FB TW IG YT VK TH
Search
MORE FROM OUR CHANNELS

Wrestlezone
FB TW IG YT VK TH

Overeem: M-1 Sees Me as ‘Threat’ to Fedor

File Photo: Joe Harrington/Sherdog.com


According to Alistair Overeem, Fedor Emelianenko’s management wants no part of him.

Advertisement
The Strikeforce heavyweight champion stated as much during a teleconference call on Tuesday touting Overeem’s first title defense against Brett Rogers on May 15 at Strikeforce “Heavy Artillery” at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo.

“I’ve been challenging Fedor for some time now and Fedor -- well, not himself because I’m sure he doesn’t care to fight me or not -- but his management has declined to fight me on numerous occasions,” said Overeem. “What can you do when you have one party that wants to fight and the other party doesn’t want to fight? Then, you don’t have a fight.”

The 6-foot-5 Dutch fighter, who began his career at light heavyweight and made his name in Japan’s Pride Fighting Championships between 2003 and 2007, has enjoyed a recent run as the heavyweight kickboxer for K-1. Excluding a bout against Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic that ended in a no contest, Overeem, who turns 30 on May 17, has pieced together seven straight MMA victories since the move.

Overeem, who will be 30 months removed from the Strikeforce cage when he re-enters it on May 15 to defend his title, believes M-1 Global, the Russian-Dutch firm that reps Emelianenko, are preventing the matchup because they are particularly familiar with the Dutchman’s talents.

“I think they want to keep Fedor’s status as undefeated,” said Overeem. “I think they see me as a threat to that. One of the managers of M-1 Global, who I know personally, he knows the way I train. He knows what I’m capable of.”

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker, who has a multi-event deal to co-promote shows with M-1 Global where Emelianenko fights, said he hasn’t broached his partners regarding a fight with Overeem yet.

“That conversation hasn’t happened and I know that Overeem’s convinced that (M-1) is the reason (the fight hasn’t happened),” Coker said. “Depending on how the next set of (heavyweight) fights play out, the deck re-shuffles and I’m sure Fedor would fight anyone we presented to him.”

Coker would not commit to pairing Overeem against Emelianenko next if both are victorious in their upcoming bouts. Strikeforce and M-1 Global announced on Tuesday that they will co-promote a June 26 event headlined by Emelianenko against former UFC top-fiver Fabricio Werdum at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.

In the interim, Overeem told the media that he felt the need to return to the U.S. and defend his title against Rogers, who has taken some heat himself for getting a title shot directly following his second-round loss to Emelianenko last November.

“(Rogers has) wanted to fight me for one year; I’m willing to fight anybody,” said Overeem. “I’m looking forward to defending my title. If it would have been up to me, it would have been last year, but like I said, I had my hand injured, which took time to recover.”

After his May 15 bout against Rogers, Overeem said he’d like to fight again for Strikeforce “maybe one or two more times this year.”

“I think Brett did one hell of a fight with Fedor; Fedor doesn’t want to fight me. It’s very simple,” said Overeem. “It’s also (that) I need to defend my title. People are starting to talk about it, this and that, excuses. So, it’s for the title and that’s fine with me.”
Related Articles

Subscribe to our Newsletter

* indicates required
Latest News

POLL

Will Conor McGregor fight in 2024?

FIGHT FINDER


FIGHTER OF THE WEEK

Ben Tynan

TOP TRENDING FIGHTERS


+ FIND MORE