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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem will make his first appearance in the promotion in two and a half years this May, as Overeem told MMAJunkie.com he'll be fighting Brett Rogers on May 15th in St. Louis, MO.
"He's an excellent opponent," Overeem said about Rogers. "I'm looking forward to [smacking] his face and his loud mouth. I'm really happy that Strikeforce came with this fight so now we can settle things once and for all."
With negotiations going nowhere to secure a bout between Overeem and Fedor Emelianenko, Rogers is one of the next in line, and with him calling out Overeem on multiple occasions it is a perfect fit for this event.
After spending 2009 in Japan fighting numerous K-1 kickboxing fights, Overeem says he's more focused on MMA for 2010. "If I can do K-1 after these fights or in between, that's OK, but if not, then I will go for Strikeforce," said Overeem. "It's been too long. Last year was a good year in K-1, but this year, I want to fight in MMA."
Overeem also said he's not sure whether the bout will be for his Strikeforce Heavyweight Title, with Rogers coming off a loss in his last bout, but also said it's up to the promotion to determine whether or not his belt is on the line.
The May 15th event is likely to come from the Scottrade center in St. Louis.
Penick's Analysis: This is the right fight for Overeem right now. Rogers really pushed himself into this spot with that upset of Andrei Arlovski and a good showing of himself in the loss against Fedor in November, and now he'll finally get his chance to face Overeem. Getting Overeem back to the states as well is a big thing for Strikeforce. If Strikeforce does get the Fedor-Fabricio Werdum bout together for this May event, however, and Overeem isn't defending his Title against Rogers, then it will be an interesting dynamic with how the fights and fighters are perceived considering that bout hasn't been put together yet. Even though Rogers lost his bout with Fedor, not having this as a Title fight could make for a predicament for the organization later, as Rogers has the tools to put the fight to Overeem and he absolutely can win this fight. If it's not for the Title and Rogers wins, Overeem will be even less of a Champion of Strikeforce than he's already considered since he hasn't defended the belt since it was won in November of 2007.
[Brett Rogers photo courtesy of CBS]
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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