Proposed Overeem-Duffee Match ‘50-50’ for New Year’s Eve
Mike Whitman Dec 22, 2010
Todd
Duffee: Dave Mandel | Sherdog.com
The rumored participation of Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem at “Dynamite: The Power of Courage 2010” was today confirmed by K-1 and Dream parent company Fighting and Entertainment Group, who added the muscular Dutchman to the fight card on Dream’s official website.
While Overeem’s opponent has yet to be named for the Dec. 31 event at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, two athletic heavyweight competitors have been discussed as possible foes: onetime pro-wrestler Bobby Lashley and former UFC prospect Todd Duffee.
Speaking with sources close to Duffee, Sherdog.com has confirmed that the 25-year-old has been offered the bout by Dream officials and negotiations are currently underway. According to those sources, Duffee’s scheduled bout on a Jan. 29 Titan Fighting Championships card in Kansas should not interfere with his ability to make the New Year’s Eve date. When pressed on the odds of the matchup coming to fruition, one source asserted that bout with Overeem has a “50-50 shot” of taking place.
About 18 months ago, Duffee was on the fast track in the UFC’s heavyweight division. However, multiple injuries and a knockout loss to veteran Mike Russow at UFC 114 in May quickly derailed the Duffee express train, and the Grudge Training Center product was released by the UFC in September. After several months on the shelf, Duffee was last week confirmed for the Titan FC event, where he will square off against “Ultimate Fighter” vet Abe Wagner.
Overeem is fresh off a masterful performance at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 earlier this month, where he defeated Tyrone Spong, Gokhan Saki and Peter Aerts in a single night to claim the coveted kickboxing title. His only fight under MMA rules in 2010 came on May 15, when he easily dispatched of Brett Rogers at Strikeforce “Heavy Artillery.” The Dutch “Demolition Man” is 8-0-1 in his last nine fights, with the only blemish being a no-contest against Mirko “Cro Cop” Filopovic at Dream 6 in 2008.
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