Overeem-Werdum Set for Strikeforce Title

Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem will defend his crown against Fabricio Werdum at Strikeforce “Carano vs. Cyborg” on Aug. 15 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. The promotion announced the bout -- a rematch of a May 2006 contest in Pride Fighting Championships -- on Monday.

The hard-hitting Dutchman earned the title in November 2007 with a blistering performance against Paul Buentello that ended with second-round knees. However, the 6-foot-5 striker has not graced Strikeforce’s cage since. Instead, he has rattled off three victories and a controversial “no contest” against Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic for the Dream promotion in Japan.

Overeem (29-11) had been slated to make his first title defense on June 6 against Brett Rogers, but sustained a hand injury during an altercation with security in an Amsterdam nightclub. Overeem, 29, holds key victories over Vitor Belfort, Sergei Kharitonov and Mark Hunt.

Werdum (11-4-1), a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, submitted Overeem with a second-round kimura during their first encounter in 2006. Once touted as a contender for the UFC heavyweight title, Werdum went 2-2 in the Octagon before he was surprisingly released from the organization in November 2008, shortly after a first-round loss to Junior dos Santos at UFC 90.

Werdum, 31, carries victories over Brandon Vera, Gabriel Gonzaga and Aleksander Emelianenko.

The title bout will join two others on Strikeforce’s Aug. 15 card. In the main event, Gina Carano and Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos vie for the first-ever Strikeforce 145-pound women’s championship. Lightweight champion Josh Thomson will also tangle with interim champion Gilbert Melendez in a rematch of their highly regarded June 2008 tilt.