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« | Home | »

Alistair Overeem: Fedor refusing to fight me is the reason why I’ve been inactive

By Zach Arnold | June 16, 2011

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Click the image to view the video interview at MMAFighting.com

ARIEL HELWANI: “I remember after your win over Brett Rogers, so much momentum, you know, it was such a dominant win, everyone was talking, a lot of buzz about you back here in Strikeforce. Do you feel as though you’ve lost a little bit of that because it’s taken over a year for you to come back?”

ALISTAIR OVEREEM: “Well, it was not my fault it took over a year to come back. We tried to put together the fight against (Fabricio) Werdum, the winner of the Werdum/Fedor fight. Werdum was injured, needed surgery on his elbow, so he was out. Fedor declined to fight me for the second time. At that point, I decided to compete in the K-1 GP because there were no fights for me in Strikeforce and, yeah, basically did that.

“I tried to put together the fight in May when I was fighting Brett Rogers. That was basically their idea. Their answer was, ‘we’re not going to fight you on May 15th, you can fight somebody else and we’re going to fight somebody else.”

ARIEL HELWANI: “Why do you think they declined for a second time?”

ALISTAIR OVEREEM: “Well, I can’t read their mind… but they don’t want to fight me, obviously. And, ummm… yeah. I don’t know what’s going through their minds. I don’t know, can’t give an answer about that but I tried to put together that fight, we tried hard. Challenging in public, management negotiations, but they really did not want to fight me. First time when I fought Brett Rogers they did not want to and the second time they also did not want to and that forced me to fight in the K-1 which I also like to do and which resulted in the K-1 title. So, yeah.”

ARIEL HELWANI: “How do you feel about the fact that your title is not on the line? Does that bother you or does it not really make a difference?”

ALISTAIR OVEREEM: “Well, title’s not on the line, that means it’s going to be one round less or two rounds less, um… but other than that, yeah, it’s okay with me, of course. There’s nothing for me to gain. And basically, actually I think I like the idea that there’s something new on the line, there’s something for me to gain actually and that’s the GP title. So, I like that idea.”

ARIEL HELWANI: “Another title. I remember that famous picture of you holding the three titles, now you can add a fourth one, maybe.”

ALISTAIR OVEREEM: “Nice picture.”

ARIEL HELWANI: “Very nice picture.”

ALISTAIR OVEREEM: “It’s nice. So, yeah, there is room for another belt. So, hopefully we’re going to work damn hard and this Saturday we’re going to make it happen, one step closer.”

ARIEL HELWANI: “You’re obviously on a winning impressive streak, but earlier in your career you had a few losses. One of them was to Fabricio Werdum. Was this a fight that you always wanted to avenge a lost to Werdum that you always want to rectify, was this one that always kind of stuck with you?”

ALISTAIR OVEREEM: “Definitely, yes.”

ARIEL HELWANI: “Why?”

ALISTAIR OVEREEM: “Well, umm… you know, one of these fights that you’re not entirely in shape, or actually in bad shape going into the fight. This was one of these fights and I don’t want to look back too much because I’m not the character to do it and if you didn’t bring it up, I wouldn’t have brought it up. But, going into that fight, I wasn’t fit, I just had a surgery, the surgery had a bad impact on my body, on my conditioning and the doctor said I would be back in shape in one week but it took like a month and then a week later was the fight. So, yeah, it was one of those fights that kept nagging me and I’ve been wanting this re-match for a long time. Very happy I got it now and, yeah, it’s going to be on Showtime Saturday.”

ARIEL HELWANI: “They put out some footage on TheReem.com, the great documentary series. They filmed you after that fight and you seemed to have taken it very hard. I remember there’s a shot with your head and obviously a fighter takes every loss hard but you were very distraught after the loss. Do you remember how you felt and will you try to bring back that up to give you that extra fire going into the fight?”

ALISTAIR OVEREEM: “No, I got fire by myself, I got enough fire myself, I don’t think need to think about that fight or that loss or that emotion. I’m pretty fired up by myself. It’s been like six months since I was in the ring or cage, so I’m pretty fired up.”

ARIEL HELWANI: “Do you think if he watches that tape now and tries to study it and duplicate the fight over again and look for same holds that’s a mistake because you’re a different fighter?”

ALISTAIR OVEREEM: “I think we’re both different fighters. I think Fabricio has perfected himself to be the best grappler in MMA and I think I’ve perfected myself to be the best striker in MMA. So, it’s going to be very interesting how this is going to work out but, yeah, the game plan is ready, my conditioning is optimum. We’re ready to go.”

ARIEL HELWANI: “Do you believe in cage rust and, if so, do you think that will be a factor for him? Because he hasn’t fought since June of last year and he only fought for 60-something seconds when he beat Fedor.”

ALISTAIR OVEREEM: “Well, ring rust, maybe, but he’s going to be ready. He’s ready. I believe Fabricio’s a person who works really hard and I believe he’s going to be ready and that’s exactly how I want it. I want him to be ready. I’m ready. We’re going to put on a great show and may the best man win and may the fans see a great fight.”

ARIEL HELWANI: “What do you think of him saying that he’s going to after your other arm this time and submit you? Is that a challenge?”

ALISTAIR OVEREEM: “Yeah, I don’t really listen to what he says. His English is not that good, anyways. Also, speak of, yeah, ‘Alistair is my son.’ I still do not know exactly know what that means. I still don’t, when I think about it, what does it mean?”

ARIEL HELWANI: “He called you his son?”

ALISTAIR OVEREEM: “Yeah, I don’t know what it means.”

ARIEL HELWANI: “Do you think that’s disrespectful or respectful?”

ALISTAIR OVEREEM: “I don’t know. If I would call you my son…”

ARIEL HELWANI: “Probably disrespectful.”

ALISTAIR OVEREEM: “For me, it doesn’t mean anything because I don’t know what it means. Maybe it’s a cultural thing or something, yeah.”

ARIEL HELWANI: “Now this is your first fight since the Strikeforce purchase by Zuffa. Do you sense any difference? Does it feel like it’s a different promotion?”

ALISTAIR OVEREEM: “Yes. Yes. It’s the same, some of the same people but more people. You can see it’s more structured, it’s more organized. Yeah, it’s just a tad extra taking care of everything.”

ARIEL HELWANI: “We’ve heard from some of the fighters who had deals where they could do other things that now they can’t do them because Zuffa issued new contracts and you had a deal where you could and go fight K-1. Are you not allowed to fight K-1 any more now that Zuffa owns Strikeforce?”

ALISTAIR OVEREEM: “Well… ummm…. my contracts states that I can fight in other promotions, so…. my contract is my contract.”

ARIEL HELWANI: “They haven’t given you a new contract?”

ALISTAIR OVEREEM: “No, they didn’t give me a new contract. So, that’s obviously going to be a talking point in the negotiations but we’ll deal with that when the time comes.”

ARIEL HELWANI: “When are the negotiations or you don’t know?”

ALISTAIR OVEREEM: “I don’t know. I think somewhere after this fight or after the next fight.”

ARIEL HELWANI: “I had someone call my show, The MMA Hour… ‘why is Alistair so low in everyone’s rankings? why don’t you have him Top 2, Top 3? How could you put Brock Lesnar over him?’ Do you even look at those rankings? Do you use them as motivation and you do understand why some people don’t have you as high in the rankings because you haven’t fought Top 10 fighters in the heavyweight division consistently over the last couple years?”

ALISTAIR OVEREEM: “I understand it very well. There is an argument that you could say Alistair is not Top 10 or not Top 5 because he has not fought this guy and that guy but umm… I think where the fans get their motivation is that I did fight a lot, I did have a lot of knockouts or submissions. I am the only fighter to hold a major MMA belt as well as the K-1 organization (belt), something that nobody has ever done that before, so… there’s arguments, there’s argument for both ways. But I can understand people, yeah, who don’t place me in the Top 5. But I also understand why people say he’s the #1 or #2 or #3. But, you know, the only way to find out is for those fights to happen and now that Zuffa has bought Strikeforce it’s one step closer and we’re going to see in the coming years. I’m going to make sure that I’m damn ready.”

Topics: Media, MMA, StrikeForce, Zach Arnold | 82 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

82 Responses to “Alistair Overeem: Fedor refusing to fight me is the reason why I’ve been inactive”

  1. mr. roadblock says:

    Well, obviously he’s jealous of Fedor, a liar and a flat out meany pants. {sarcasm!}

    I really like Overeem. I hope he cleans out the SF tourney. It used to drive me nuts how people would put him way up the rankings just because he wasn’t in UFC. I like that he has a very realistic take on that. Now it’s time for him to show us what he’s got.

    Hopefully he’s working on his ground game to deal with the wrestlers in the UFC. I’d love to see him in there with Cain, JDS, Brock, Carwin and Mir.

  2. 45 Huddle says:

    There wasn’t an ounce of lie in his eyes when he talked about Fedor.

    Compared to Ariel’s interview with Josh Barnett, when asked about what he needed to do to get licensed in CA, Barnett acted like he had no clue. Complete liar.

    • Light23 says:

      I can’t stand listening to Barnett now. Before, his cockiness was cool, but after the Affliction debacle he needs to show some humility + remorse. All he’s done is lie and make excuses.

      Sucks, cos I used to be a big Barnett fan when he was in PRIDE.

  3. Sundog says:

    I really WANTED to dislike Alistair but I just can’t. He seems like a great guy, and he works so hard.

  4. The Gaijin says:

    I’m pretty pumped for this weekend’s card. Strikeforce’s tournament has been such a great promotional tool for mma’s #2 league. Scott Coker, for all his faults, will be remembered as a great commissioner for the league who put this thing together and probably made them an attractive target for mma’s #1 league, the UFC.

    Hopefully Alistair wins the league’s HWGP and then he might be a viable candidate to fight a league champion vs. league champion bout – a quasi-“champion’s league” if you will – with the UFC’s heavyweight league champion. Here’s hoping he’ll be able to get himself high enough in the rankings for UFC commissioner Dana White to take notice and book that fight on one of the league’s future cards. I am however a little worried there’ll be issues around Overeem having to grant any future promotional rights to the UFC and sign a champion’s clause as a requirement of competing in a said dream match.

    • nottheface says:

      I think your worries are unfounded. The UFC’s (or MMA major league) commissioner is going to make sure that the fighter who wins the Grand Prix is properly ranked under the transparent and quantifiable ranking system they use. If he has earned a shot he will surely get it.
      As for a Championship clause, if he has any problems with that the CBA will make sure it will be settled in arbitration.
      See everything is perfect.

    • 45 Huddle says:

      Where else is Overeem going to go? K-1 is no longer an option.

      The UFC is really the only avenue left.

      I’m sure the winner of the Grand Prix will end up getting a nice paycheck once their contract is up.

      • The Gaijin says:

        Oh of course he’s going there, it’s the only place that makes sense and there’s no point in artificially fracturing an already weak division when both organizations are under the same ownership.

        I think most of the guys in the GP would make good additions to the UFC HW ranks. Unfortunately for them I think they’ll have to reassess their asking price b/c I’m sure most people aren’t going to differentiate between Travis Browne, Joey Beltran, Stefan Struve and Sergei K or Brett Rogers.

      • Chuck says:

        As ridiculous as this will be, but there is Bellator. Yeah it might be from working on Casablanca to working on an Ed Wood movie, but it is an option.

    • Chuck says:

      LOL! Trashing the crap out of 45 I see.

      All I’m worried about is if their health insurance plans have high deductibles, and that their severance pay (in the highly unfortunate events that they get released from their contracts) is fair.

      But at least their retirement pensions from the Fertittas will set them for the rest of their lives.

      • 45 Huddle says:

        The fighters have the option of trying to unionize.

        If Target workers can start to figure that out, then hopefully fighters can.

        And I’m in favor of a union.

        Oh no, that’s so anti-Zuffa!

        • jack says:

          Do they really?

          Do you really think that Zuffa will sign fighters who are members of a fighters union? I dont.

          I guess you forgot about the time the UFC cut Jon Fitch and threatened to cut all AKA members and anyone else who refused to sign away lifetime rights to their likeness?

          Hmm…maybe thats a little clue for you. But you probably wont really get it.

        • edub says:

          If all the fighters in the UFC decide to unionize, there would be nothing Zuffa could do. They would have no fighters to put on events and make money.

          The key is it being a Zuffa fighters union.

        • The Gaijin says:

          “The fighters have the option of trying to unionize.”

          I would love to see what happens when someone tries to get recognized as an employee…

        • edub says:

          It was hectic and cut throat when Major league baseball players tried to Unionize. The same for pretty much every other major sport in the U.S. The problem is fighters actually have to go through that fire of not competing (and not getting paid), court procedures, and public defamation which eventually will come from ZUffa. They’ll also have to stay together when Zuffa starts to target guys in financial straights to cross the proverbial picket line.

          It will be hard, but to think of it as impossible (which I know you didn’t say that) is incorrect IMO.

        • jack says:

          Well I never said it was ‘impossible,’ but next to impossible…sure.

        • edub says:

          And getting the “stars” is a must. Without getting guys like GSP, Rampage, the champs, and everyone else who is somewhat of a draw this will not work.

        • jack says:

          Right…and a guy making millions per fight is NOT going to support a union. Why would he?

          Plus if any name fighter gets close to supporting a union, the UFC will just throw some more money at them and they’ll stop.

          I’m not saying UFC is necessarily wrong for not supporting a union, but that is the exact reason why the government needs to monitor UFC fighters’ contracts, because some fighters could get taken advangage of.

        • 45 Huddle says:

          “Do you really think that Zuffa will sign fighters who are members of a fighters union? I dont.”

          I don’t think you understand how a union works.

          “I guess you forgot about the time the UFC cut Jon Fitch and threatened to cut all AKA members and anyone else who refused to sign away lifetime rights to their likeness?”

          Hence why the fighters should unionize. So that can’t happen again.

          Unions have happened in the successful major sports because the athletes knew that it was good for the overall athlete. That will eventually happen in MMA. It always does….

          Heck, it took baseball like 50+ years and like 5 tries. Eventually it will happen.

          So to talk about it not happening is a joke. This isn’t boxing where there are multiple promoters doing their own thing. All of the top fighters are under the same company. It makes it that much easier to have a common goal.

          Jack,

          Your attitude here is appalling. If you want to talk MMA, that is fine. But to come out of the gate in every conversation with insults makes you look like the fool, not me.

        • edub says:

          “Right…and a guy making millions per fight is NOT going to support a union. Why would he?”

          Because if there is a Union present that Million he is making could possible go up to 3 or 4. The fighters now make a pretty crappy percentage of profits off of events. Now if that percentage were to go up (plus better benefits, rankings systems, say in match making, and roster cuts); A union effectively used could be the best thing to happen to combat sports since Sugar Ray Robinson was born.

        • 45 Huddle says:

          edub,

          You make a great point. There is still growth available to the stars paydays…. Which means there is incentive.

        • jack says:

          45Huddle…I’m not the one who looks like a fool.

          Every time you open your mouth you look like a fool.

          I know combat sports. You know absolutely nothing other than how to blindly support anything Zuffa-related.

          I will call a spade a spade..and when that involves calling you what you are..thats what I’m gonna do. You call it an insult..I call it a fact.

        • 45 Huddle says:

          You’re not by any chance Eddie Goldman are you?

          It seems like as soon as I insulted him a few times on here, you show up and start insulting me every chance you get. Seems like the timing is sort of odd. Just call it a hunch….

          Like I said before, you come across as the idiot because your more concerned with insulting then you are with talking about the topic itself.

          And multiple other posters here have pointed out how a union is easily possible, which goes against your comments.

          Not looking so good for you now.

          You already have shown that you don’t understand the very basic concept of what a union is. That makes you dumb.

          Then you throw out insults pushing your idea even farther. That makes you an idiot.

          Now you aren’t even talking MMA in your posts and just straight up insulting me. That makes you a complete dumb#ss.

          Go back to Sherdog where you belong.

          I don’t mind if people disagree with me, but the fact that you can’t keep it a civil level shows your true character. I’m only insulting you are this point because I’m sick of you.

          Go back to Sherdog….

        • 45 Huddle says:

          “I know combat sports. You know absolutely nothing other than how to blindly support anything Zuffa-related.”

          You might know combat sports. Yet you don’t know very basic, simple reading comprehension…

          My own quote from this very topic: “And I’m in favor of a union.”

          That doesn’t exactly go with: “blindly support anything Zuffa-related”.

          You are a tool.

        • jack says:

          Supporting a union doesnt mean you are anti-Zuffa.

          But you are being ignorant of the fact that Zuffa itself would NOT accept a union, or hire fighters who were in a union. You are ignorant of the fact that zuffa has a history of being overly controlling of fighters, their sponsorships, and their careers, to the detriment of the fighters, and simply for their the rich owners’ personal gain.

        • jack says:

          “You already have shown that you don’t understand the very basic concept of what a union is. That makes you dumb.”

          Please show me the quotes where I show that I don’t understand what a union is. Please.

        • The Gaijin says:

          “Because if there is a Union present that Million he is making could possible go up to 3 or 4. The fighters now make a pretty crappy percentage of profits off of events. Now if that percentage were to go up (plus better benefits, rankings systems, say in match making, and roster cuts); A union effectively used could be the best thing to happen to combat sports since Sugar Ray Robinson was born.”

          Nail on the head. If a union is able to negotiate even a 35-40% revenue sharing deal or something of that nature, you’d have someone like GSP, Brock, Rampage, BJ, etc. having the ability to go from making ~$1.0mm to $3-5mm for big events.

          That said they (Zuffa) could easily snub out the idea by just recognizing the big name guys would support it and give them a big pay increase to keep them from jumping on. It will depend on the individual guys and whether they’re willing to potentially sacrifice some short-term personal profits for the long-term gain of everyone…might sound a bit too socialist to some.

        • 45 Huddle says:

          A company cannot legally get in the way of a formation of a union.

          And if the biggest fighters were on board, Zuffa would have no choice in the matter. It’s as simple as that.

          And I’ve already shown your own quote above as to why you have no clue how a union functions. I’m not going to keep on rewriting because you don’t have the ability to press the up arrow on your keyboard.

          And who said i was anti-UFC? I’m just not a schill…..

        • Jack says:

          Actually you didn’t, in any way, shape, or form show that I don’t know what a union is. You’re an idiot.

          Also, maybe you haven’t heard of the fertittas’ station casinos.. why do you think those employees aren’t unionized? God youre stupid.

        • 45 Huddle says:

          Employers can certainly try to make it harder for workers to unionize. Which is what the casino has done. But they can’t flat out stop them from doing so. And if you have actually listened to White about the fighters starting a union, has he ever once said they couldn’t? Because he knows if he ever said that, there would be a lawsuit.

          For somebody who calls somebody else stupid, you are about as dumb as they come.

          And look, the baseball owners never wanted a players union. And it took like 5 tries to get it right. But it eventually happened.

          And the same thing will happen in MMA. It will eventually happen.

          Dumbass.

        • The Gaijin says:

          “A company cannot legally get in the way of a formation of a union.”

          Thanks, but we’re not in labor law 101 here my friend. In the real world there are many, many “union-breaker” tactics a lot of which are either “grey area” legal or extremely hard to prove. And my suggestion is completely legal – if they caught wind of a union and were worried someone like Lesnar or GSP was on-board, they could easily make it worth their while to see differently – e.g. “We have a huge announcement, we’ve completed contract re-negotiations/extensions with GSP, Lesnar, x, y and z. And they are record/unprecedented deals in mma and will be for 10 fights with features a, b and c!”

          Don’t forget Zuffa’s owners have a lot of experience with unions and how to avoid working with them.

        • 45 Huddle says:

          The UFC is trying to get regulated in New York.

          Because of that, right now is the perfect time to unionize.

          Fertitta would be too scared to even try some of those grey area tactics and ruin his companies chances of getting into NYC.

          But what I said is correct. It is illegal still.

      • jack says:

        When exactly did I say that Dana White said that fighters “couldnt” unionize? I certainly never said that.

        I said that they would make it next to impossible. Common sense tells you that. Well, it tells those of us who dont have a UFC-brand dildo up our ass.

        Btw…you are one paranoid MFer.. Eddie Goldman? Wtf do I give a f%ck about Eddie Goldman? I’m calling you out because youre a moron. You prove it over, and over, and over, and over…

        • jack says:

          And over, and over, and over…

          Youre like the energizer bunny…you never stop making a fool of yourself. You should really be on UFC payroll… Well, even UFC probably doesnt hire the mentally handicapped.

        • 45 Huddle says:

          Okay, let’s say that I am mentally handicapped. Just for the point of discussion. That makes you:

          1) Somebody who enjoys picking on handicapp people.

          2) Of like mine (mentally hanicapped), which is why you want to continue to comment on my postings.

          Either way, it’s not looking good for you….

        • jack says:

          Oh, its looking fine for me, thank you very much.

          btw…the expression is “of like mind” not “of like mine.”

          I’m not the only one on here who comments on your postings, if you havent noticed. You have consistently been berated for your opinions since the days of Pride. If you recall correctly, you were claiming the UFC was superior to Pride even when the champions of the UFC were the miletich trifecta of Hughes, Franklin, and Sylvia. You were done right there.

        • 45 Huddle says:

          I’m beginning to think that you are the mentally challenged one. You can’t even figure out a simple typo…

          And I was a huge PRIDE fan for years. What started to signal me to their smoke and mirror’s approach was the 2005 Grand Prix. I noticed how hard of a road Shogun had compared to the rest. Then I started to peal back the onion. The special treatment Sakuraba got for years. The way they wouldn’t bring back top tier fighters if they weren’t exciting (like Sean Sherk).

          The UFC always treated things more like a professional sport. It’s not perfect, but it’s getting better throughout the years. Even the Japanese fighters have admitted this.

          But I wouldn’t expect somebody of your lower intellect to think that much about the topic. You obviously can’t get past the simple insults of a conversation.

          Too bad. You seem to have potential, but you squander it with worthless talk. Another sign of your mental handicaps….

  5. edub says:

    Becoming even more of a fan of this guy everytime he speaks. Nothing was ever proven so it doesn’t way too heavily on my mind, but if he didn’t have those couple years when he put a lot of muscle and unnatural size while not being subject to testing; he would probably be my favorite fighter. The guy obviously works his ass off, is about exciting as you can get, respects his opponents (age seems to have had a hand in this because it is different from his early career), and really cares how he is percieved by the fanbase. I hope he wins the GP, and moves on to Zuffa with a big contract in tow.

    K1 is dying. WHo knows, maybe Zuffa can set something up with it’s Showtime to bring kickboxing back to the states?

    • Shane says:

      You know when he fought at 205 he couldn’t lift weights and he still had to cut weight to make 205 right? So then over 3 years he goes from no lifting weights and around 215-220 to lifting weights and eating much more calories for a weight of around 255. 35-40 pounds is easily doable over 3 years for a motivated athlete with the right genetics. Get over it Overeem has never shied away from a drug test. He even has said he’d be ok with strict Olympic drug style testing if every fighter in the org or fight was tested the same.

      • edub says:

        I’m a certified personal trainer with the NASM (National Association of Sports Medicine), I don’t need to be educated on what it takes to build muscle over a specific period of time.

        Something you are tending to look over is the way his body gained muscle, mass, and even grew in multiple areas. His chin/skull got bigger, his face showed signs of an increase in acne, and his traps got humongous.

        I didn’t even call him out here. All I said was that period made him not be “my favorite fighter”, then proceeded to praise everything about him as a man and a fighter. I don’t need to get over anything.

        “Get over it Overeem has never shied away from a drug test. He even has said he’d be ok with strict Olympic drug style testing if every fighter in the org or fight was tested the same.”

        I’m sorry if it offends you, but being a big baseball fan as a kid up until now I believe no one when it comes to their statements on steroids.

        • Shane says:

          Not offended at all sorry if I came off sounding harsh I just get somewhat tired of the accusations with little proof thrown at fighters. I put on 35 pounds of muscle over 6 months with no juice or hgh and my traps got huge as well. I think it was just the style of lifting he did. Hard for me to say whether his chin/skull actually enlarged or once again as happened with me his neck just got thicker which kinda makes it look like the chin gets bigger…as for the upper cranium I have nothing if that’s so as mine didn’t grow at all from a large muscle gain 😀

      • IceMuncher says:

        People like Shane keep screwing up the timeline. I’m not sure if it’s intentional, but it’s wrong and misleading.

        Alistair did not put on 30-40 lbs over 3 years. Let me repeat, he did not put on 30-40 lbs over 3 years.

        What he did was put on 30 pounds of muscle in ONE year. It didn’t take him 3 years to put it on, it’s just been 3 years since it happened.

        11/16/07 – 224 lbs (Paul Buentello fight)
        12/31/08 – 254.3 lbs (Badr Hari fight #1)

        I don’t know if Shane’s being lazy and saying “Well, he weighed ~225 in 2007, and now it’s 2011, so that’s 3.5 years to put on 30 lbs”. Whatever the case, it’s a strawman argument. Overeem put on 30 lbs in one year. Draw whatever conclusions you want about how he did it, but those are the facts.

    • The Gaijin says:

      Someone made a very interesting argument I thought I would share:

      Alistair Overeem was 23 years old when he was a 6’5″ 205lb LHW in PRIDE in 2003 and now he’s a huge HW in 2011 (approx. 255lbs) after packing on muscle and filling out his frame.

      Can anyone think of a 23 year old LHW of similar dimensions that everyone talks about having the potential to be a beast HW once he adds muscle and fills out his frame in the next 4-5 years?

      Just sayin’.

      • edub says:

        Oh I completely agree. And I think one of the things getting lost here, is that I’m a huge fan of Overeem (so maybe I should have just never mentioned my opinion on his growth being a little out of the ordinary). There are a lot of similarities with Jones.

        But Ice Muncher provided the time frame I think gives the most info. It wasn’t some long term gain everybody tries to turn it into. It was about a year, and it was thrity pounds of muscle. That’s very hard to do naturally.

        • The Gaijin says:

          Just ask Frank Mir! He was Roy Nelson-esque for years and now he’s Jay Cutler. Now I know that’s not the perfect example b/c he was always a thick guy and not a string bean like Overeem, but his body transformation within a 6 month period was ridiculous (wasn’t he cutting to 265 for the Carwin (I think) fight?). Now he’s 260ish and yoked to hell.

        • edub says:

          His transformation from the way his body looked against Lesnar to what he looked like against Kongo is very odd. However, as you pointed out, he’s always been a bigger, thicker guy. He actually got down to the mid 240’s to fight Lesnar, because he thought it would help him, which obviously backfired. But after that he bulked up a whole bunch and that didn’t work out either, because it was just too much muscle on his body. Then again, when he put all that muscle on he lost most of his “shape”. He didn’t get more cut as he grew.

          Now he just lookes about the same size as a couple years back, but just in a lot better shape. Which makes sense because he’s been taking his physical form, and the way he uses it a lot more serious the past 4 years.

  6. Jonathan says:

    What changed?

    The fact that he is now fighting under a Zuffa banner?

    Let’s be real here. One year ago EVERYONE on this site (99%) said that he was juicing during his run in Dream/K-1.

    What has changed to sway this opinions or thoughts?

    • Chuck says:

      Overeem saying that he TOTALLY wanted to fight Fedor, but Fedor allegedly “ducked” him, making Overeem look like the good guy. And the revelation that Fedor is a big fat meany-head that doesn’t care about fighting the best. THAT is what changed…

  7. PeterSolberg_fan says:

    ALISTAIR OVEREEM: “Fedor declined to fight me for the second time. At that point, I decided to compete in the K-1 GP…they did not want to and that FORCED me to fight in the K-1”

    LIAR!

    August 25 2010 (02:15 PM ET)
    Fedor Emelianenko Now Says He Wants Alistair Overeem
    http://www.mmafighting.com/2010/08/25/fedor-emelianenko-now-says-he-wants-alistair-overeem/

    August 25 2010 (06:19 PM ET)
    Alistair Overeem Not Interested in Fedor Fight, Decides to Fight for K-1
    http://www.mmafighting.com/2010/08/25/alistair-overeem-not-interested-in-fedor-fight-decides-to-fight/
    Quotes from the last news
    1-“after Fedor lost to Werdum, I HAD NO INTENTION of fighting somebody other than Werdum”
    2-“Strikeforce and M-1 didn’t act fast enough when I made my decision to start K-1 training”.

    29/9/2010
    http://www.fightersonlymagazine.co.uk/news/viewarticle.php?id=5349

    Bas Boon : “M-1/ Fedor wants to fight Overeem 2 DAYS after Alistair and GG make an official statement that he will fight in the K-1 WG”.

    *************

    So, what happened?

    AO : “1-I have no intention of fighting Fedor.
    2-But, im trying to make a fight with Fedor.
    3-He decline. (Time – 0:0:0)
    4-That forced me to fight in the K-1.
    5-Fedor make a statement, he wants to fight me. (Time – 2 days)
    6-I have an announcement: Im in K-1.”

    *************
    So, Fedor has changed an opinion in 2 days?

    Something wrong with AO’s story….

  8. Nepal says:

    Shane,

    Actually when he was fighting at 205 in PRIDE, he was walking around at 230. He cut 25 pounds to get to 205. I agree with you, going from 230 to 255 over a couple of years is not a stretch at all.

    People just look at him and his dimensions and jump to conclusions. Obviously we all read about steriods scandles in baseball and cycling so we know they’re real and everybody is suspect. But he has managed to test the painfully easy piss tests that anybody with half a brain can pass anyway.

    Speaking of jaw size. Look at before and after pictures of Randy and BJ. Wow, those guys have had some serious head size increases. Look at Nate Marquardt’s jaw. How about Tito??? Probably just a coincidence that many of these MMA fighter’s jaws are growing.

    • edub says:

      I just looked up randy and BJ and I don’t see any major differences. I mean you could say BJ’s got bigger, but it’s easy to tell it’s fat, not the actual skull. When he goes back down to 155 it’s visibly smaller.

      What change are you talking about with Tito. There been a running joke online about how huge his head is for at least 6 years now.

      Marquardt has been linked to using multiple times, so i son’t even look into that one.

      Again, it’s not about him just having a big head. It’s the point that it’s had a visible growth between his fights with Buentello and K1 bouts. Especially in the jaw line.

      He’s taken one piss test administered by SF in Missouri.

      • Nepal says:

        Yes, Tito has had a huge jaw for years. Honestly I don’t know if it was smaller before but it wouldn’t surprise me. I’ve seen pic’s of Randy after winning UFC 13 (I think it was 13) and compared to now… big difference. Same with BJ, back when he fought Pulver the first time, his head was small, now it’s big. Nate was just an observation based on his today’s head, no idea if it was smaller before. As you say, he’s been caught before so no surprise. Really I just went on a tangent after talking about Overeem. It just annoys me to hear people say, “Overeem put on 50 pounds of muscle”. He didn’t, he was a gigantic 205’r. He put on 20 to 25 pounds.. big deal.

  9. david m says:

    I think Werdum will beat him. I think Overeem is overrated. What happened to the ppl who say those who fight outside the UFC shouldn’t be ranked? Has ‘Reem ever had a win over a top 10 hw? All the “lifting” still hasn’t helped his chin or heart; he is a bully and folds like a chair when someone hits him back.

  10. Nepal says:

    David m. Is this a joke? Trolling?

    Who he has fought is well known. He has been focusing on K1. He hasn’t beaten any top 10 MMA HW’s, we know that. However, the way he beats people suggests he will be able to hold his own.

    Your comments on chin, heart and folding are those of a 13 years old.

    • edub says:

      To both:

      Rogers was a top ten HW when Overeem beat him. Or at least should have been.

    • The Gaijin says:

      “Your comments on chin, heart and folding are those of a 13 years old.”

      To be entirely honest and fair to david m, Overeem’s had a history of starting strong and then going downhill really quickly if he didn’t finish guys in the first 5 minutes during his 205lb run in PRIDE. It could ultimately be that he had some major cardio/energy drainage issues from his huge cuts, so maybe HW is the proper home for him and we won’t see those issues when he’s fighting top guys. But we can’t really make that judgement re. MMA fights because his HW fights have lasted about an avg. of 2 minutes.

      We have seen him go full fights in K-1, but those are only 3x3min rds and they’re completely devoid of any grappling or extended clinch components (even if those aren’t his weak spots).

    • david m says:

      Dude, go watch him fight Shogun and Liddell and his rematch against Badr. Against Chuck he was dominating, but as soon as Chuck hit him once solid, he just died and couldn’t put up any defense and got KO’d. Against Shogun he was similarly dominating, but then as soon as Shogun showed some resilience, Reem just folded. Randy Couture he is not.

      Your comments pretending he has a chin and doesn’t fold are those of a willful ignoramus.

      Look at who some of his losses are to: Liddell, Shogun (x2), Nog (x2), Kharitonov, Arona, Werdum (among others). When he faces someone world class, he folds. Of those 8 losses to world class competition (we will ignore his 3 early losses when he was still a kid), he has been stopped 7 times. That shows a serious lack of either fortitude, chin, or stamina, because we know it is not a skill issue.

      I am a fan of Reem and what he brings to the table, and maybe he will beat Werdum, but to act like he is some kind of resilient beast is a lie. He is a frontrunner, and we know that Werdum is very durable and tough. Watching Gonzaga beat him half to death and then seeing Werdum come back and take him out proved that point to me. Had Overeem been in a similar position, we all know he would have quit.

      • edub says:

        He’s the Miami Heat of fighting.

      • Nepal says:

        David M,

        At least this post was not that of a 13 year old. If you had put your logic into your post originally I wouldn’t have bashed you.

        What you say has some merit. He has been punched hard and backpedeled and been beaten badly. Those are a long time ago, well I guess Sergei was only 4 years.

        I think he’ll beat Werdum, Werdum is a good striker despite being known for his BJJ. He’s not at Overeem’s striking level. Really who knows? We’ll find out tomorrow.

  11. Nepal says:

    Gaijin,

    Actually I always believed HW was the home for him. I could never figure out how he could squeeze into 205 pounds.

    Also there is a difference between having cardio issues and saying a guy has no chin, no heart and folds. He certainly did get beaten by Shogun way back when and I remember his 2nd fight with Kharitonov was a brutal back and forth affair. He did do some backpedaling in that one but Sergei hits like a truck.

    We haven’t seen him gas in many many years so it’s just not reasonable to suggest that he will.

    I have him beating Werdum and most likely Barnett too but I guess we’ll find out soon. CAN’T WAIT!!!

  12. 45 Huddle says:

    Some Strikeforce sponsors and fighters are complaining about the UFC implementing the same sponsorship guidelines they have in the UFC. I see this as a short term negative for fighters but a long term gain.

    Having small businesses on fighters makes the UFC look bush league. And it’s hard to make the public think the UFC is important when that occurs. So weeding out the small companies is a good thing long term. I think it helps with the overall growth of the sport.

    Conor Heun won’t have a job for much longer….

    • 45 Huddle says:

      I should also say that the notice given for this next Showtime show was far too short and that is absolutely unfair. A 3 month warning should have been given for the fighter’s managers to properly prepare for this.

      But long term, I still think this is a necessary step.

      Will the Bud Lights, Dodges, and Harley Davidson’s of the advertising world be willing to advertise next to Rick’s Tire Barn? Probably not….

      • The Gaijin says:

        Well, I don’t know how the “UFC” looks bush league if “Strikeforce” fighters on the Showtime network have their regular sponsors on their shorts.

        What do you want to bet that we’ll hear that they made up some/most/all of the lost income for these guys b/c they jammed them on sponsorship dollars?

        The issue I have with this is that the fighters aren’t getting any PPV bonuses or other cool UFC locker bonuses, so for a guy like Chad Griggs or Conor Heun, these sponsor dollars are pretty big for them.

        • 45 Huddle says:

          Yeah, it does stink for those fighters. But that’s a short term loss.

          All of this won’t be a issue in about a year when Strikeforce is gone and everything falls under the UFC’s policy.

          Either way, guys like Heun or Griggs aren’t really UFC material anyways. Then again, Joey Beltran isn’t either and is he up to 5 UFC fights yet? Yikes!!

        • The Gaijin says:

          LOL…re Mexecutioner.

          Hey! I kinda like Griggs…and like you say, there’s a lot of guys on the UFC roster that don’t really strike me as “UFC material”, so he might be able to carve out a niche in the lower levels for a few fights.

        • 45 Huddle says:

          Plus, my viewpoint on sponsors comes from a fans perspective that there are far too many ads already on the telecasts.

          The octagon now has an ads on every horizonal and vertical post. It has ads on the raised platform around the octagon. It has an ad on the ground where the fighters get checked before coming into the octagon.

          The submission and KO of the night have sponsors. Rogan wears an affliction shirt. The post fight press conference has the sponsors logo on the background. The list goes on and on.

          And then the fighters have that piece big sheet behind them with all of their sponsors names. They have their shorts. And if they win, they have hats and shirts.

          It’s just too much. But not really different then watching other sports. A typical Yankee game has every ad for any replay you can think of. And the stadiums are so filled with them it kills the feel of the ballpark.

        • The Gaijin says:

          You been to any NASCAR races or NBA/NFL/NHL games recently?!?

          I mean you’re completely correct, but that’s just kinda pro sports in general these days.

    • smoogy says:

      “Weeding out” the few legitimate, but small companies that want to sponsor MMA fighters is a good thing? Is that a joke? Are there not enough opportunities for fly-by-night tee shirt companies and deadbeat “major sponsors” like Xyience?

      UFC does an amazing job of “making themselves look bush league” at every opportunity, this sponsorship debacle being one of them.

      • 45 Huddle says:

        How are they being bush league?

        Because they are dictating what sponsors can be shown on their telecasts?

        If that is the case, then so is the NBA, NFL, NHL, and MLB since they are even more restrictive and certainly don’t allow sponsors on the uniforms.

        Zuffa’s only mistake here is not giving the fighters enough time. That was flat out wrong of them.

        • Zheroen says:

          Well, that, and blatantly ripping off fighters under the guise of “sponsoring” them with Xyience.

          Oh wait, that’s something negative and exploitative of fighters which Zuffa engaged in recent memory, so 45 Huddle will pretend it never happened and fail to respond to this post.

  13. jack says:

    UFC’s sponsor policy is simply about greed. Period.

  14. Chuck says:

    Seemingly out of no where, K-1 just announced a K-1 MAX tournament for June 25. It will be LEGALLY streamed live on a bunch of websites (K-1 official Japanese site, a Youtube stream, a Facebook stream, etc). Regular K-1 may not be missed so much, but K-1 MAX was always awesome. I’m going to try to remember to watch.

  15. sam says:

    Yeah sometimes K1 max events are amazing…but you never know.

  16. 45 Huddle says:

    Type in Versus.com into your web browser.

    Say hello to NBC Sports Website….

  17. PeterSolberg_fan says:

    http://www.strikeforce.com/news/2011/06/alistair-overeem-–-the-reem-means-business/

    “I had decided to go into K-1, which was the beginning (!!!) of August”

    Alistair Overeem! You are a liar!

    29/9/2010
    http://www.fightersonlymagazine.co.uk/news/viewarticle.php?id=5349

    Bas Boon : “M-1/ Fedor wants to fight Overeem 2 DAYS after Alistair and GG make an official statement that he will fight in the K-1 WG”.

    ***********************

    the truth is: Fedor and Alistair after the news about Werdum’s surgery made their decisions. AO went to K-1, Fedor wished to fight – it happened at the same time.

  18. RossenSearchTeam says:

    “Alistair Overeem: Fedor refusing to fight me is the reason why I’ve been inactive”

    Lol.

    I guess thats as legitimate as anything coming out of josh barnetts mouth.

    Sure, why not.

  19. RossenSearchTeam says:

    “… Zuffa itself would NOT accept a union, or hire fighters who were in a union. “

    Zuffa would NOT promote a union.
    That would be stupid.

    Zuffa would NOT support a union by hiring union fighters.
    Zuffa MAKES the fighters.

    Zuffa created fighters have even tried to take advantage hot of the Zuffa presses, like Sylvia.

    Congrats.

    Who’s going to promote it?

    you might think that maybe the union could promote them?

    Hello to the least that Zuffa has to offer, but combined with the worse that boxing has become.

    Zuffa hasn’t treated their people that bad.

    Like 5 guys in boxing are making a living from it professionally.

    How many ever?

    Out of how many through the years have tried?

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