Overeem Announces Plans for 2010

- Good news for Alistair Overeem fans: You'll get to see him compete in the United States and MMA more.

- Good news for Alistair Overeem haters: You can might be able to continue criticizing him for not defending his Strikeforce title.

More after the jump.

                                                                                        via promma.info

After much speculation and criticism, it seems that Alistair Overeem has determined his plans for 2010. The Dutch fighter, who became the first Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion over two years ago, recently told Five Ounces of Pain that he intends to compete almost exclusively in North America throughout next year. However, it isn't for certain that "Demolition Man" will defend his Strikeforce belt for the first time in his tour of this continent next year. In fact, during that interview, he implied that he might even wind up competing for UFC before the end of 2010. In his words he doesn't have "a crystal ball" and a UFC run is "possible." However, he also stated that he is pleased with his current deal with Strikeforce. Plus, Scott Coker, Strikeforce CEO, does believe Overeem will put his belt on the line sometime in 2010. As for this year, Overeem has been absent from mixed martial arts, competing exclusively in kickboxing (on September 26, he defeated K-1 legend Peter Aerts to earn a spot in the K-1 World Grand Prix in December.) The Strikeforce Champion is, however, scheduled to make his MMA return this Saturday in the Netherlands at Golden Glory 11 against Tony Sylvester. Beyond that, he is expected to compete at DREAM's first cage event, DREAM.12, just eight days later on October 25. His opponent has yet to be announced.

As I said before the jump, this is good news for lovers and haters of Alistair Overeem. His fans may have the opportunity to see him on American TV or live at the arena while his critics can still accuse him of being a fraud. Is calling Overeem a fraud, or bad champion, fair? Well, there are several critics cite as a reason for the skepticism. One, is his neglect to defend his Strikeforce gold after winning it two whole years ago. For one, I don't believe he is scared of dropping the belt, nor do I think he is afraid of any of Strikeforce's heavyweights. To respond to that, critics might accuse Overeem, who once competed as a light heavyweight (or Pride middleweight), of taking steroids for which they point his dramatic increase in size over the last three years. Is that claim legitimate? It's a possibility, but it is also a possibility that Overeem has simply packed on tons of muscle with his gain of 45 pounds in the last three years. Could steroids be a reason for him not coming to the U.S. where testing is done? That's the only serious, arguable claim, I believe. To simply assume he is juicing because of size can easily be disputed. But there might be some credibility in the charge that he is afraid of having the same fate as Josh Barnett in the United States.

Regardless of all controversy, Overeem remains a skilled mixed martial artist and kickboxer, and I, for one, enjoy his fights. I would love to seem him and Fedor square off for the first time next year on a Strikeforce primetime event on CBS. I believe that bout would be particularly exciting. Let the dreamers dream worlds they please. Anyhow, 2010 should be a determining year for the 29-year old Dutch kickboxer, most likely entering his prime. Will he rise in the United States as fellow Pride alumni "Shogun" Rua and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira have? Or sink like fellow Pride alumni Josh Barnett and Mirko Cro Cop have? Only time will tell.