Strikeforce: Dallas Overeem Vs. Werdum Odds Pick

Fabricio Werdum and Alistair Overeem are among the best heavyweights in the world and both are making their way to the UFC in the near future. The winner in this Strikeforce: Dallas tournament matchup is a battle of skill vs. size in some peoples' minds but both guys have plenty of each trait to share.

The odds favor Overeem in this one as he has become a mythical Internet figure with his hulking frame, impressive kickboxing and K1 resume, and his impressive recent performances including a beatdown of Brett Rogers.

But Werdum is peaking at the same time and is turning from a former jiu-jitsu champion fighting in MMA to a complete fighter. Werdum may not be the physical freak that Overeem is but he is a big, strong guy now too in his own right who can hang with anyone in the world.

In the first matchup between the two, a green Werdum submitted Overeem. Now, Overeem is the favorite because his game is more complete and he has a size advantage among other reasons.

Striking is where the odds pick favorite Overeem figures to have his biggest advantage. He is a superstar K1 fighter with great knees, a great clinch game, heavy hands, and very good kicks as all K1 fighters usually have.

Werdum is a patient striker and a good counter-attacker who will make Overeem work to land that big shot. He will probably try to clinch with him and drag him to the ground where he can work his excellent jiu-jitsu game as well.

Werdum may have suffered a big KO loss to Junior dos Santos in the past in the UFC but now he is a different fighter. That loss was a wakeup call for him and the Strikeforce: Dallas fans will see a whole new fighter on June 18. After all, the humble Werdum has wins over Fedor Emelianenko and the man who recently beat him in the massive Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva.

But Overeem, despite some questioning his heart at times, is at the peak of his career and he's a physical freak. His striking and overall game along with his size will be a little too much for Werdum to handle.

This fight will be closer than most expect, but in the end, Overeem will defeat Werdum by unanimous decision and move one step closer to being the champion of the Strikeforce tournament.

The odds pick here is that Overeem wins the whole thing, setting up a mega-fight between himself and most likely Cain Velasquez in the UFC although Junior dos Santos has a strong chance of winning the title as well when those two finally meet.