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Strikeforce: Valentijn Overeem Submits Ray Sefo

By Michael David Smith
Valentijn Overeem beats Ray Sefo at Fedor vs. Silva.Valentijn Overeem needed only a few seconds on the ground with Ray Sefo to earn an easy submission victory on the first televised fight of the Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva card.

Although Sefo is a very accomplished kickboxer, having been the runner-up in the 2000 K-1 World Grand Prix, he simply has no ground game at all, and Overeem made him look foolish on the ground: Overeem went for a lazy takedown and easily pulled Sefo's leg out from under him, then got on top of him in side control, started to crank on Sefo's neck and got Sefo to tap.

The fight lasted a minute and 37 seconds.


In the stand-up at the start of the fight Sefo was getting the better of the exchanges with Overeem, as you'd expect from a very good K-1 kickboxer. But at age 39 it's not realistic to think Sefo is ever going to develop a complete MMA game, and he really doesn't belong in the cage with anyone who's even a competent all-around mixed martial artist.

That's what Overeem is, competent. Unlike his brother Alistair Overeem, Valentijn isn't a great fighter who's a threat to beat anyone, but he is an experienced veteran with a 29-25 career record, and he's much better than Sefo, who falls to 2-1 and may be done in MMA.

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