K-1 World Grand Prix Final 16 First Matchup Leaked: Ben Edwards vs. Alistair Overeem

Imagine your first K-1 Grand Prix, your first time on the big stage where you can prove your mettle to the world. Then, imagine winning it, never mind that, imagine dominating that, and then to top it off, you make a new K-1 record for quickest Grand Prix victory. That is the life of Ben Edwards. Ben Edwards on October 2nd steps into his first K-1 World Grand Prix Final 16 and according to Edwards, his first challenge on the world stage is a huge one; Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem.

Overeem made the tough decision to continue on with his K-1 career while Strikeforce's next challenger, Fabricio Werdum is still on the shelf after having surgery on his elbow. Overeem put his foot down on defending his championship against another fighter coming off of a loss, Fedor Emelianenko, much like his last fight of Brett Rogers. The speculation as to who Overeem would face was running wild as always, and with Edwards announcing this fight the rumors can (once again) be put to rest.

This fight will be nothing short of an offensive war, with neither man known for letting a fight go the distance and leaving a trail of carnage behind them. Edwards is an aggressive brawler who has never seemed overly concerned with defending when he can be attacking, while Overeem likes to bully his opponents with muay thai sweeps and frustrate them into dropping their defenses for his brutal knees and precise hands.

The odds will be high as the winner goes on to the K-1 World Grand Prix Finals in December and gets their chance to be the 2010 K-1 World Grand Prix champion.