Changes come quickly in the mixed martial arts world, and often those changes can have a great effect on the sport as a whole. Last week it was reported that current Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem was released from his contract. This is a very interesting move, one that will not only affect the direction of the champion, but both Strikeforce and the UFC at the same time.
Considered by many to be one of the best heavyweights in MMA, Overeem is recognized as a force by the MMA community. While he has had to deal with some questions along the way, he is currently riding a streak in which he has not suffered a defeat. In 2007 Overeem became the Strikeforce champion, but he didn’t defend the title for three years. Instead he went on to become the K-1 2010 World Grand Prix Champion and the interim heavyweight champion of the Japanese organization DREAM. Since his return to fighting on US soil, Overeem has been victorious in two fights: a title defense against Brett Rogers, and a win over Fabricio Werdum as a part of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix.
Since that win over Werdum, the downslide for Overeem has begun. First, he was pulled from the Strikeforce tournament due to what was called “an injured pinky toe.” Instead of agreeing to fight at the recently announced September 10th Strikeforce event, Overeem declined, wanting more time to rest and heal. In response, the Zuffa-led organization decided to remove him from the tournament completely, and replace him with upstart Daniel Cormier.
A week later Overeem was released from his contract with one fight remaining. Looking at this move raises questions about whether this is Zuffa playing hardball with a fighter who doesn’t bend to their liking, or if this is setting up the opportunity to bring Overeem into the UFC fold sooner than later. The heavyweight division is the UFC’s thinnest division, and it has a need for immediate contenders. Overeem would fit that role very nicely. Just as with Nick Diaz, Overeem may have been released from his Strikeforce contract because of language that grants him rights and privileges that Zuffa does not normally allow its talent to have.
What I hope does not happen is that we end up having to speculate for an extended period due to negotiation or legal disputes between the fighter and Zuffa. Overeem already has a fight scheduled for an upcoming United Glory event that is planned for October. Outside of that, no word has been released on Overeem’s plans. Hopefully this release means that we will get to see the Demolition Man in the UFC Octagon come 2012.
