Post subject: A.Overeem vs. R. Rodriguez on tap for DREAM.15 (SF Spoiler)
Posted: Wed Jun 30, 2010 11:50 am
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Joined: Tue Oct 27, 2009 5:55 am Posts: 400
Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem's next title defense is currently uncertain, but his next opponent isn't.
MMAjunkie.com has learned from sources close to the promotion that Overeem (33-11 MMA, 3-0 DREAM) has verbally agreed to face former UFC champion Ricco Rodriguez (42-11 MMA, 0-0 DREAM) at DREAM.15.
Bout agreements are expected to be finalized shortly, and a formal announcement for the heavyweight contest should come soon after.
Featuring a lightweight title fight between current champion Shinya Aoki and Japanese superstar Tatsuya Kawajiri, DREAM.15 takes place July 10 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The card airs live in North America on HDNet.
Rodriguez is the second U.S.-based fighter and MMAagents client to be added to the DREAM.15 card after UFC veteran Jake O'Brien was secured earlier this week for a light heavyweight matchup with Gegard Mousasi.
Overeem is a four-time DREAM veteran. The Strikeforce champ owns stoppage wins over James Thompson, Mark Hunt and Lee Tae-Hyun under the DREAM banner, while a September 2008 fight with Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic ended in a no contest after "The Demolition Man" landed several accidental knee strikes to his opponent's groin.
Overeem had been expected to fight Fedor Emelianenko under the Strikeforce banner, though the Russian's recent loss to Brazilian Fabricio Werdum complicated the organization's heavyweight title picture, and the Dutch striker's next move in the organization is still unclear.
Meanwhile, Rodriguez is a name that may be unfamiliar to new UFC fans but certainly holds a place in MMA history. A seven-time UFC veteran, Rodrigurez claimed the organization's heavyweight title with a 2002 win over Randy Couture, though he would surrender the belt in his first defense to a then-undefeated Tim Sylvia.
Rodriguez battled through substance abuse and weight issues in the years following his abbreviated UFC title run. Nevertheless, the 32-year-old is currently on a seven-fight win streak, and he's won 13 of his past 15 contests.
Rodriguez had been linked to a July 18 bout with Jeff Monson under the Australian-based Impact FC banner, but MMAjunkie.com has learned that the former UFC champ will likely not participate in the event in order to fight Overeem.
Post subject: Re: A.Overeem vs. R. Rodriguez on tap for DREAM.15 (SF Spoiler)
Posted: Wed Jun 30, 2010 1:23 pm
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Joined: Tue Apr 07, 2009 12:53 pm Posts: 13239 Location: In front of you
Will be nice to see Overeem again. I guess his next fight in SF will be against Werdum who wants the belt. But it could take months before that fight happens.
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Post subject: Re: A.Overeem vs. R. Rodriguez on tap for DREAM.15 (SF Spoiler)
Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 8:46 am
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Joined: Tue Oct 27, 2009 5:55 am Posts: 400
Quote:
Alistair Overeem (33-11 MMA, 3-0 DREAM) will not fight Ricco Rodriguez (42-11 MMA, 0-0 DREAM) at DREAM.15 – and he may not fight in the promotion ever again, according to his representative.
Martin De Jong, who trains the Strikeforce heavyweight champion, said his camp will talk to DREAM representatives at the end of this week to determine Overeem's future in the Japanese promotion.
"Right now, I can just say he's not going to fight Ricco, and he's not sure if he's going to fight in DREAM," De Jong today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).
MMAjunkie.com first reported Tuesday that verbal agreements were in place for the July 10 bout, which takes place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. In fact, DREAM officials had distributed bout agreements and planned to announce the fight this week.
Rodriguez's agent, Ken Pavia, today said that he holds a signed contract for the bout. De Jong, though, said there's no such paperwork on his side.
"I didn't get any contract, and Alistair didn't agree, so it's not going to happen," he said.
The trainer said Overeem has no problem fighting Rodriguez at some point, but the Dutch slugger simply isn't sure if he'll fight at the July event. If he does, another opponent is probably more likely.
"The only thing that's uncertain is that he's not sure he's going to fight in DREAM.15," De Jong said. "If he's going to fight, he's probably not going to fight Ricco Rodriguez. We didn't receive any contract. [DREAM] proposed Ricco Rodriguez, but they didn't send a contract and definitely we did not sign it."
"If Alistair's going to fight at DREAM.15, then he's not going to fight Ricco. That's pretty much for sure."
Overeem signed a multi-year, multi-fight agreement with DREAM in 2009 that drew the ire of stateside fans who said he neglected his duty to defend his Strikeforce belt.
Most recently, Overeem pulverized Brett Rogers in May at "Strikeforce St. Louis: Heavy Artillery" to defend his title for the first time in since winning it nearly three years ago.
Following Fabricio Werdum's upset of Fedor Emelianenko at this past Saturday's "Strikeforce and M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Werdum" event, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said Overeem could meet either Emelianenko or Werdum in his next stateside fight.
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