Look, we all know that UFC is gobbling up fight leagues like Pac-Man, or Val Kilmer, but that’s the way shit is sometimes; like when I gotta buy my kids new sneakers because they outgrew their hand-me-downs. WHAT ARE YOU EATING, SON, STEROIDS!!!? STAY AWAY FROM DADDY’S STEROIDS! I NEED THOSE TO IMPRESS THE WOMEN I RENT A HALF-HOUR AT A TIME!

So, Alistair Overeem decided he didn’t want to main-event an MMA-event for the second largest promotion in the U.S.; which was acquired earlier this year by UFC. You pretty much have to leave earth now; or fight for a sandwich to not fight for UFC. Dana White has always pissed off fighters; but it doesn’t mean you can completely bypass him and still be relevant in North America. Overeem was replaced as part of the Strikeforce Grand Prix heavyweight tournament; perhaps the only division in Strikeforce where the promotion can claim some legitimate depth. Then again; Fedor caught a butt-whooping from Dan “Jake Shields made me his bitch” Henderson and his 40-year-old fists Saturday night; so who knows?

For Strikeforce, it’s time for them to have somebody that they can count on to help represent, and grow, the company before it is inevitably folded into the growing UFC umbrella. It pains me to see the second biggest promotion being absorbed, but that’s another topic for another column. Overeem just didn’t fit the bill as a company guy. First, he wasn’t exactly a fighting champion. In the almost four years that Overeem held the Strikeforce heavyweight belt he defended it just once; and he only fought under the Strikeforce banner only twice. He never really seemed ready to carry the flag for Strikeforce, doing boxing exhibitions in Japan. Word is that Overeem wanted to slide over to UFC to fight for their heavyweight division. That’s a big “no no” for Dana White right now, especially if your name is Paul Daley.

Overeem has made a name for himself in Japan, but is largely unknown by casual fans in the U.S. At times, he seemed petulant; and hellbent on “taking his talents” to where ever he wanted to fight, whenever he wanted to fight. How’s that working out for Fedor right now?

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