Top UFC heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem has signed with Authentic Sports Management and joined the Blackzilians fight team in Florida.
ASM president Glenn Robinson today announced the signing.
Overeem recently split with longtime camp Golden Glory and still is locked in a legal battle with his former management team.
Overeem, 31, will train with the Blackzilians in south Florida in preparation for his UFC 146 title fight with champ Junior Dos Santos, which takes place May 26, likely at MGM Grand Gardena Arena in Las Vegas. It's expected to remain his primary camp in the U.S.
The Blackzilians is a new camp comprised mostly of fighters who left from other notable fight teams. Blackzilian members include the likes of Rashad Evans, Melvin Guillard, Jorge Santiago, Miguel Torres, Eddie Alvarez, Anthony Johnson and others. Coaches include Mike Van Arsdale, Henri Hooft, Flavius Silva and Marcus Silva.
"With Authentic Sports Management, I saw right away that Glenn Robinson has a system in place that allows the fighter to focus on training only, which is so important as I prepare for my UFC heavyweight title fight against Junior Dos Santos," Overeem stated. "ASM has a team of experts to help you grow as an athlete, from Glenn working hands-on as management to Jen Wenk handling my PR and Karen Gough running marketing, a full-time nutritionist, a finance and legal department – you name it, (and) they have it. After meeting with ASM, I was convinced that they can make me the new UFC world champion."
Overeem, a former Strikeforce and DREAM titleholder, signed with the UFC in 2011 and earned his upcoming title shot with a UFC 141 victory over ex-champ Brock Lesnar.
As MMAjunkie.com (
www.mmajunkie.com) reported over the weekend, Golden Glory recently obtained a second court order to hold in escrow more than $400,000 of Overeem's pay from UFC 141. The amount is nearly double that of a previous order obtained the day of UFC 141, which was not executed when a surety bond was not deposited to the court.
Overeem and his former team have been tangled in litigation for several months. This past November, Overeem sued Knockout Investments in Los Angeles Superior Court and claimed the team had breached its management agreement and tied him to a bad deal that required him to pay 35 percent of his pre-tax income. A month later, Knockout Investments counter-sued, alleging Overeem did not pay a 30 percent commission owed to Golden Glory following his win over Fabricio Werdum at "Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum." Overeem claimed the team owed him $151,000 in back pay and asked a judge to determine whether his contract is enforceable.
Source: UFC heavyweight Alistair Overeem joins the Blackzilians, signs with ASM