When he pulled out of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix due to an injured toe, Alistair Overeem said that the injury occured before his first round tilt with Fabricio Werdum, that it would require extra time to rest and he'd hoped to be back fighting by October. Well, it appears as if that explaination wasn't good enough for Zuffa, the UFC, or Dana White.
The Reason being is that yesterday, the Strikeforce Heavyweight kingpin was not only out of the tournament, but the promotion as well, being released after news surfaced of his participating in a kickboxing card to take place in his native Netherlands the same month he was expected to fight again in Strikeforce. There are 2 conclusions from this transaction : 1) The Strikeforce Heavyweight World Championship will likely go to the winner of the tournament and 2) His replacement, wrestler Daniel Cormier, fares less of a chance than Overeem did against his opponent, Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva.
But since the MMA landscape has forever been altered with the UFC buying out Strikeforce this past March, the likelihood of predicting "The Demolition Man"s next move is very murky. So let's give all the possibilities another look :
1) He goes back to Kickboxing/K-1 : Probably the most likely choice, Overeem as mentioned before is scheduled to fight in an "Ultimate Glory" event in the Netherlands in October. A kickboxer by trade, Overeem's striking prowess and power are widely known, cumilating in his victory at the 2010 K-1 World Grand Prix last December. The Problem? K-1 is owned by Fighting and Entertainment Group, the same parent company of Japan's biggest MMA promotion, DREAM, who if not for the recent tragedies in Japan would have surely perished into the history books. As it stands now, Overeem is likely to ask for a huge payday if he were to fight permanently there, which would likely mean FEG would have problems paying anybody else (which they have had already).
2) He heads to Boxing to fight the Klitschko Brothers - In a recent interview with ESPN UK, Overeem made it clear of his desire to fight Vitali Klitschko, saying that he was "definitely seriously thinking" about fighting Vitali, and that he is "always looking for a challenge. That came about in fighting for K-1 and becoming K-1 champion, something nobody ever did before. It would be cool to go to boxing and beat the main guy there".
This move seems the least likely. Considering Overeem's prowess in the striking department, he might have some power, but not enough to match up to a straight pugilist. Both Klitschkos have boxed from their formidable years, and it is not something to take on overnight. A tall, lanky boxer like Klitschko would pepper Overeem with jabs and dominate a boxing contest, not turn it into a brawl. While he wouldn't be a "fish out of water" akin to James Toney, he would certainly look out of place.
3) He goes to the UFC to challenge for the heavyweight crown - The release came under the stipulation that the last fight on Overeem's contract was an option. It was also clear that his kickboxing career was permitted as a stipulation on his contract. Is it possible that Overeem, who's 35-11 with a unblemished 3-0 mark in Strikeforce, could parlay his desire to box into a title shot, a la Nick Diaz? Perhaps. It seems like the most likely scenario, given Dana White's outright refusal to allow his athletes to compete in only one sport : Mixed Martial Arts.
This of course, would depend on how Overeem's "pinky toe" heals up.
-In Other news, all fighters for tonight's "Strikeforce : Fedor vs Henderson" card were on weight, as reported by MMAJunkie. Emelianenko, who for years has always shown up at the same weight, came in shedding 7 pounds, weighing in at a robust 223. For Henderson, he was true to his previous word of coming in at 206.1 pounds. Of course, it was rounded up to 207.
-MMAJunkie was also the first to report the first Bellator title to be defended in the promotion's upcoming 5th season will be Eddie Alvarez's 155 lb. strap. He'll take on 8-0 Michael Chandler, who earned his title shot with victories over Marcin Held, Lloyd Woodard and Patricky "Pitbull" Friere in the show's 4th season. Chandler definitely has a wrestling advantage, but its more than likely Alvarez will keep this fight standing to feel him out. We'll find out on October 15th.
-ESPN.com's blog (yes, they have an MMA blog co-hosted with Sherdog. Quite good actually. Look it up) says Dana White has re-iterated Paul Daley won't fight in the UFC again. Despite his showing against Diaz and the likelihood of a World title should he defeat Tyrone Woodley on Saturday, Daley's employment will likely evaporate once the inevitable happens, which is Strikeforce folding into the UFC. His likely suitors? Perhaps MFC in Canada (where he's fought once before at MFC 17), Bellator, or back in his native England with BAMMA, alongside fellow UFC castoff Nate Marquardt.
Questions? Comments? Leave one at the bottom or email me, mmarmaggeddon@gmail.com. You can also follow me on twitter, at twitter.com/MMArmaggedon.
Until next time, fight fans!
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