Newly signed UFC heavyweight, and former Strikeforce champion, Alistair ‘The Reem’ Overeem (35-11, 1NC) says he still hasn’t been paid after winning the K-1 World Grand Prix Final last year.
In an interview on The MMA Hour (@MMAFighting.com) Overeem said he plans on starting legal action against FEG, the parent company of K-1, but doesn’t expect to see any money as the promotion is already buried under other financial obligations.
“They didn’t pay me,” Overeem said. “It’s a lot of money, I can tell you that.”
“We’re on the verge of starting up legal action, but Japan is a hard environment to move. You have the language barrier, you have the culture barrier. Are we expecting something from it? It’s hard to say. I actually think it’s going to be really hard. FEG has a lot of outstanding liabilities, a lot of unpaid bills, so maybe mine is just going to be put underneath the stack of the other bills. They have a lot of debt.”
Overeem faced Peter Aerts in the K-1 World Grand Prix final last December, earning a first round knockout win over his fellow Dutchman. ‘The Reem’ earned wins over Ben Edwards Tyrone Spong, and Gokhan Saki to make it into the final.
He did express some sympathy for his opponent, Aerts, noting that despite not getting paid he at least walked away with a championship. While Aerts got his “ass kicked and you don’t get paid. That’s a shame.”