Is Fedor's management ducking the REEM?, Maybe so. Rogers vs Overeem likely. Options

[BigDaddyBowe]

The reason no opponent for Fedor Emelianenko has been announced as of yet, has to do with the fact that negotiations were still going on with the management of Alistair Overeem, who were open for a fight against Emelianenko as Alistair's first defense of the title he won back in 2007.

But Emelianenko's management in the form of M-1 global requested a fight against Fabricio Werdum in the form of a co-promotion, and declined all opportunities to discuss a bout against Overeem for the Strikeforce Title.

A Fedor-Overeem fight is still possible for the Summer in the form of a CBS or PPV headline bout, though an initial written agreement obliging both fighters to at some point square off has been made void by M-1's refusal. As this is the case, Overeem(32-11) will now fight Brett Rogers(10-1) instead for the heavyweight crown at a Strikeforce event to be held in May. Both fighters have (verbally) agreed to this match.

Source = martijn de jong (Overeem's manager and director shooto holland)

Alot of Golden Glory members including Bas Boon are confirming this story, I'm sure it will be clarified within the next couple days most like by tommorow.

[Rayrobinson#1]

Overeem is high risk and little reward. Overeem has no reputation in the US except to hard core fans and K1 fans. In fact Werdum actually has more reputation because he fought in the UFC.

Overeem has lost too many fights to known fighters. Overeem lost to Werdum!!.

So I don't see your point of view.

[BigDaddyBowe]

Overeem is high risk and little reward. Overeem has no reputation in the US except to hard core fans and K1 fans. In fact Werdum actually has more reputation because he fought in the UFC.

Overeem has lost too many fights to known fighters. Overeem lost to Werdum!!.

So I don't see your point of view.

My point of view? I posted a snippit from a martijn de jong statement....

M-1 turned down a May fight with Overeem and choose Werdum, they also turned down a contract that would obligate both men to fight by the years end. Overeem is the champion, I thought Fedor and his team took on anyman, especially a champion in a promotion he is currently fighting under..

[97SRAD750]

I don't see how it's really ducking him. I mean we know Werdum is a better fighter. I haven't looked at the ranking but I have to imagine Werdum's ranked higher.

[BigDaddyBowe]

I don't see how it's really ducking him. I mean we know Werdum is a better fighter. I haven't looked at the ranking but I have to imagine Werdum's ranked higher.

There really is no legit ranking systems to go by but most sites rate Overeem anywhere from 8-10 and Werdums either in the 9th or 10th slot or on the fringe of the top 10. Some sites list Werdum over Alistair and some vice versa. But regardless why not fight for the championship? I don't get the risk/reward buisness Rayrob is grasping at.

[Blackson187]

You drastically overrate him.

[Drago]

He's good but Fedor would smash him.

Man I hope Fedor doesn't get old before he gets to fight Lesnar.

[McBanned]

im going to really be rooting for rogers if he is fighting overeem. ive been a fan of rogers since the first time i seen him fight. he reminds me of chuck liddell in that he has big time KO power, a great sprawl, and the ability to get back up to his feet whenever he does get taken down. if he fights aggressively, he is going to knock overeem out. overeem cant take pressure and he has proven it time and time again. if rogers comes out throwing his hands, overeem is going to back himself into a corner and get fucked up.

i read awhile back that rogers knocked lesnar out in sparring twice in one day. second time he knocked him out cold and afterwards, he grabbed his gear and left the gym. he was upset that everyone in his gym was giving brock all the attention because he was a "star" and ended up switching camps.

rogers is very underrated and its only a matter of time before this guy gets recognized. he is a dangerous fight for anyone and i think he would fuck up most of the UFC heavyweights. i would love to see him rematch fedor because i think it would be a tossup.he fought like he was nervous and he wasnt himself. in a rematch, i think he would have more confidence.

[Rayrobinson#1]

I don't see how it's really ducking him. I mean we know Werdum is a better fighter. I haven't looked at the ranking but I have to imagine Werdum's ranked higher.

There really is no legit ranking systems to go by but most sites rate Overeem anywhere from 8-10 and Werdums either in the 9th or 10th slot or on the fringe of the top 10. Some sites list Werdum over Alistair and some vice versa. But regardless why not fight for the championship? I don't get the risk/reward buisness Rayrob is grasping at.

Im just saying Overeem could win by a good punch. Werdum to me has no chance to beat Fedor. Still Werdum is equal to Overeem at least in terms of the typical UFC fans.

[BigDaddyBowe]

You drastically overrate him.

I overrate every fighter I follow, much like the majority of posters on this site including you.

[Doug]

Sounds like Fedor's team wanted a double-bill card, get Overeem's name out there on a card that American fans will actually see. Not too many fans follow the overseas MMA, tons of them follow UFC and more recently Strikeforce. The fact that Overeem hasn't yet defended the Strikeforce belt he won in 2007 is patently absurd. How in the fuck do you win a belt and not defend it for three years? I assume he's been stripped or given emeritus in-waiting status given his inactivity in the organization.

[BigE]

Overeem is irrelevant. I'd be shocked if even the majority of MMA fans knew who he was. When I say that, I'm referring to your Affliction wearing mouth breathers that have been watching UFC for 3 years.

[Doug]

He's made himself irrelevant in the big picture. Yes, he's huge in Japan and probably a handful of other countries, but when you own(ed) a belt that tends to fight in more mainstream locales and with increased TV coverage, you owe it to yourself and the fans to get your ass out from under the security blanket and fight where more people can see you. He must really enjoy the big fish/little pond thing. I know he's made good money in Japan, but he's a non-entity in the MMA world at large.

Maybe Strikeforce won't meet his budget demands for bicycles and wooden mauls. Which BTW was about the gayest promo I've ever seen, for anything.

[BigDaddyBowe]

Sounds like Fedor's team wanted a double-bill card, get Overeem's name out there on a card that American fans will actually see. Not too many fans follow the overseas MMA, tons of them follow UFC and more recently Strikeforce. The fact that Overeem hasn't yet defended the Strikeforce belt he won in 2007 is patently absurd. How in the fuck do you win a belt and not defend it for three years? I assume he's been stripped or given emeritus in-waiting status given his inactivity in the organization.

Simple, Coker signed him to a one fight contract against Buentello, he only re-signed to Strikeforce last April. You can blame Coker fot that not Overeem.

[BigDaddyBowe]

He's made himself irrelevant in the big picture. Yes, he's huge in Japan and probably a handful of other countries, but when you own(ed) a belt that tends to fight in more mainstream locales and with increased TV coverage, you owe it to yourself and the fans to get your ass out from under the security blanket and fight where more people can see you. He must really enjoy the big fish/little pond thing. I know he's made good money in Japan, but he's a non-entity in the MMA world at large.

Maybe Strikeforce won't meet his budget demands for bicycles and wooden mauls. Which BTW was about the gayest promo I've ever seen, for anything.

He's been rocking the warhammer for over 10 years.

[Madness]

http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/Strikefor...-April-17-22905

Fedor Emelianenko, the world’s No. 1-ranked heavyweight, will not appear on the April card. Emelianenko’s proposed bout with Fabricio Werdum has been pushed to May. However, multiple sources are indicating that the stoic Russian could be absent from both events as his management attempts to re-tool terms of Emelianenko’s existing contract with Strikeforce.

[BigDaddyBowe]

http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/Strikefor...-April-17-22905

Fedor Emelianenko, the world's No. 1-ranked heavyweight, will not appear on the April card. Emelianenko's proposed bout with Fabricio Werdum has been pushed to May. However, multiple sources are indicating that the stoic Russian could be absent from both events as his management attempts to re-tool terms of Emelianenko's existing contract with Strikeforce.

Theres been alot of rumors surfacing that he could be returning to DREAM and will participate in DREAM's HW GP.

[BigDaddyBowe]

http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/Strikefor...-April-17-22905

Fedor Emelianenko, the world's No. 1-ranked heavyweight, will not appear on the April card. Emelianenko's proposed bout with Fabricio Werdum has been pushed to May. However, multiple sources are indicating that the stoic Russian could be absent from both events as his management attempts to re-tool terms of Emelianenko's existing contract with Strikeforce.

m1-
According to M-1 Global, Strikeforce has not honored the contract that they signed with M-1 and the only way Fedor will fight in a Strikeforce cage again is if they sign a new contract. M-1 is looking for a partner and to have Strikeforce cards featuring Fedor to be fully co-promoted cards.

M-1 Global is looking at other potential partners right now if Strikeforce doesn't shape up. Generally speaking, that does not mean there is a healthy relationship with Strikeforce and that the chances of seeing Fedor fighting outside of Strikeforce have gone out. Now, is this just them trying to scare Strikeforce into conceding to their demands or are they seriously shopping Fedor and M-1 Global around is the question.

Not looking good, Japan will definately grab Fedor if they part ways but M-1 global is simply killing the possibility of great Fedor fights. M-1 has had "problems" with nearly every big promotion on the globe, I understand Fedor is a part owner of the company but these fucking leeches are ruining big fights.

-Overeem-

There is speculation that Werdum-Overeem II will take place in May for the title, an announcement should be made sometime this week according to Alistairs management.

[Madness]

Dude. At first, I was glad that M1 was standing up to the UFC. The first contract that UFC wrote up for Fedor was bullshit (He couldnt fight sambo, they could cut Fedor at any time, they could keep Fedor for as long as they want etc.) But the last UFC contract was kosher. The main reason M1 didnt sign that contract was that they demanded co-promotion. The UFC is HUGE. M1 is a tiny, piss-ant organization with one great fighter. They aren't going to fuckin' co-promote... Its unfortunate.

[BigDaddyBowe]

http://mmajunkie.com/news/18133/champ-alis...rett-rogers.mma

More Overeem News:

Alistair Overeem (32-11 MMA, 2-0 SF) wants American fans to get ready. There are no more obstacles in the way of his American MMA career; Strikeforce is the priority for 2010.

In an exclusive interview with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) today, the Strikeforce heavyweight champion said he is likely to meet Brett Rogers (10-1 MMA, 2-1 SF) in a non-title fight on an as-yet-unannounced card set for May 15 in St. Louis, Mo.

Although Strikeforce has not placed an event permit request to the Missouri State Athletic Commission, all signs point to a second trip to the 22,000-seat Scottrade Center in St. Louis.

The promotion made its first visit there this past June for "Strikeforce: Shields vs. Lawler."

Overeem announced the Rogers fight earlier today on his Twitter account but clarified that the matchup is not confirmed. He also added that a rumored appearance at DREAM.13 against Neil Grove or Josh Barnett is also unconfirmed.

"I'll know this week," he said.

Keeping up with the Dutch fighter's schedule has proven a difficult task for American fans. Overeem was slated to face Rogers at "Strikeforce: Shields vs. Lawler" in 2009 before he injured his hand in an Amsterdam nightclub brawl and suffered severe complications, which he said shelved him for a follow-up appearance two months later against Fabricio Werdum at "Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg."

Just 11 days after the proposed Werdum fight, Overeem entered the 2009 K-1 Grand Prix and made two appearances for the kickboxing promotion before he lost to Badr Hari in the tournament's semifinals. Along the way, he picked up two MMA wins (via submission over Tony Sylvester and James Thompson) before he defeated Kazuyuki Fujita in his most recent appearance at the Dec. 31 "Dynamite!! 2009" event in Japan.

Overeem has not defended his title since November 2007, when he won the vacant belt by defeating Paul Buentello at "Strikeforce: Four Men Enter, One Man Survives."

Overeem's manager, Bas Boon, said his fighter made far more money competing for K-1 and assured American fans he will return in April or May. Boon, though, would not confirm the Rogers bout.

Meanwhile, Overeem said he hopes to fight in the 2010 K-1 Grand Prix but that Strikeforce obligations come first.

"If I can do K-1 after these fights or in between, that's OK, but if not, then I will go for Strikeforce," he said. "It's been too long. Last year was a good year in K-1, but this year, I want to fight in MMA."

The chance of a long-rumored fight with Fedor Emelianenko appears to be a longshot. Emelianenko will not appear on Strikeforce's second CBS-televised event, which is set for April 17 in Nashville, Tenn., and he is currently in a contract dispute with the San Jose, Calif.-based promotion. He is rumored to be fighting on the May 15 card against an unnamed opponent.

While Overeem counts the top-ranked Russian among his targets stateside, there is too much red tape between them.

"Fedor doesn't want to fight," Overeem said. "His manager doesn't want to fight. That's basically the message I'm getting out of all of this. The management said, 'Yeah, we want to fight Alistair, but first, Alistair must fight somebody else.' Basically, you need two parties to agree on a fight. Otherwise it's not going to happen.

"And now, I don't know what is going to happen because I think [Fedor] might want to leave Strikeforce. I'm not really occupied with the situation; I'm just focused on myself and my training."

Overeem was more than happy, though, to take on Rogers, who has called him out on several occasions and demanded he defend his title or give up the belt.

"He's an excellent opponent," Overeem said. "I'm looking forward to [smacking] his face and his loud mouth. I'm really happy that Strikeforce came with this fight so now we can settle things once and for all."

Rogers manager, Mike Reilly, declined to comment on a potential fight between Rogers and Overeem.

"I don't think it's going to be for the title because [Brett] lost to Fedor," Overeem said. "He’s coming off a loss, so I don't think they're going to put it for the title, but it's up to the promotion."

Rogers fights for the first time since his November loss to Emelianenko at Strikeforce's first CBS-televised event. The TKO defeat snapped his 10-fight win streak (all of the wins came via stoppage due to strikes), which included Strikeforce victories over Abongo Humphrey and Andrei Arlovski.

After a long absence, Overeem intends to prove his critics wrong and make his mark once again in the U.S.

"If people take the time to look what the situation is, there's no secrets; there's no strange stuff going on," he said. "I can look you in the face and answer your questions. Then they'll see that things turn out the way they turn out.

"There are no obstacles for me."

For more on the Strikeforce in St. Louis event, check out the MMA Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com



Awesome news, a Barnett fight would be awesome.