Set to make his Strikeforce debut on December 4th, Valentijn Overeem (28-5), brother to Strikeforce heavyweight champ Alistair Overeem, was to meet Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva at the upcoming Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Babalu II event.
Now, according to MMAWeekly.com, Overeem has had to withdraw from the event due to an undisclosed injury. No word on a replacement has been made but with a week before the event it’s likely that the match will be rescheduled or canceled all together.
Overeem had been on a two fight win streak, going 4-2 in his last six fights. He hasn’t fought past the first round in 11 fights which include five wins and six losses. He KO’d opponents at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 and last April’s Pancrase Fighting Championship 2 event. He’s earned notable wins over fighters such as Renato Sobral and Randy Couture in the past.
Silva is 7-1 in his last eight, but is just 1-1 in his last two fights. He earned a unanimous decision over Andrei Arlovski last May, while dropping a fight to Fabricio Werdum by the same in November of 2009. The last EliteXC heavyweight champ had been looking to get back into the cage looking to fight a big name so he could move closer to a title shot. With all of the uncertainty surrounding the Strikeforce title, it will be interesting to see how his future plays out.
Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Babalu II is set for Dec. 4th at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Miss. and the main card will be featured on Showtime.
UPDATE: Sherdog.com is reporting that Overeem has suffered an elbow injury and is currently waiting for the results of an x-ray to determine the extent of the injury.