On the eve of Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson massive news has dropped regarding Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem. Overeem has been released from the company after refusing to fight on Strikeforce's upcoming September show. "The Reem" cited a toe injury as what was keeping him from taking part in the event, but is now signed for a kickboxing match in Russia come October. Inside MMA on HD Net reported that not only is Overeem nursing his injured toe, but also dealing with a rib and elbow injury to boot.
What's going on behind the scenes is anyone's guess. The Zuffa brass may not have been pleased with Overeem's inability to make the fight in September, or this could be a play to get Overeem in the UFC. For all we know, there could have been unaired fallout due to negotiations that led Zuffa to believe they were wasting time working with Overeem. Hopefully, more details come out over the weekend, and the future of this heavyweight powerhouse becomes a little clearer.
After the jump, video of Inside MMA's segment on Overeem's release.