• Strikeforce: Overeem v Werdum

Frustrated Overeem: 'Werdum never came to fight'

Fabricio Werdum was a frustrating figure on Saturday © Getty Images

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Alistair Overeem laid the blame squarely at the feet of Fabricio Werdum after their disappointing Strikeforce heavyweight bout on Saturday.

Overeem claimed a unanimous decision that will have done little to boost his own reputation, as he attempts to prove he is worthy of a shot at one of the UFC's top five in the future.

The 31-year-old has now gone 11 unbeaten, winning 10 of those encounters, but he simply could not showcase his outstanding striking skills against an opponent in Werdum who was happy to hit the mat... and stay there.

"I think he didn't really come to fight," Overeem told MMA Fighting. "He was stalling a lot. In the beginning he opened up his guard, so I could stand up. Later on he kept his guard closed, so I couldn't stand up. Then he was just stalling the fight."

Werdum knew he would likely lose if he entered into a striking exchange, but his takedown attempts lacked quality, and fans showed what they thought when he spent extended periods lying on the ground, hoping to lure Overeem in.

"Basically I think that's all he can do," said Overeem, who avenged a submission loss suffered against the Brazilian five years ago. "I think he didn't really come to fight. He just set up his strikes to get the takedown. He wasn't striking to knock me out. What can I say? It takes two to tango."

Overeem now progresses to a bout with Antonio Silva, where he promised to put on a greater show.

"I can tell you, there's a lot more that I can show to the fans. When the fans look at my previous fights, they will know that. It's hard when somebody comes to not fight. I knew that that chance was there with Fabricio Werdum. He is a character. But I did expect him to put up more of a fight against me. He was talking a lot of crap before the fight, but yeah, I believe he was not there to fight."

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