Alistair Overeem releases first statement on his litigation with Golden Glory

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight number one contender, Alistair Overeem, already won his first major fight since his ugly split with Golden Glory, a first round technical knockout (TKO) win over former division champion Brock Lesnar at UFC 141 back on Dec. 30, 2011, in Las Vageas, Nevada.

Now he'll attempt to win his second.

Only this next battle, which may or may not be resolved before "Demolition Man" challenges Junior dos Santos for the 265-pound strap, won't happen inside the Octagon.

This one's going to court.

Overeem recently split from his Netherlands-based management team citing a "breach of trust," which in financial terms equates to allegedly being owed $151,000 in earnings, including a signing bonus he was reportedly promised when he signed with Zuffa.

Attorneys for KOI have since counter-sued both Overeem and his representative, Collin Lam. And they did it just one day before his fight against Lesnar, which clearly had no impact on his performance, if that was their intention.

After the jump, "The Reem" (through his attorneys at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe) expresses the "deep betrayal he's experienced in recent years."

First, Alistair believes that the split between himself and Golden Glory should be kept between the parties. Although he has been tempted to expose ongoing problems with Golden Glory’s business, its poor relationship with some of its remaining fighters, and the deep betrayal he has experienced in recent years, he has chosen not to air the specifics of those facts. Second, Alistair was singularly focused on his fight with Brock Lesnar. Third, Alistair does not want to disrupt Golden Glory’s ongoing business operations. Fourth, Alistair believes that commenting on the litigation lacks professionalism. Golden Glory continues to take action by press release, through public comment and in the litigation in an apparent attempt to derail Alistair’s career. Now that Alistair has defeated Brock Lesnar, he feels compelled to speak up.

Trouble had been brewing for some time, dating back to when Dana White had a well-publicized spat with Golden Glory that resulted in the release of all its fighters from every Zuffa-owned promotion.

Shortly thereafter, Overeem announced his split from his longtime fight camp, eventually relocating to Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas to help prepare for his Octagon debut against Lesnar.

According to his attorneys, Alistair and his legal team are "very confident in the legal positions he has taken or will take in the California and Nevada litigation."

See you in court. Or at the very least, right back here when Golden Glory answers this latest release.

Stay tuned.