Overeem Injured, Won't Defend Strikeforce Title

Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion “Demolition Man” Alistair Overeem (27-10) has re-injured his hand and will not defend his title from “Vai Cavalo” Fabricio Werdum (11-4-1) in San Jose 15 August.

“A replacement bout for the scratched heavyweight fight will be announced soon,” said Strikeforce’s Mike Afromowitz.

Fighters.com’s fifth-ranked heavyweight “Grim” Brett Rogers (8-0) won’t be that replacement according Rogers’s manager at Team Bison, Mike Reilly.

“Overeem who? Is that a guy who used to fight and ducks a lot of fights now,” Reilly quipped to Fighters.com. “Does he still fight?”

Rogers called out Overeem for a title challenge after Rogers knocked out tenth-ranked “Pitbull” Andrei Arlovski (14-7) in 22 seconds 6 June in St. Louis, but Overeem got the call instead of Rogers.

“I never took that fight seriously. I never thought it was going to happen.

“Brett was always going to fight again in October and this fight and Overeem’s injury won’t change that,” explained Reilly.