The heavyweights involved in Strikeforce's upcoming heavyweight tournament participated in the final press conference Wednesday to discuss the upcoming Strikeforce world grand prix heavyweight tournament that begins live on Showtime (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) this Saturday, Feb. 12.

One day after Strikeforce and M-1 presented a successful Fan Experience at the Roseland Ballroom here, they concluded a two-day stint in New York by assembling 14 of the most talented and exciting fighters in the world at The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers.

In Saturday's main event, Fedor Emelianenko (31-2, 1 NC) will return to action against Antonio "Big Foot" Silva (15-2). The opening quarterfinal on the telecast will match former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski (15-8) against Russian star Sergei Kharitonov (16-4), the last fighter to defeat current Strikeforce and Dream heavyweight champion Alistair "The Demolition Man" Overeem.

The other two quarterfinal matchups in a three-stage, single-elimination tournament will take place at a site and date to be announced. Overeem (34-11, 1 NC) will face the only man to have defeated Emeliananko, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist Fabricio Werdum (14-4-1), and hard-hitting Brett "The Grim" Rogers (11-2) will be opposed by Josh Barnett (29-5).

Also in attendance Wednesday were the six fighters who will compete on Saturday's all-heavyweight undercard on Showtime. The matchups: Shane Del Rosario (10-0) vs. Lavar "Big'' Johnson (15-3); Chad "The Grave Digger'' Griggs (9-1) vs. Gian (pronounced "John") Villante (7-1) and Valentijn Overeem (28-25) vs. Ray "Sugarfoot'' Sefo (2-0).

Tickets are on sale at IZOD Center box office, online at Ticketmaster.com and Strikeforce.com, and by phone at (800) 745-3000. The first of five non-televised undercard fights start at 7:30 p.m. ET.

What the fighters had to say Thursday:

Fedor Emeliananko:

"I am very happy to be fighting again and looking forward to a good fight. Losing a fight didn't change anything for me. I have worked very hard.''

Antonio Silva: 

"I am very, very excited and happy. I've wanted this fight a long time. Fedor is a great fighter and a great person. But if you want to rise to the top you have to be the best, and Fedor is definitely still one of the very best.

"The odds are all in Fedor's favor but the odds do not reflect reality. The truth is, this fight could go either way. I am very confident and I'm here to win.''

Andrei Arlovski:

"These three last guys who kicked my (butt) have motivated me. I'm determined. This tournament is a great opportunity."

Sergei Kharitinov:

"I don't think I'm getting Arlovski at a good time because of his losses. (His opponents) were some of the best fighters in the world. It's probably worse for me because he is hungry to win.

"Andrei took great shots from Silva. His fan-friendly style leaves him open. Anyone can get caught. His chin is not suspect."

Alistair Overeem:

"This is going to be the biggest tournament in the world. Fedor is a favorite and a legend but we'll see who the last man standing is."

Fabricio Werdum:

"The best heavyweights in the world are in Strikeforce and it's great they are doing a tournament to settle who the No. 1 heavyweight in the world is. 

"I'm looking forward to fighting Overeem again. He won three belts last year. I may not be the favorite, but...