Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair “Demolition Man” Overeem will return to mixed martial arts at K-1 “Dynamite!! 2009” on New Year’s Eve when he takes on revered Japanese veteran Kazuyuki “Ironhead” Fujita. The bout was announced by Overeem’s Golden Glory management.
In other action on the massive card, Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Gegard “The Dreamcatcher” Mousasi will battle Ewerton Teixeira in a kickboxing bout, while K-1 posterboy Badr Hari will also compete under K-1 rules against Jerome LeBanner.
Overeem (31-11-0, 1 NC) has emerged as a serious contender in the heavyweight division, but has drawn criticism for taking fights overseas rather than defending his Strikeforce title in the U.S. Speculation continues to surround Overeem, but he has stated his intentions to defend his title against Fedor Emelianenko next year.
In the interim, Overeem will face battle-tested veteran Fujita in a mixed martial arts bout on the K-1/MMA blockbuster New Year’s Eve card in Japan. Overeem is undefeated in his last seven bouts, with the lone blemish coming as a No Contest against Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipović in DREAM last year. Overeem was handily winning the fight until an accidental low blow prevented Filipović from continuing.
Representing DREAM in one of many “DREAM vs Sengoku” fights that are expected to be added to the card, Overeem will be the overwhelming favourite going into the fight with the aging Fujita, who has struggled in recent bouts.
Fujita (15-8-0) has long been regarded as one of the most durable Japanese fighters in the sport, but time and age have caught up with him and he has lost four of his last six fights. Most famous for badly dazing Fedor Emelianenko with a looping hook before succumbing to a rear naked choke in their PRIDE 26 meeting, Fujita now needs a big win to remain at all relevant in the sport.
With a solid submission game and underrated punching power, Fujita is still a legitimate threat to any challenger, but he will need to put on the performance of his life if he wishes to upset Overeem, who will hold a significant size and strength advantage. Fujita’s best hope will be to try to take Overeem down or end the fight quickly with a punch that Overeem doesn’t see coming.
In K-1 kickboxing bouts, Gegard Mousasi will look to follow up on his dismantling of former K-1 legend Musashi when he takes on Ewerton Teixeira, who was most recently stopped emphatically by Alistair Overeem in the quarterfinals of the 2009 K-1 World Grand Prix.
K-1 bad boy Badr Hari, who was picked by many to take the GP crown but was stopped inside of one round by tournament winner Semmy “High Tower” Schilt, will look to rebound when he faces struggling former contender Jerome LeBanner in what could very well be LeBanner’s retirement fight.
Schilt will also compete on the card, as he is expected to face fellow K-1 veteran “The Techno Goliath” Hong Man Choi under MMA rules. Choi, a 7’2″ giant who previously defeated Schilt via decision under K-1 rules, has looked sluggish in recent outings and is no longer a top contender.
The “Dynamite!!” card is headlined by a trio of bouts including the retirement fight of Japanese superstar Masato, who faces Andy Souwer for the third time. The finals of the DREAM Super Hulk Tournament will also conclude when “The African Assassin” Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou takes on Ikuhisa “Minowaman” Minowa.
Elsewhere, the DREAM Lightweight Championship is expected to be on the line when current champion Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki meets top challenger Tatsuya “Crusher” Kawajiri. The bout has yet to be officially confirmed and it is unknown whether Aoki’s title will be on the line.
K-1 Dynamite!! “Power of Courage 2009” takes place on New Year’s Eve at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. For the first time, it will air live in North America on HDNet.