Alistair Overeem is still the Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion ... for now.
Despite being pulled from the semifinals of the promotion's upcoming heavyweight grand prix tournament on Sept. 10, "Demolition Man" will continue to compete under the Strikeforce banner after he recovers from an injured toe.
Overeem "hurt his toe, pulled out of the tournament, end of story," according to a recent Twitter post by Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White.
White also called it a "simple story," though many fight fans would beg to differ following Toe-vereem's comments on the July 18 edition of The MMA Hour, where he accused Zuffa, the parent company of UFC and Strikeforce, of threatening to cut him from the roster if he didn't adhere to the proposed time line.
According to White, it was "the only date Showtime could give us."
The show must go on, which means the televised tournament is happening on Sept. 10 with or without the champion, who earned a bid into the semifinals with an uninspired unanimous decision win over Fabricio Werdum back in June.
In this case it's without, as undefeated heavyweight prospect Daniel Cormier has been asked to step in to replace "The Reem" in a titanic tilt against Antonio Silva, who beat the brakes off Fedor Emelianenko last February to earn his spot in the final four.
The winner of the grand prix is expected to be named division number one contender.
With any luck, Overeem and his faulty toe will be all patched up by then and ready to defend his strap. Anyone think there's more to the story? Or is it really as "simple" as White makes it out to be?
Thoughts?
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