Overeem Injured, Off Strikeforce Card

by Robert Sargent

After aggravating a hand injury that originally stemmed from an altercation with nightclub security in Amsterdam, Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair "Demolition Man" Overeem has been forced to withdraw from his August 15th fight.

The scheduled bout, a rematch against former PRIDE and UFC star Fabricio "Vai Cavalo" Werdum, will be replaced, but it is unclear whether Werdum will participate.

Overeem had originally been set to make his first title defence against Brett "The Grim" Rogers at the Strikeforce event on June 6th, but the hand injury prevented him from doing so. Rogers went on to knock out late replacement Andrei "The Pitbull" Arlovski in a matter of seconds.

With the loss of Overeem from the card, it remains to be seen as to how Strikeforce will fill the void. Overeem has yet to defend his title, which he won back in November of 2007 against Paul "The Headhunter" Buentello.

At this time, it is not known whether Werdum will still be a part of the August 15th card, but an announcement is expected in the coming days.