“Excuse me, one moment please–where do you fink you’re going with that check?” (Photo: UFC.com)
Alistair Overeem should be sitting on a big pile of cash this morning, but moments after handing Brock Lesnar a crushing first round defeat, “The Demolition Man” learned that he won’t be seeing a dime of his $385,000-plus purse, at least not for awhile. A Nevada State Court has issued a freeze on Alistair’s UFC 141 earnings pending the outcome of a lawsuit filed by his former management team, Golden Glory (aka Knock Out Investments).
The lawsuit is the latest shot fired in the battle over fighter purses between Overeem, Golden Glory, and the UFC. Overeem was cut from Strikeforce after his representatives and Zuffa failed to see eye to eye on the post-fight payment process. Golden Glory wanted to be paid the full purse directly so that they could distribute the funds to their fighters in a timely fashion without the worry that they wouldn’t see their portion of the proceeds. According to the lawsuit filed yesterday, those concerns were not unfounded.
The firm has charged Overeem with breach of contract and alleges that it was never compensated for its services following his victory over Fabricio Werdum back in June. After signing his UFC contract, “The Reem” fired the management firm and filed a lawsuit of his own seeking damages in excess of $150,000.
Golden Glory’s legal team released the following statement regarding the lawsuit:
““There has been some consternation about the timing of a lawsuit filed by Knock Out Investment[s]/Golden Glory against Alistair Overeem,” the release stated. “We’ve been in discussions with Mr. Overeem’s legal counsel since Nov. 7, and there has been no progress regarding the dispute. The reality is that a fighter is paid within 24 hours of the bout. Given past failure to pay management and training fees, there is serious concern on my client’s part that Mr. Overeem will simply walk away with the money.
As of this morning, a Nevada District Court issued an Order directing the issuance of a pre-judgment writ of attachment and garnishment on Overeem’s fight purse, which would indicate that KOI/GG’s claims are meritorious.”