Issue 060

March 2010

Blessed with a sportsman’s physique, incredible strength and plenty of natural ability (not to mention sheer size), Alistair Overeem was born to become an athlete. The Dutchman wouldn’t be out of place on the football field or basketball court, were he not a fighter.

With 41 fights and 12 years of experience under his belt, Overeem is a true MMA veteran. Having said that, don’t be fooled into thinking that the 29-year-old is an aging gatekeeper. Though he’s been around for as long as Chuck Liddell, Matt Hughes and other legends, Overeem is by no means in the twilight of his career. In fact, judging by his recent string of successes, the Strikeforce heavyweight champion is just getting warmed up.  

“I’ve been fighting for over 12 years,” says Overeem. “That’s a long time. I started when I was 17, and had a great win-streak in Europe. I was beating everyone they put in front of me. You could see right away that I was a winner. Then I was thrown into the mix in Pride. Things became very serious. I learnt so much, but had lots of ups and downs. There were winning streaks and losing streaks. It wasn’t until a couple of years ago that I decided to go up to heavyweight (from light-heavyweight) and become the fighter I want to be.”  

Today Overeem fights exclusively at heavyweight, but it took him the better part of a decade to grow into his body and reach his full potential. Fortunately, his decision to compete with the big boys means no more problematic weight cutting.  

The result? A massive increase in striking power, as well as raw strength. It’s these attributes that have been vital in Overeem’s meteoric rise from long-time journeyman to Strikeforce heavyweight champ, top K-1 fighter and top ten heavyweight.  

Despite his success Overeem feels he still has the better part of his career in front of him, and more than enough time to accomplish his goals as a fighter. “I’m just getting started,” says Overeem. “I still have six, seven or maybe eight years before retirement. There’s plenty of time to do what I want to do.”  

A man of action, Overeem has some very ambitious career goals, one of which is beating the man regarded by most as the greatest heavyweight to walk the Earth: Fedor Emelianenko. As Strikeforce champion it’s only a matter of time before Overeem crosses paths with the pound-for-pound king. While most would fear such an encounter, the Golden Glory fighter is aching for an opportunity to fight the Russian heavyweight, and believes he is the man to bring down the MMA legend.  

“Fedor is the man to beat,” says Overeem. “And he’s going to be beat, by me. I’ll be fighting him in April, as long as he didn’t injure his hand too bad in his last fight. It’s going to be an excellent fight – my hardest fight, but also my dream fight.” Shockingly, Emelianenko isn’t Overeem’s only focus. The heavyweight also competes in the world’s biggest and best competition for heavyweight kickboxers, the K-1 World Grand Prix in Japan. Already well known in Japan, Overeem’s popularity in the Land of the Rising Sun increased exponentially last year following amazing performances against K-1 alumni like Remy Bonjasky and Badr Hari. In September, Overeem shocked the world by defeating three-time K-1 World Champion Peter Aerts, becoming the only man to prevent the K-1 legend from entering the finals. With the victory, Overeem proved once and for all that he belongs in the upper echelons of K-1, as well as MMA. 

Though he looks to America for the future, Overeem’s career first truly took off in Japan. Today he holds a special place in his heart for the Land of the Rising Sun. Whether he dons the 12oz gloves in K-1 or the 4oz gloves in Dream, the father of one never turns down an opportunity to appear in front of his Japanese fans. “I love Japan,” says Overeem. “I love the Japanese fans, I love sushi and I love K-1. K-1 is something I take seriously. It’s been wonderful for me. I was voted in by the Japanese fans to take part in the tournament last year, so that really says something.”  

Overeem currently holds contracts with Strikeforce, K-1 and Dream, as well as Dutch promotion Ultimate Glory, meaning he must be prepared to fight in America, Holland and Japan on a moment’s notice.  

With so many responsibilities, how does the Dutchman manage? By focusing on what’s important. A true fighter’s fighter, Overeem does not pursue side projects or marketing opportunities, like so many in his profession seem to do. Overeem lets his team, who have managed his career for over a decade, worry about that. He focuses on the fighting.  

“A lot of fighters do side projects,” says Overeem. “Acting, TV, whatever. Side projects aren’t that interesting to me. I know I’m never going to be Denzel Washington but I can be a truly great fighter, so I focus on the fighting. I’m here to win fights.  

“My average day is basically training, training, training and eating. I don’t cut weight anymore so I’m always looking for something to eat – lots of meat, lots of fish and lots of protein. I let other people manage my career.”  

Behind every successful fighter is a great team, and there’s no exception in the case of Overeem. The heavyweight has been with Team Golden Glory since the beginning of his MMA journey, a very rare occurrence in a sport where fighters tend to switch camps at the first sign of stagnation or trouble. Among Overeem’s trainers are unsung heroes such as Martijn de Jong and Lucien Carbin, as well as his long-time training partner, brother Valentijn. “A good team makes everything easier,” says Overeem. “I’ve been with my camp for a long time, they know me, and they’re always behind me. Sometimes I’ve thought about training at new camps. I was supposed to do some training in the US, but I decided against it. Golden Glory is my home.”  

His career is going exceedingly well now, but at some point the Strikeforce champion must decide whether or not to take the logical next step and pursue a career in the UFC. Although Overeem most certainly does not need the Las Vegas promotion (considering he holds contracts with four other respectable organizations), his absence from the UFC prevents him from becoming a truly recognized heavyweight, particularly in America.  

Rumors regarding Overeem’s negotiations with the UFC have been circulating for years (Overeem was spotted ringside chatting with Dana White at UFC 93), but the Dutchman’s management have so far kept their mouths shut regarding offers from the world’s number one promotion. “I’m not going to discuss the UFC too much with the media,” says Overeem. “But I will say that when they show me terms I like, I’ll sign. Money is important but it isn’t everything. There are some conditions they have that I don’t like. But like I said, when the terms are right, I’ll sign right away.”  

Overeem’s upcoming fight with Emelianenko will definitely play into any future negotiations with the UFC, depending on how successful he is against the Russian legend. This fact could very well make Overeem’s tilt with Emelianenko the most important fight of his career – a challenge that could make him or break him, as it has for so many others in the past.  

They say adversity is the key to success – it’s definitely the case with Overeem. The heavyweight has overcome an endless list of obstacles throughout his career, from difficult weight cuts and injuries to periods plagued by personal problems and incredibly painful and seemingly career-ending losing streaks. With his life (both inside and outside of the cage) now in order, the Strikeforce champion believes he has the potential to take on all comers, including Emelianenko, and to climb to the top of the heavyweight rankings.  

“Earlier in my career, there was always something not working out,” says Overeem. “Physical problems, personal problems – all kinds of problems. But you’re still under contract, and you still have to fight. When there are multiple problems at once, it gets hard. What I’ve learnt is that the hardest thing about being a fighter is fighting against yourself. Many of my losses weren’t because the other guy beat me, but because I beat myself. Now, with everything the way it should be, it doesn’t matter who I’m against – if I can focus on being the fighter I want to be, I can beat them.”  

The ‘Guillotine Man’!  

Though he’s known as one of the best strikers in MMA and competes in K-1, Alistair Overeem is a talented submission fighter with no less than 19 submission wins to his name! Of Overeem’s wins, 61% have been by tap out, with eight by way of guillotine. Fighters to fall foul of his guillotine include Vitor Belfort, James Thompson, Igor Vovchanchyn and more.