Werdum/Overeem Line Up Return Engagement for Strikeforce on Aug. 15

In what has to be a first for a major promotion, Strikeforce champion Alistair Overeem is set to defend a vaunted heavyweight title Aug. 15 on the undercard -- not the main event -- of the Cristiane Santos/Gina Carano-headlined Showtime telecast. His opponent will be Fabricio Werdum, who defeated Overeem via submission in 2006.

If Overeem feels slighted, he’s in good company: Carano/Santos is also trumping title matches between Josh Thomson/Gilbert Melendez and a possible belt for the winner of a Nick Diaz/Joe Riggs rematch. (If you’re wondering what Joe Riggs has done to possibly earn title contention of any sort, I’m with you.)

Purists are flinching at the fight order, but it’s fairly obvious that Carano/Santos is of more interest to casual outlets and fans than any of the other bouts. It’s also the only one that’s benefited from free broadcast television hype that started humming nearly a year ago. That means viewers: Undercard fighters should probably be happy they can enjoy the residual attention.