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Hold your horses their, Mr. Overeem.
Yesterday, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC ) heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem made the bold statement via his official Twitter account that he would be fighting in December and would be getting the UFC title "sooner rather than later."
That sounds fine and dandy and mixed martial arts (MMA) fans would love nothing more than to see "The Reem" finally vie for UFC gold, however, there is still a matter of serving his nine month suspension that was levied down by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) following his highly publicized elevated testosterone scandal.
Now, UFC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and co-owner, Lorenzo Fertitta, has put a halt to "The Reem's" declaration saying that no way, no how, would the promotion even think about promoting a fight involving the Dutch striker until he has fulfilled his penalty and successfully reapplied for a license to fight with the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC), or any other commission, for that matter.
ESPN has Fertitta's comment on the matter, after the jump:
"That's speculation. It's in the NSAC's hands. (The UFC) can't be presumptuous."
The UFC won't promote a fight involving a fighter who isn't licensed. Short, sweet and to the point.
Overeem is eligible to apply for licensing on December 27, 2012, which is when his suspension comes to an end. However, should he be approved, the chances of him competing in the promotions year-end event are about a billion to one.
Unless they can promote a fight with him in the span of two days.
Nevertheless, Alistair likely won't return to the Octagon until early 2013 at best and upon his return, he will still be the number one contender to the 265-pound title and will face off against the winner of the upcoming rematch between current heavyweight kingpin Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez, which his tentatively scheduled to headline UFC 152 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on Sept., 22, 2012.
Either match-up is intriguing to the MMA world, but fans were eager to see "Cigano" and "The Reem" swing heavy leather at UFC 146 this past Memorial Day weekend to see who indeed possessed the better striking of the two. Of course, the dream match went up in smoke after Overeem's testosterone levels tested through the roof.
Any of you Maniacs disappointed and/or surprised at the (not so) bombshell that the UFC's boss man has dropped?
Yay or neigh?