Former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem made a shocking announcement via Twitter today that he has decided to part ways with his longtime team and management at Golden Glory, citing “differences that [led] to a breach of trust” as the cause of the split. Although he didn’t mention any one incident, it’s likely that the recent rift between Golden Glory and Zuffa that saw Overeem and a handful of his teammates including former Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion Marloes Coenen and former UFC heavyweight John Olaf Einemo released within a week of one another was at least part of the reason for his departure from the Dutch kickboxing-based team.
“I would like to make a statement regarding the recent news of the separation from my long-time management Golden Glory. As with any relationship, there are good times and bad times – you have your common ground and your differences. As with any relationship, you have trust,” Overeem wrote. “When differences lead to a breach of trust, there’s no turning back and no way to continue a positive, working relationship. I don’t air my dirty laundry. I would appreciate the respect regarding my privacy to not disclose any further details on this matter. Again, I would like to thank team Golden Glory for all the years we worked together and wish them success for the future.”
“The Demolition Man,” who taped a cameo appearance in California recently for LMFAO’s latest video has been stateside for the past few weeks. In a recent interview he told MiddleEasy that he was visiting a number of U.S. cities and was deciding whether or not a move to New York, Hollywood or Miami was in the cards. The problem with joining a team like Kings MMA and American Kickboxing Academy is that past and potential future opponents like Fabricio Werdum and Daniel Cormier train at those respective California-based facilities. With the recent departure of Junior dos Santos, Black House could be a good fit as would American Top Team, considering its lack of heavyweight contenders he may one day have to face. Either gym would make sense as long as he has enough suitable training partners his size at one of the locations.
When contacted for comment prior to the release of the statement by Overeem after we received word earlier this morning that the announcement was imminent, Golden Glory head,Bas Boon, who was taken aback by the news that his longtime protegee was moving on, had the following to say about the situation:
“We regret that after 12 years of working together and friendship has come to an end. I can not really comment on any details as I do not have them myself yet. We don’t air our dirty laundry,” Boon responded via email. “There is a management contract in place and as long as this is honored we are fine with the decision. We wish Alistair much success in his further career.”