UFC
Alistair Overeem releases first public statement regarding Golden Glory lawsuit
Jan 25, 2012 - 4:30:27 PM Alistair Overeem releases first public statement regarding Golden Glory lawsuit

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Alistair Overeem has remained largely silent in the wake of Golden Glory's lawsuit against him, filed on the eve of his bout with Brock Lesnar in December. He had fired the first shots against his former management group when they split in the fall. Now, his legal team has released a statement on the situation - Overeem's first public comment regarding the litigation itself. Here's what they had to say:

"This is Alistair Overeem's first formal public comment on his ongoing litigation with Golden Glory. He has avoided comment up to now for many reasons. 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. You will hear from Alistair on many of these topics directly.

We can say that Alistair and his legal team are very confident in the legal positions he has taken or will take in the California and Nevada litigation. Alistair is looking forward to having a judge or jury determine the merits of his position in this litigation. Although overtures regarding resolution of the lawsuits have been made by Golden Glory, Alistair believes it is important to see this matter to conclusion, not just for himself, but for other Golden Glory fighters, the UFC and its fans."

Penick's Analysis: This seems to be Overeem's way of telling Golden Glory to be careful what they bring on themselves. If he's got more information that he has chosen not to share, and if said information is damning in any way, the continued attempts by Golden Glory to get money from him could potentially backfire. Of course, not knowing any further specifics means that's all speculation and nothing more, and it may very well be that nothing Overeem has on Golden Glory will do much of anything. Still, it's a situation that won't be going away anytime soon.