Alistair Overeem has issued a statement to MMA Fighting, letting his fans know that he will not be fighting on the DREAM.15 card, contrary to reports.
“I have heard numerous rumors about me fighting at Dream on July 10. I want to give my side of the story before speculation arises…After my Brett Rogers fight on May 15, I decided to take time off and do media appearances — MMA expo in Canada, E3 expo, Strikeforce events — and enjoy some time off with my family. I knew Dream wanted me on the show, but I didn’t want to go back in training preparation. Then, they offered me a fight against Andrei Arlovski for the Dream heavyweight title. As I have said on occasions, fighting for a belt means something more, and I wanted that Dream title so much that So as a result, I agreed to lay off my media and holiday plans, and went back to training.
“During my training I found out that Andrei Arlovski was not going to be my opponent, and they changed opponents numerous times. I’ve heard names like Tim Sylvia and Minowa. At one point, I received notice that they had found a opponent but that the Dream heavyweight title was not on the line anymore. With all the changes and the title fight no longer a possibility, I simply had to turn down the opportunity. “
There’s plenty more of what Overeem said, just check it out on MMAFighting.com. It’s very interesting to see how things have fallen out and that Overeem actually takes responsibility for verbally agreeing but not signing any contracts. Wonder how Rodriguez feels about the whole thing?