For years, Strikeforce was the one and only MMA presence in the Bay Area. The emergence and dominance of the promotion, as well as the continued success of the prestigious American Kickboxing Academy, made San Jose a destination for mixed martial arts.
As of late, however the Strikeforce brand and specifically its alumni haven't been doing so hot. In recent months, there have been drug test failures and suspensions for past Strikeforce star Nick Diaz, former Strikeforce champ Muhammed Lawal, AKA King Mo and now former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem.
According to Mike Chiappetta at NBCSports.com, Overeem's March 27 drug test failure for elevated testosterone levels may be putting his planned May 26 title fight against UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos in jeopardy.
NBCSports spoke with Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker regarding Overeem's failed drug test.
"I can tell you this: in the times that Alistair has fought for us, he's always tested clean. He's never had a problem with testing. To me, I was caught off-guard a little bit.
"I feel bad for him, I feel bad for the fans that wanted to see this fight. This is a fight that I personally wanted to see happen. I feel bad for all of us as fans that won't be able to go watch that fight. Now he's going to have to go in front of the commission and see what happens."
UFC president Dana White, as is to be expected, is none too pleased about the results of the failed drug test. This may bode ill for other Strikeforce fighters attempting to make a transition to the UFC.
For updates and goings-on in Bay Area MMA, stay tuned to this StoryStream. For all news and information regarding mixed martial arts, stay tuned to either MMA Fighting or Bloody Elbow.
