HERO'S parent company Fight Entertainment Group has officially announced a rematch between Sergei Kharitonov (Pictures) and Alistair Overeem (Pictures) for the upcoming HERO'S card on Sept. 17 at the Yokohama Arena.

The bout was all but confirmed last week as sources close to Kharitonov reported on Russian MMA fora that the 27-year-old ex-paratrooper would rematch Overeem, while those close to Overeem's camp stated likewise on Dutch MMA sites.

Kharitonov has not competed since PRIDE's last American venture in Feb., when he submitted unheralded American Michael Russow (Pictures) in the first round. Overeem last saw action in June, submitting fellow countryman Michael Knaap in an MMA bout on a Simon Rutz-promoted K-1 card in Holland.

The two previously fought in Feb. 2006 and Overeem surprised many onlookers by dismantling the highly regarded Russian heavyweight. Oveerem bloodied and battered Kharitonov with knees on the ground, stopping him just over five minutes into the first period. Kharitonov also sustained an injury to his right shoulder as a result of an Overeem takedown early in the bout.

FEG have also announced a match-up between heavy-hitting Dutchman Melvin Manhoef (Pictures), and up-and-coming Chute Boxe prospect Fabio Silva (Pictures) at 187 pounds.

In July Manhoef ran roughshod over comedian and variety show entertainer-turned-fighter Bernard Ackah (Pictures) in the first round. Also a KO artist, Silva is coming off a win over Claudio Godoi in his native Brazil in Aug. The 25-year-old Chute Boxer also competed in Japan earlier this year, handing budding Pancrase fan favorite Ryo Kawamura (Pictures) his first career lost with a devastating knockout in May.

The Overeem-Kharitonov rematch will be contested over three five-minute rounds, while the Manhoef-Silva bout will use the typical HERO'S rules for 187-pound bouts, featuring a 10-minute opening period, and a five-minute second round, with a possible five-minute extension round if the bout is a draw following the first 15 minutes.