Too soon? Det er 3 måneder efter sidste kamp - som han øjensynligt ikke havde nogle skader efter
(skal siges, at jeg har ikke læst medical-reporten, så ved ikke hvor meget karantæne at de forskellige kæmpere fik)

Fra Sherdog:

Jeg er ikke overrasket over at denne turnering er på vej ned i toilettet. Det er ærgeligt - men ikke overraskende for mig.

Al ære og respekt for Cormier så er det vel ikke ligefrem en fuldgod erstatning?

Men hvorfor er han blevet fjernet?

Quote: mmajunkie

Overeem yanked from Strikeforce grand prix, Cormier to fill in against "Bigfoot"
by John Morgan on Jul 18, 2011 at 7:30 pm ET
Alistair Overeem (35-11 MMA, 3-0 SF) today informed the world he would not be fighting for Strikeforce on Sept. 10.

Strikeforce today informed Overeem his services will not be needed for the remainder of Strikeforce's heavyweight grand prix.

In a shocking development, MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has confirmed that Overeem has been pulled from the tournament, and Daniel Cormier (8-0 MMA, 5-0 SF) will take his spot in the semifinals of the promotion's heavyweight grand prix.

The change was first reported by Tatame.com. It's currently unclear if Overeem is still under contract with the promotion or if Strikeforce brass elected to hand their heavyweight champion an outright release.

Overeem today revealed on MMA Fighting's "The MMA Hour" that the promotion requested he return to action against Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva (16-2 MMA, 3-1 SF) on Sept. 10. However, the Dutch striker said he asked for more time and preferred an October booking.

With the company planning for a September event to host the promotion's heavyweight grand prix semifinal bouts, some obvious tension was built. Overeem said the company threatened his release even before today's official announcement.

"What's going to happen next, I don't know," Overeem told MMA Fighting. "I've had some threats of cutting me out of the tournament if I don't participate. I don't know if they're going to do it."

Overeem now has his answer.

Overeem's publicly stated position was that the Sept. 10 date was too soon to return to action and that he needed time to heal some nagging injuries.

However, MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has learned that Overeem was in the process of working out a new contract with the promotion, which may have contributed to his unwillingness to compete in September. It may also explain his recently expressed desire to challenge champion boxers Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko in a boxing contest – a strategy similar to the one Nick Diaz used to leverage his Strikeforce title into a shot at the UFC's welterweight belt.

As for Silva, who must now face wrestling-standout Cormier instead of striking specialist Overeem, he seemed rather unconcerned at today's development.

"I don't care who they put against me," Silva today told MMAjunkie.com through his manager and interpreter, Alex Davis. "If Overeem doesn't want to fight because his toe is hurt, then get me King Kong. Get Josh Barnett and Sergei Kharitonov both. I'll fight them both at the same time.

"I'm very frustrated and disappointed that someone who is considered one of the best fighters in the world would basically withdraw from the competition and refuse to fight me. Overeem is a great guy, but I don't really like what he's doing right now as a fighter. Either way, I don't pick my opponents. I would have much rather Cain Velasquez stepped in for Overeem because I want to prove I'm the best heavyweight in the world. But I'm not taking Cormier lightly, either. I'll continue to train just as hard as if I was still facing Overeem."

Davis believes Cormier provides a capable fill-in, but he also admits the entire situation is unfortunate.

"Antonio and I both find it very unfortunate that Overeem declined to take into consideration all the interests involved in his appearance," Davis said. "Strikeforce needed him to fight in September. His fans, and really almost all MMA fans, were looking forward to the conclusion of this amazing grand prix. Antonio was looking forward to fighting an opponent as popular and accomplished as Overeem is. Now, all that is lost.

"Nevertheless, we do appreciate Cormier coming into the tournament, and we look forward to a great fight that fans will want to see."

Synes det er utroligt at Overeem "trækker" sig fra HW GP (Officielt smidt af kortet). Det kan være han skal bruge en længere pause til at roide op efter hans kamp mod Werdum, hvor han ikke ligefrem var imponerende.

Så han er røget for han har gjort sig besværlig?

Jeg forstår ham ikke. Han havde en ret god chance for at vinde det hele. Hvis han bare holdt tungen lige i munden.
Men sådan skal det åbenbart ikke være.


Anyway, jeg håber stadig på Barnett

Fez skrev:


Fez - 1st - WELCOME 2 FightFAN

2ondly: Enig, han var langt fra impressive.. var sku noget skuffet over den kamp.. og han roider da ik?? han spiser da bare hæste kø´!

Så kan det være han ikke kan nå at få nok hestekød inden næste kamp

For satan! Fez! velkommen til Fightfan!

On topic: Han er bare kraftig bygget og en late bloomer.

Alistair Overeem discusses his removal from the Strikeforce Heavyweight GP

"Yes, of course I'm disappointed. Winning the tournament was my number one goal. I understand their position, but they have to understand mine, and I'm disappointed we couldn't work it out... Everybody is trying to find reasons why I was pulled out of the tournament, but I can tell you this: it's not that difficult. Strikeforce promised me a date in the fall, I acted on it and chose to go on holiday and start my training in August. Zuffa/Showtime then decided to do it in September and then the ball was in my court, and I had to decline because I know it's too short of time to be prepared 100-percent. Instead of postponing the event they decided that the show must go on and use one of the alternates... I don't know (why) but my guess is that when Zuffa took over Strikeforce there were other interests. If you look at the month of October, you can see three UFC shows and two of them are big and have title fights as the main event. That makes you wonder if they want a Grand Prix semi-final in between on Showtime. - For complete interview by Ariel Helwani, visit MMAFighting.com



Alistair Overeem's abrupt removal from the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix on Monday has already resulted in much speculation as to why the promotion would replace, perhaps, the biggest star remaining in the tournament's bracket. While "The Reem" has refuted many of the existing rumors, such as contract negotiations, it appears he is now offering a theory of his own - conflicting interests.

Overeem's performance against Fabricio Werdum last month, albeit an unusual one, was enough to put him in line for a showdown with Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva in the semifinals. Though not widely considered a favorite heading into the tournament, Silva's upset victory over Fedor Emelianenko made him an interesting opponent for the champ, who has not suffered defeat since 2007. Where the Dutchman goes from here is still uncertain, but in addition to the Strikeforce belt, he also currently holds titles for both K-1 and DREAM. So what do you think LowKick'ers? Where will Overeem surface next: Strikeforce, K-1, DREAM, or possibly even the UFC?

HDNet’s “Inside MMA” breaks more shocking news concerning StrikeForce™ Heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem who “Inside MMA” has learned has received a cut letter and has been released from the promotion.

Sources close to the situation have told “Inside MMA’s” Ron Kruck that Strikeforce™ has exercised its right to eliminate the one remaining fight on Overeem’s contract effective July 22nd.



Also according to the source, Overeem has been dealing with more serious injuries than originally reported, including a broken toe and rib and elbow problems.
Overeem will fight next in October in Russia for the promotion United Glory. No word on who his opponent will be.
Also according to the source, Overeem has been dealing with more serious injuries than originally reported, including a broken toe and rib. He also has problems with an elbow.

Overeem has fought through nagging injuries and while set to fight in the StrikeForce™ semi-finals (scheduled for September 10th in Cincinnati) Overeem has stated he still needed more time to recover.

Another issue that StrikeForce™ officials had regarding Overeem’s participation in the tournament is he had only one fight left on his current contract and he would have had to fight twice to win the Grand Prix.

Gad vide hvad Overeem vil nu? K1? Freakshow kampe? Boksning?
I sidstnævnte vil han få gigantklask ...jeg mener bare, at jeg har læst noget om boksning et sted...

Jeg går ud fra, at et eventuelt cut fra Strikeforce også omfatter UFC.

jeg håber på freakkampe.. fordi det er han