Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem will no longer compete in the second round of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix. Overeem was removed from the tournament today due to what is being officially attributed to a toe injury. He has been replaced by Daniel Cormier.

The semi-finals of the tournament are scheduled for September 10th and Overeem expressed in interviews earlier today that he would not be ready to compete in time. As first reported by Tatame.com, he was then removed from the tournament, but is believed to still be under Strikeforce contract.

Overeem (35-11-0, 1 NC) was victorious in his quarterfinal rematch with rival Fabricio Werdum last month, but his performance drew the ire of fans as he was not as aggressive as in other recent fights. Overeem earned a Unanimous Decision victory over Werdum, but reportedly suffered a toe injury and felt that he would not have enough time to recover by September 10th. He had been scheduled to face Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva in the next round. Silva advanced by upsetting Fedor Emelianenko in February.

While Overeem told MMAFighting.com today that Zuffa had previously threatened to remove him from the tournament if he could not compete on the 10th, it was not until later today that his removal was confirmed. Initial speculation suggested that his comments had angered Zuffa management, but UFC President Dana White told MMAjunkie.com today that the reason for Overeem’s removal from the tournament was simply due to his toe injury and that he could not compete on the card.

In Overeem’s place, Cormier (8-0-0) will step in to face Silva (16-2-0) in the next round. The semi-finals will proceed as planned on September 10th, but a location and venue have not yet been announced.

(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)