(Golden Glory’s lawsuit against him was nothing an old fashioned pose-off couldn’t settle)
The Netherlands’ long, national nightmare is finally over. Number one UFC heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem and his former management and team, Golden Glory, have reached a settlement on their respective law suits against one another, according to GG’s lead counsel Rick Lindblom.
“Everyone worked extremely hard to resolve these matters so that KOI, Golden Glory and [Golden Glory founder] Bas Boon can walk away and move forward with the Glory World Series Promotion in Europe, Japan and the USA, and Alistair Overeem can concentrate on his fighting career with his new manager Glenn Robinson at Authentic Sports Management and his new team, the Blackzilians,” Lindblom said in the release.
In September, 2011, Overeem left the team and management company. Two months later he filed suit against Golden Glory alleging that they owed him over $150,000 in back pay. Golden Glory regularly requested that promoters pay purses directly to them, and then they dispersed that money to their fighters — a practice that certainly lends itself to potential shadiness.
(Golden Glory’s lawsuit against him was nothing an old fashioned pose-off couldn’t settle)
The Netherlands’ long, national nightmare is finally over. Number one UFC heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem and his former management and team, Golden Glory, have reached a settlement on their respective law suits against one another, according to GG’s lead counsel Rick Lindblom.
“Everyone worked extremely hard to resolve these matters so that KOI, Golden Glory and [Golden Glory founder] Bas Boon can walk away and move forward with the Glory World Series Promotion in Europe, Japan and the USA, and Alistair Overeem can concentrate on his fighting career with his new manager Glenn Robinson at Authentic Sports Management and his new team, the Blackzilians,” Lindblom said in the release.
In September, 2011, Overeem left the team and management company. Two months later he filed suit against Golden Glory alleging that they owed him over $150,000 in back pay. Golden Glory regularly requested that promoters pay purses directly to them, and then they dispersed that money to their fighters — a practice that certainly lends itself to potential shadiness.
In response to his suit, Golden Glory’s parent company, Knockout Investments, sued the fighter for allegedly not paying them a thirty percent commission after his Strikeforce win over Fabricio Werdum.
With this behind him, now all Alistair Overeem has to do wait out his current supension for failing a drug test and hope that he is never, ever tested for drugs again. After that, its all gravy for ‘The Demolition Man.”
(John Einemo, the only man to ever truly smell what The Rock was cookin’.)
Norwegian news site VG.no is reporting that former UFC heavyweight John Olav Einemo has decided to call it a career after being cut from the promotion following his loss to Mike Russow at UFC on Fox 2.
Although Einemo told reporters that the UFC had left the proverbial door open for his return if he was able to put a couple wins together in smaller promotions, Einemo felt that the time he had to spend away from his family during the training process was simply too much to handle. Apparently his wife and kids didn’t drive him crazy. For those of you who are suddenly overwhelmed with panic as to when you’ll see J.O.E again, fret not, for he plans to help build upon Norway’s ever-growing MMA scene as a coach somewhere down the line.
(John Einemo, the only man to ever truly smell what The Rock was cookin’.)
Norwegian news site VG.no is reporting that former UFC heavyweight John Olav Einemo has decided to call it a career after being cut from the promotion following his loss to Mike Russow at UFC on Fox 2.
Although Einemo told reporters that the UFC had left the proverbial door open for his return if he was able to put a couple wins together in smaller promotions, Einemo felt that the time he had to spend away from his family during the training process was simply too much to handle. Apparently his wife and kids didn’t drive him crazy. For those of you who are suddenly overwhelmed with panic as to when you’ll see J.O.E again, fret not, for he plans to help build upon Norway’s ever-growing MMA scene as a coach somewhere down the line.
“The Viking” started off his MMA career in October of 2000, amassing five straight wins under the Shooto, Finnfight, and Focus Fight banners, with none of those wins making it out of the first round. In 2003, Einemo became the first and last man to defeat Roger Gracie in ADCC competition at the finals of the ADCC trials (88-98 kg weight class). He also holds notable grappling victories over Alexandre Ferreira, Bellator vet Vitor Vianna, and Rolles Gracie.
Einemo would suffer his first professional defeat to Farbicio Werdum at Pride 31 in 2006, which was quickly overshadowed by an in ring riot between the Chute Box camp, Mark Coleman, and Phil Baroni in which Wanderlei Silva had his head stepped on. Ah, the good old days. After claiming his place alongside the approximately 200 men to have beaten James Thompson later that year, Einemo would take a five year hiatus from the sport, likely to help hunt the aforementioned trolls that plague Norway’s mountainous regions.
Einemo emerged from hiding in 2011 when he signed with the UFC and put in a Fight of the Night earning performance against Dave Herman at UFC 131. Despite Einemo’s extensive BJJ background, the fight was contested mostly on the feet, with both men rocking the other on more than one occasion. Herman would have the last laugh, however, finishing Einemo off midway through the second round. Shortly thereafter, Einemo was axed along with several other fighters signed under Golden Glory management due to ongoing contract disputes.
It wasn’t long until an agreement was reached between the two and Einemo, along with Alistair and Valentijn Overeem, were allowed to come back to their Zuffa-financed jobs. Marloes Coenen, on the other hand, was shipped off to a deserted island and forced to feed on Dutch celebrities whilst searching for buried treasure. And they say chivalry is dead in the world.
Einemo would try to bounce back at UFC on FOX 2, where he faced off against the deceivingly talented Mike Russow, who was riding a ten fight win streak at the time. Things would not go Einemo’s way, as he would find himself trapped beneath Russow’s amorphous figure for three rounds en route to a unanimous decision loss.
We here at CP would just like to wish John (can we call you John?) the best of luck in all of his future endeavors. Do the same in the comments section, Potato Nation.
In either case, it seems that the reason we have heard so little from Coenen since her fallout was not due to any legal issues or bitter resentment, but was rather more primitive in nature. (See what I did there? Triple entendre. Suck it.) Turns out, Marloes was cast alongside twelve of the Netherlands’ biggest celebrities, whoever the hell they are, as part of a Survivor type reality show called “De Schat van De Oranje” (The Treasure of Orange). According to some research that I most certainly did not do, the show dropped these hapless celebs out of a helicopter onto a remote island off the coast of Thailand, then pitted them against one another in a (death) race to find, you guessed it, hidden treasure. Being that it was shot in Thailand, the celebrities faced opposition in the form of crooked cops, gang fights, and transsexual prostitutes.
We’re not going to put our judgmental faces on, because honestly, on the scale of “Weird Things MMA Fighters Have Done For Money/Fame,” this is definitely closer to the Kimbo Slice: SpikeTV Host end of the spectrum than it is the Aaron Brink/Dick Delaware end, so we’re all for it. Get that bread, Marloes.
Join us after the jump for a sneak peak at the show, courtesy of IronForgesIron.
(Fact: Coenen has 150 kilowatts of sextricity surging within her at all times.)
In either case, it seems that the reason we have heard so little from Coenen since her fallout was not due to any legal issues or bitter resentment, but was rather more primitive in nature. (See what I did there? Triple entendre. Suck it.) Turns out, Marloes was cast alongside twelve of the Netherlands’ biggest celebrities, whoever the hell they are, as part of a Survivor type reality show called “De Schat van De Oranje” (The Treasure of Orange). According to some research that I most certainly did not do, the show dropped these hapless celebs out of a helicopter onto a remote island off the coast of Thailand, then pitted them against one another in a (death) race to find, you guessed it, hidden treasure. Being that it was shot in Thailand, the celebrities faced opposition in the form of crooked cops, gang fights, and transsexual prostitutes.
We’re not going to put our judgmental faces on, because honestly, on the scale of “Weird Things MMA Fighters Have Done For Money/Fame,” this is definitely closer to the Kimbo Slice: SpikeTV Host end of the spectrum than it is the Aaron Brink/Dick Delaware end, so we’re all for it. Get that bread, Marloes.
Check out a video preview of the upcoming show below.
We don’t know if there are any Dutch speaking members of the Potato Nation, but if anyone can inform us as to what the hell anyone is actually talking about, we’d truly appreciate it. Because as of now, all we are aware of is that the Dutch apparently don’t have phrases to substitute for such English classics as “That bitch,” “Oh my God,” or “Fuck you up.” The more you know.
“The Treasure of Orange” is set to debut on March 30th from an unbeknownst Netherlands based channel that none of you get. We’ll try to hijack the episodes as they are broadcast for your viewing pleasure.
Coenen, on the other hand, will be looking to rebound from her title losing effort to Meisha Tate back in July of 2011 when she faces 5-1 Romy Ruyssen at the main event of Invicta FC 1, which goes down from the Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas on April 28th.
Though the team has gotten off to a roughstart, Alistair believes ASM, and specifically team leader Glenn Robinson, will push his already decorated career to a new level with their top notch team of industry experts. Overeem sent out the following press release earlier today in regards to the managerial change:
With [ASM], I saw right away that Glenn Robinson has a system in place that allows the fighter to focus on training only, which is so important as I prepare for my UFC heavyweight title fight against Junior Dos Santos,” said Overeem. “ASM has a team of experts to help you grow as an athlete, from Glenn working hands-on as management to Jen Wenk handling my PR and Karen Gough running marketing, a full-time nutritionist, a finance and legal department – you name it they have it. After meeting with ASM, I was convinced that they can make me the new UFC world champion.
(Which one of you sent me the box of horse-flavored chocolates for Valentine’s Day? Delicious!)
Though the team has gotten off to a roughstart, Alistair believes ASM, and specifically team leader Glenn Robinson, will push his already decorated career to a new level with their top notch team of industry experts. Overeem sent out the following press release earlier today in regards to the managerial change:
With [ASM], I saw right away that Glenn Robinson has a system in place that allows the fighter to focus on training only, which is so important as I prepare for my UFC heavyweight title fight against Junior Dos Santos,” said Overeem. “ASM has a team of experts to help you grow as an athlete, from Glenn working hands-on as management to Jen Wenk handling my PR and Karen Gough running marketing, a full-time nutritionist, a finance and legal department – you name it they have it. After meeting with ASM, I was convinced that they can make me the new UFC world champion.
As you may or may not know, Golden Glory has filed yet another court order to garnish Overeem’s payment for his UFC 141 win over Brock Lesnar. The former DREAM, Strikeforce, and K1 Champion has stated a desire to keep the issue private and between the parties involved, and like a true professional, refuses to name names in terms of who specifically influenced his decision to seek out a new camp. In fact, in a recent interview with MMAWeekly, Overeem stated that instead of letting the past weigh him down, he is rather looking to the future, and explained why he chose to do so with ASM:
Since I signed my UFC contract, I knew I needed to be in the States more and, therefore, I visited several gyms, training camps, managers and other interesting people in the industry. When I came to South Florida, with ASM, I saw right away they are not only a management company, but an organization that makes sure that everything besides fighting is being taken care of.
Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer told ESPN.com it was his understanding that the bond was not posted, therefore Overeem received a check for $385,714.28 — his bout fee and win bonus. Overeem will also earn a signficiant portion of UFC 141’s pay-per-view proceeds.
Golden Glory’s legal representation released a statement in response saying that they won’t give up so easily:
“This was a short-term possibility that KOI and Golden Glory were prepared for. Seeking the initial writ was merely the first step in a long-term litigation strategy that KOI and Golden Glory will prosecute in Nevada. The writ of attachment remedy remains fully available to my clients and will be sought as to Mr. Overeem’s future pay-per-view payout, which we expect will be more lucrative than his initial fight purse. Rest assured, now that we have had the opportunity to troubleshoot complex international hurdles – and without a long holiday weekend to contend with – future writs of attachment will be utilized to ensure that Mr. Overeem makes good on the commissions owed to my clients and his Golden Glory training team, who helped him achieve the success he now enjoys.”
Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer told ESPN.com it was his understanding that the bond was not posted, therefore Overeem received a check for $385,714.28 — his bout fee and win bonus. Overeem will also earn a signficiant portion of UFC 141′s pay-per-view proceeds.
Golden Glory’s legal representation released a statement in response saying that they won’t give up so easily:
“This was a short-term possibility that KOI and Golden Glory were prepared for. Seeking the initial writ was merely the first step in a long-term litigation strategy that KOI and Golden Glory will prosecute in Nevada. The writ of attachment remedy remains fully available to my clients and will be sought as to Mr. Overeem’s future pay-per-view payout, which we expect will be more lucrative than his initial fight purse. Rest assured, now that we have had the opportunity to troubleshoot complex international hurdles – and without a long holiday weekend to contend with – future writs of attachment will be utilized to ensure that Mr. Overeem makes good on the commissions owed to my clients and his Golden Glory training team, who helped him achieve the success he now enjoys.”
Nate Diaz: $149,000 (includes $37,000 win bonus, $75,000 Fight of the Night bonus)
def. Donald Cerrone: $105,000 (includes $75,000 Fight of the Night bonus)
Johny Hendricks: $127,000 (includes $26,000 win bonus, $75,000 Knockout of the Night bonus)
def. Jon Fitch: $60,000
Alexander Gustafsson: $32,000 (includes $16,000 win bonus)
def. Vladimir Matyushenko: $40,000
Jim Hettes: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
def. Nam Phan: $8,000
Total disclosed payout: $1,594,714.28 — 49% of which went to main eventers Alistair Overeem and Brock Lesnar.
The above figures do not include additional revenue from sponsorships, undisclosed “locker room bonuses”, and cuts of the pay-per-view revenue, or deductions for taxes, insurance, and licensing fees.
Bas Rutten spoke with longtime MMA reporter and color analyst Paul Lazenby earlier this week and when talk turned to the dispute between his fellow countrymen and longtime friends with Golden Glory and Alistair Overeem, “El Guapo” revealed a few interesting tidbits from conversations he had with both sides. They say that in any dispute there are two sides to the story and that the truth lays somewhere in the middle and being that he has relationships with both parties, Rutten’s view is a bipartisan one.
According to Bas, contrary to what Alistair is telling everyone, it was him and Not Golden Glory who are to blame for the situation and that the split came because Overeem has no loyalty to the people who were behind him through the good and bad times in his career.
(“He’s behind me, isn’t he?”)
Bas Rutten spoke with longtime MMA reporter and color analyst Paul Lazenby earlier this week and when talk turned to the dispute between his fellow countrymen and longtime friends with Golden Glory and Alistair Overeem, “El Guapo” revealed a few interesting tidbits from conversations he had with both sides. They say that in any dispute there are two sides to the story and that the truth lays somewhere in the middle and being that he has relationships with both parties, Rutten’s view is a bipartisan one.
According to Bas, contrary to what Alistair is telling everyone, it was him and Not Golden Glory who are to blame for the situation and that the split came because Overeem has no loyalty to the people who were behind him through the good and bad times in his career.
“It’s a money thing. He simply doesn’t want to pay the people who made him. When he lost three fights in a row…well, like pretty much five, I mean, he lost, won, lost three times in a row, won, and lost again…and nobody wanted to have him. But his management kept pushing and using the power that they have because they have other great fighters. Like, for example [they would say],’If you want Semmy Schilt to fight, then you have to take Alistair as well.’ It’s funny how fighters think,” Rutten explains. “When it goes bad with them, their team is everything to them, and they love their team. In interviews after they win a fight, they say: “I owe everything to my team”. Then when the management starts to put great fights together for them, directing their careers and the fighter gets better and better, some of them simply can’t handle it, and it gets to their head.”
Rutten says he predicted that bad things were coming when he heard Overeem bragging about his K-1 title.
“I had a bad feeling already when he called himself, after he won the K-1 Grand Prix, ‘a legend.‘ He actually said in an interview right after he won, ‘I am a legend now.’ I don’t think a fighter can ever make that comment about himself. And talking about the Grand Prix, let’s face it, he had a great deal of luck as well there,” Bas says. “He fought Peter Aerts who had a WAR with Semmy Schilt [previously that night] and was completely banged up, and then he fought [Gokhan] Saki, who had a broken arm AND hand, in the finals! At that moment when you win, you should say, ‘I’m very happy with the result, the stars were in line for me tonight, I also got a little bit of luck.’ Because everybody is going to say that about you anyway, you might as well simply say it yourself to keep the people respecting you, but NOT, ‘I’m a legend.’”
Bas says that without his trainers and management team at GG, Overeem may never have achieved the level of success that he did and that he had no problem with his deal with them until the seven figure contracts came.
“I KNOW what Golden Glory did for him. He couldn’t punch or kick when he came to them, and I mean, HE COULDN’T PUNCH OR KICK! Some fighters get big and then forget who was fighting for them when they were losing. Two months ago, he wanted to make a belt for the Golden Glory team with, ‘FOR CHAMPION MANAGEMENT,’ engraved on it. Those were HIS words after they made this huge [UFC] contract for him, and now he says they are morons? He used them to negotiate the best deal and when they did it, now suddenly they are morons? Explain that to me. It’s unreal. Also, a few months ago, when they started to get close to a good deal with the UFC, he realized that he could make a lot of money. The first thing he did was go to Cor Hemmers, his striking coach, and tried to renegotiate the 10% trainer’s fee. You have to understand, [a deal like Alistair’s UFC contract] is a dream for trainers, because there is a possibility that they create, with the help from management of course, a fighter who can make some REAL money for them. Because let’s face it, most trainers don’t live in a huge house, don’t drive a big car, they do it for the love of the fighter they train. They put their whole heart and soul in there.”
