Issue 072
February 2011
Detractors be damned, Alistair Overeem is your pick of 2010’s intercontinental batch.
A few years ago Alistair Overeem was a light heavyweight written off as a B-class Pride FC fighter unlikely to find real success. Come 2010, the Dutch heavyweight commands cult-icon status, draws talk of being top ten in his weight class and, as voted for by you, snagged World MMA Awards ‘International Fighter of the Year’ honors by a comfortable margin. Not bad for one 2010 MMA win.
A Team Golden Glory product as known for his massive, Popeye-like physique as his 32 stoppage wins, Alistair Overeem shut out the likes of tipped lightweight jiu-jitsu specialists George Sotiropoulos and Shinya Aoki to take the international fighter’s gong. 2010 losses for Dan Hardy (the only person to be nominated for the award three times), John Hathaway and Shinya Aoki affected their shouts, while much of George Sotiropoulos’ sway came too late in the year.
Overeem places himself in good company, joining Michael Bisping and Gegard Mousasi as previous recipients of the award evolved from ‘European Fighter of the Year’. Though he might have only fought under mixed martial arts rules once in 2010 it was an impressive demolition job on Brett Rogers, in May. Prior to his ‘Ubereem’ mauling, Rogers gave long-debated best heavyweight on the planet Fedor Emelianenko some problems in November ‘09 – including a broken nose – before being put away by a second-round ‘Hail Mary’ right. Most MMA acolytes hold Fedor in awe, and as Rogers had also demolished former UFC champion Andrei Arlovski two fights prior to the Overeem bout, former doubters jumped aboard the Dutchman’s bandwagon with haste.
The Strikeforce heavyweight champ (who ditched the grueling weight cuts to the 205lb weight class for a permanent move to 225lb-plus in 2007) did take three other scalps within the eligible consideration-period, which ran from September 2009 to August 2010. Iron-headed Kazuyuki Fujita and cauliflower-eared James Thompson fell to Overeem in Japanese promotion Dream during the latter stages of 2009.
The man’s also crafted himself a savvy online persona in 2010 too. As well as making himself easily available for interviews with digital media, an Internet video-blog series centered on ‘The Demolition Man’, titled The Reem, ran the length of the year and raised the occasional kickboxer’s profile.
Still, the 30-year-old doesn’t have the endorsement of one of the most influential men in the mixed martial arts industry: UFC president Dana White. Despite his popularity, Overeem’s inclusion in in the top ten of most MMA media’s heavyweight rankings baffles White, who recently addressed the issue with reporters at a UFC post-fight press conference point-blank: “What has Alistair Overeem done to be ranked in the top ten of the mixed martial arts heavyweight division?” he challenged. Reporters were slow to answer but their reasoning centered around ’potential’. The consensus across the board is that we could be on the precipice of an ‘Overeem era’. Fans and writers alike feel a solid ground game, fearsome stand-up and stacked frame indicates a potential to blaze through the upper echelon of the heavyweight division – if he takes the fights. The all-rounder has drawn some ire for only defending his Strikeforce belt once since winning it in 2007.
But it isn’t solely Overeem’s trouncing of Brett Rogers, his three other wins, or the man’s Internet video series ( see thereem.com) that’s given fight fans cause for excitement in 2010. His success in the kickboxing K-1 World Grand Prix, toward the end of 2010, undoubtedly played a part in upping Overeem’s award-bound status, however unfairly.
Everybody adores a knockout artist, especially a heavyweight, and fans love that Overeem brings his world-beating kickboxing form to MMA with highlight-reel stoppages in tow. Victorious Fedor-Overeem and Werdum-Overeem mega matchups in 2011 could even secure the trophy for another year.
