the island nation's shores.

My expectation is the fight will join the pantheon of top lightweight bouts we've been fortunate to see unfold in Japan. If so, Edgar-Henderson would join these bouts -- most replete with major stakes, all delivering high drama -- as the best of the bunch.

Why six? Because I couldn't bring myself to cut one from the list.

Caol Uno SUB3 Rumina Sato (Shooto: 10th Anniversary Event, May 29, 1999)

Sato was Shooto's golden child, the man fans and promoters hoped (and dreamed) could grab hold of the sanctioning organization's 154-pound title (a welterweight title in Japan) and become a star. It was never meant to be.

The first sign Sato, whom many considered the most exciting fighter in the world at the time, was snake-bit came in his endeavor against the gritty Uno, who later went on to fight multiple bouts for the UFC.

Headlining an event that included eventual UFC champions Dave Menne, Matt Hughes and Carlos Newton, Sato-Uno opened at a frenzied pace. Sato scored early control, nearly finishing Uno by rear-naked choke. But as was proven throughout his career, Uno is exceedingly difficult to finish this way. Sato failed to finish and eventually succumbed to Uno's tenacious takedowns and solid ground-and-pound.

Late in the third round, with Sato fading, Uno sprawled his way out of a single-leg takedown, took Sato's back and, to the roar of a small but passionate hard-core audience in Tokyo, forced a tap by rear-naked choke.

Uno defeated Sato a second time a year and a half later, then departed Shooto for a UFC lightweight title shot against Jens Pulver, the co-headliner on Zuffa's first card since purchasing UFC from Semaphore Entertainment Group.

Takanori Gomi TKO2 Dokonjonosuke Mishima (Shooto: Year End Show 2002, Dec. 14, 2002)

A slept-on fight pitted Gomi, the undefeated heir apparent to Uno and Sato, against eccentric grappler Dokonjonosuke Mishima. Gomi, Shooto champion after out-pointing Sato (his third try at winning the 154-pound title), faced his first defense of the belt -- and what a test it was. Gomi's mode for victory early in his career was control. But against Mishima, he showed flashes of the heavy-fisted brawler who would go on to become Pride champion and No. 1 ranked lightweight in MMA.

Mishima put Gomi on the canvas and landed a series of strong punches to earn the first round. But at the start of Round 2, Gomi countered a wild punch with a perfect left hook that dropped the challenger. Shooto's rules included standing eight counts and breaks on knockdowns. Gomi was in destroy mode. When Mishima stood, "The Fireball Kid" swarmed, scoring with punches and knees leading to Mishima nearly being driven out of the ring.

In his next title defense, Gomi ceded the belt to Joachim Hansen, prompting a trip to Hawaii to fight B.J. Penn.

Joachim Hansen KO3 Caol Uno (Hero's 1, March 26, 2005)

Japanese MMA was on the rise in 2005, and K-1 stepped in the game with their own brand of the sport labeled "Hero's." That first card was mashup of kickboxing, MMA and the Bob Sapp circus. Hansen and Uno, both former Shooto champions, put on a war that, even if it had not ended by spectacular knockout, would be among the best fights the division has put together.

This bout had it all, especially when it came to grappling, and was extremely competitive until the end, when "Hellboy" Hansen slammed his knee into Uno's jaw. The cold knockout was brutal and capped what was arguably the best display of mixed martial arts in 2005.

Takanori Gomi SUB1 Tatsuya Kawajiri (Pride: Bushido 9, Sept. 25, 2005)

If you were a top lightweight in MMA, the Pride Bushido 9 tournament was where you wanted to be in 2005. The three-round event, which featured quarterfinals and semifinals on the same night, brought some of Japan's best against the likes of Yves Edwards and Jens Pulver. The highlight of the night, without question, was the quarterfinal bout between Gomi and Kawajiri.

Gomi was on a seven-fight roll, all under the Pride banner, while Kawajiri, then the Shooto champion, hadn't dropped a bout in his last nine. This was the big one among Japanese MMA circles in the lightweight division, and it did not disappoint.

All action from the start, Gomi made Kawajiri feel his power early, and chopped away at "The Crusher" throughout the 10-minute opening round. "The Fireball Kid," in perhaps his finest performance, finished in high style. Body shots led to combinations to the head, and though Kawajiri was game, he simply had no answer.

Gilbert Melendez UD2 Tatsuya Kawajiri (Pride Shockwave 2006, Dec. 31, 2006)

Melendez, the current Strikeforce champion, ranked No. 2 in the world by ESPN.com, went to war with Kawajiri, who had recovered from the loss to Gomi by winning four straight. If you haven't seen this fight, do yourself a favor and find it online. Of all the fights listed here, this stands out most for its ferocity. Both men moved forward. Both threw punches and knees as hard as they could, and both connected. The grappling exchanges were solid. There's no downtime in this fight. An incredible display by both.

Eddie Alvarez UD2 Joachim Hansen (Dream 3, May 11, 2008)

In 2008, Alvarez joined Dream, the promotion that sprang out of Pride's demise, and engaged in a hellacious series of fights. The middle of that stretch matched the Philadelphian against Hansen.

It was a stylistic bonanza.

Alvarez's first punch dropped Hansen, setting the tone for the fight. In a bit of a miracle, the Norwegian survived, recovered, gave back as good as he got, threatened Alvarez numerous times with submissions, and participated in one of the most frenzied decisions you'll ever see. Neither man backed down for 15 minutes. Truly impressive.

Alvarez followed up with another war against Kawajiri, but fell short of going 5-0 that year when he tapped to a Shinya Aoki heel hook on New Year’s Eve.

It was with considerable fanfare in September that the UFC announced its first trip back to Japan since the year 2000.

Given that country’s important role in the evolution of “modern” MMA, it’s pretty tempting to cast Saturday's UFC 144 as something more than just another step in the company’s ongoing international expansion. Japan was once the capital of a burgeoning MMA world; the fact that the UFC will now put boots on the ground there for the first time since its buyout of the Pride organization in 2007 has to mean, well, something.

But what, exactly?

Is it a throwback to the sport’s formative years, or a measuring stick of how far we’ve come? Is it an homage to the memory of Pride, or a Gilbert Yvel-style thumb to its eye?

As usual, there is no shortage of opinions on the subject. The UFC’s return to Japan has been hailed by some as a triumph -- not to mention a shot in the arm for a national MMA market badly in decline -- and lambasted by others as an empty gesture, the promotional equivalent of scaling Everest simply to prove it can be done.

It’s true that for years the UFC avoided Japan, and for the company to return only now that it’s established near-total dominance over the industry -- with a supersized, four-hour broadcast and a host of old and new stars -- it’s hard not to read it at least in part as a not-so-subtle flexing of organizational muscle.

In practical terms, though, there’s not much that separates this weekend’s effort from next month’s trip to Australia, or to Sweden the month after that, or to Brazil this summer.

If you ignore the history, UFC 144 will likely follow the same general script as most of the company’s overseas shows. The card will be stocked with homegrown talent, and one of the UFC’s lighter-weight champions will defend his belt in the evening’s main event. The other end of the card will get under way early in the day to serve a mostly American television audience.

So, yeah, pretty much by-the-book.

Wherever it treks, the UFC’s product remains its one constant. Short of breaking out Pride’s big, blindingly white ring and dusting off knees on the ground (both of which would be cool, if totally impractical), the “return to Japan” storyline has only so much juice if this UFC show is going to be just like any other. Japan likely won’t become a regular stop for the UFC, nor will it probably win the preferred status that markets like Canada and Brazil now enjoy. Japanese MMA will likely never again be what it once was.

In more intangible ways though, yeah, this one feels different. For those of us who have fond memories of crowding together at our buddies’ houses to watch mail-order DVDs (or even VHS tapes) of guys like Wanderlei Silva, the Nogueira brothers and that most elusive beast of all -- Fedor Emelianenko -- it’ll bring back memories.

There will no doubt be a slickly produced video package paying tribute to those days. And because the UFC now owns the tape library, that will also be our reminder that those days are gone forever.

The last time the UFC trekked to Japan, Tito Ortiz won the company’s vacant light heavyweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Wanderlei Silva in the main event.

That was April 2000 and the win touched a run of five successful title defenses that lasted until September 2003 and made Ortiz’s bones as a surefire future hall of famer. For Silva, it was his last appearance in the Octagon for seven and a half years, but in the meantime he fought 25 times in Pride (almost exclusively in Japan) won that organization’s 205-pound title and solidified his place as one of MMA’s all-time greats.

Funny how things work out. As the UFC on Tuesday officially confirmed Feb. 26, 2012, as its first trip back to Japan in more than a decade, Ortiz and Silva are the only men from that original card at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium (it was UFC 25, in case you’re wondering) who are still on the promotion’s active roster.

While a rematch been a resurgent Tito and a 185-pound Wanderlei seems unlikely (sure would be fun, though), the mere fact that both could potentially be available for the planned show at Saitama Super Arena is the first clue to exactly how pretty the UFC is sitting as it prepares to re-invade a Japanese MMA scene mired in a chaotic, half-decade long slump. With a recent show in Rio de Janeiro drawing rave reviews from fans, analysts and company employees alike, UFC brass also have a pretty good template for how to ensure these one-off international events are successful.

Fewer full beers will likely be heaved in the direction of the Octagon, fewer soccer chants will likely sung during the fights, but look for the company to make sure UFC: Japan is framed as a tribute of sorts to that country’s rich history in MMA, just as it did in Rio in August. Especially with the event planned for an arena that was previously the old stomping ground of the Pride organization -- and with Zuffa now owning the vestiges of that former promotion -- expect frequent nods (and probably a few knowing winks) to the past.

As promised during this week’s official announcement, the company will surely stock the card with homegrown talent, in similar fashion to when Brazilian fighters went 7-1 against foreign opponents at UFC 134. That means expect top draws like featherweight phenom Hatsu Hioki, middleweight Yushin Okami and newly minted welterweight Yoshihiro Akiyama to get the call. Akiyama especially appears to have been kept on the UFC roster for the express purpose of making his 170-pound debut at home.

In addition, the UFC has a wealth of non-Japanese fighters who are nonetheless known to fight fans in that country. Fresh off his win over Brendan Schaub in Brazil, former Pride heavyweight champ Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira has already said he wants to fight on the Tokyo show. With Brock Lesnar scheduled to return to the UFC in early 2012, and possessing his own modest fame in Japan from his days in professional wrestling (not to mention his only non-UFC MMA fight), could a meeting with Nogueira be in the offing? If not Big Nog, Lesnar could potentially fight former Pride and K-1 fighter Alistair Overeem oversees too, as soon as Overeem's signing is official. The major sticking point to those potential bouts could be the UFC’s ability to convince Lesnar, the notorious homebody, to make the trip.

No matter. With former multidivisional Pride champ Dan Henderson reportedly on the verge of a UFC return, and Pride standbys like Mirko Filipovic, Quinton Jackson and Mauricio Rua (just to name a few) under Zuffa contract, there is no shortage of other potential matchups that might make sense for the Japanese show, some of them very compelling. Oh, did I mention Tito versus Wanderlei II? A guy can dream, right?

As others have already pointed out, a single, stand-alone UFC show won’t be enough to breathe new life into the flagging Japanese fight scene. Yet UFC brass came away from Brazil claiming the country had sufficiently wowed them during UFC: Rio as to make it a frequent future stop. Certainly Japan is capable of similar fervor for MMA, as evidenced by the huge crowds and monster TV ratings the sport used to draw in Pride’s heyday. Perhaps the biggest unspoken possibility of all is that (if the political and social climate seems to its liking) the UFC might decide that, going forward, Japan is worthy of more than one show every 10 or 11 years.

It’s enough that Dan Henderson and Fedor Emelianenko are facing each other to make the Strikeforce card on July 30 (Showtime at 10 p.m. ET) worth watching. But for those needing an additional reason to tune-in, how’s this: It could be Emelianenko’s final fight.

The former Pride heavyweight champion, who has dropped each of his past two bouts (to Fabricio Werdum and Antonio Silva), isn’t ruling out the possibility of calling it quits if he falls to Henderson.

“I don’t know; we’ll see,” Emelianenko said during a Strikeforce conference call on Thursday to promote the bout. “Everything will be known after the fight. It’s better to talk about that and answer that question after the fight.

“What I have learned is that I can thank God for all of my successes and all of my failures, all of my good times and all of my bad times. I’m thankful to Him for all that he’s given me.”

Despite his recent disappointments inside the cage, Emelianenko (31-3-0) still believes in his fighting abilities and expects to end his two-bout skid.

“[Losing] hasn’t affected my confidence at all,” Emelianenko said. “If God has given us a certain path for my life, then I have to go down that path and feel confident about it.”

Faith is helping Emelianenko get through his recent difficulties in the cage, but Henderson has a strong belief that he will leave this fight victorious.

Henderson has closely watched Emelianenko’s two recent setbacks and spotted mistakes in the former champion’s approach. If Emelianenko has not corrected those flaws, Henderson plans to exploit them.

“Against Werdum, it seemed he got a little cocky with his submission defense, thinking he wouldn’t get submitted,” Henderson said. “Everybody can get caught, I guess.

“With Silva, he was a little bit out of shape; the size definitely got to him. Silva just hung out on top of him and didn’t let him move that whole second round. But no matter if he’s in shape or out of shape, he’s still dangerous. Anybody who has their back to the wall is definitely more dangerous.”

One thing is for sure: Retirement isn’t an option for the 40-year-old Henderson, whose contract with Strikeforce will be completed after this fight.

No matter the outcome of this fight, Henderson’s wants to defend his light heavyweight title.

“I don’t have any plans on going anywhere,” said Henderson, who will take a pro record of 27-8-0 into the cage against Emelianenko. “I’d like to defend that Strikeforce [light heavyweight] belt and go from there. But we have to figure everything out at the same time.”

For Henderson, this fight marks another chapter in a storied career. His book, however, appears far from being completed.

The same can't be said about Emelianenko. We will learn on July 30 if his story has reached its conclusion.

After a 16-month layoff, former Pride Fighting Championships titleholder Wanderlei Silva makes his way back to the cage against Chris Leben at UFC 131 on Saturday in Las Vegas. Once one of the sport’s most feared fighters, the 34-year-old Brazilian icon has resumed training under longtime mentor Rafael Cordeiro. More »

DALLAS -- Alistair Overeem has titles -- plenty of them. At the moment, he owns belts in Strikeforce, Dream and a kickboxing title in K-1.

Titles he’s got. What he wants are challenges. And the future looks bright as far as those are concerned.

Widely considered a favorite to win the Strikeforce Grand Prix, Overeem (34-11) is poised for the most remarkable run of his career if he’s able to keep winning.

While his focus rests solely on defeating Fabricio Werdum Saturday, he paid close attention to the recent booking of a welterweight fight between UFC and Strikeforce champions Georges St. Pierre and Nick Diaz.

Whichever heavyweight emerges victorious from this Grand Prix will obviously have a lot of steam behind him -- more than likely enough to set up another crossover fight.

“[The buyout] was good news because crossover fights can happen now,” Overeem told ESPN.com. “We’ve already seen it. If people want to see me fight against the UFC champion, that is what’s going to happen. It sounds very logical to me.”

Overeem seems to have assessed the situation well.

Although UFC president Dana White has frequently referred to "hurdles" that exist in making crossover fights, co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta recently told ESPN.com that there are no concrete roadblocks from doing so.

The promotion will honor its contract with Showtime, a deal that offers the network a series of options to continue until early 2014, and therefore doesn’t want to strip it of its best assets.

That said, it won’t stop the promotion from putting together the big fights fans ask for.

“There’s nothing in the deal that prevents us from moving fighters back and forth,” Fertitta said. “But we don’t want to do anything that would hurt the Strikeforce brand.

“The major benefit of the deal is it benefits the consumer because they get the fights they want. If it makes sense and we think it’s big enough, we’ll do it. In the case of GSP and Diaz, I couldn’t go a day without getting hundreds of people on Twitter asking for that fight.”

As far as Strikeforce champions go, no path seems as laid out to a crossover fight in the UFC than Overeem’s.

The Dutch fighter says he’s prepared for the toughest string of opponents in his career.

To him, the talent level of the Grand Prix even matches what he faced in the 2005 Pride Middleweight Grand Prix, during which he fought Vitor Belfort, Igor Vovchanchyn and Mauricio Rua within a four-month period.

“I think the level of competition is the same as when I fought the top guys in the world in 2005,” Overeem said. “There were more of them in that; 16. Now there are eight. But I think the main difference is I have improved.”

While Overeem has faced some of the world’s best at other weights, match-ups with that type of competition have eluded him at heavyweight.

That ends with his fight against Werdum this weekend and, if he proves to be as good as advertised, shouldn’t be a problem moving forward.

“I wanted a [Fedor Emelianenko] fight for a long time and it didn’t happen,” Overeem said. “Werdum was injured last year so I couldn’t fight him. I’ve had these fights at heavyweight but they didn’t happen for one reason or another.

“This tournament is a way to do that and do more fights in the United States. I’m focused on that and then after, we can talk about more possibilities.”