"I am ready to break some bones. I train with Alistair and we are 1-1. We could meet in the finals and again we will have a brawl. Its not really that much different [than] how we train and do sparring in the gym. People like to think they are experts on things they think they know. I beat Alistair and [Fabricio] Werdrum and [did] that at a time when my stand-up skills were not 25% [of] what [they are] now. You do the math... I do not watch fights from Andrei Arlovski. For me he is just another obstacle that has to be removed. I do not care what his problems were or if he was a champion or not. I will break him... I know I can beat all these guys, but I think Strikeforce right now has the best heavyweights." -Sergei Kharitonov via tapology

Count noted heavyweight Sergei Kharitonov among those who consider the Strikeforce heavyweight division superior to it's UFC counterpart. A recent FiveKnuckles.com poll found that Kharitonov is in the slight majority among our readers who had the UFC heavyweights on top by the slight margin of 4% (52% favored the UFC heavyweights to 48% for Strikeforce). 

The highly regarded Russian is preparing to square off against An drei Arlovski at Strikeforce: "Fedor vs. Silva" on Feb. 12 in the opening round of Strikeforce's much anticipated 8-man heavyweight tournament. The former Pride veteran appears supremely confident in his chances of taking the title when the dust settles. 

Kharitonov (17-4) already holds wins over Strikeforce champion Alistair Overeem and number one contender Fabricio Werdum. He also spars regularly with Overeem in training.