UFC News & FeaturesRivalries: Alistair Overeem
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Alistair Overeem lacks little in terms of career accomplishments, though an Ultimate Fighting Championship title has thus far eluded his grasp.
The 40-year-old Dutchman will once again attempt to defend the
heavyweight division’s old guard when he meets Augusto
Sakai in the
UFC Fight Night 176 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in
Las Vegas. Overeem has rattled off three wins across his past four
appearances, a Hail Mary knockout loss to Jairzinho
Rozenstruik his only misstep. The
Elevation Fight Team rep last competed at UFC on ESPN 8, where
he rallied to stop Walt Harris
with second-round punches on May 16. It was his 41st finish as a
professional.
As Overeem prepares for his battle with Sakai, a look at a few of the rivalries that helped fuel his ascent to combat sports superstardom:
He may not have set the world on fire with his performance, but Overeem nevertheless walked away with a majority decision in his rubber match against Werdum in the UFC 213 co-main event on July 8, 2017 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Scores were 28-28, 29-28 and 29-28, as “The Demolition Man” took a 2-1 lead in his head-to-head series with the two-time Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist. Neither man did much to separate himself in a tentative first round. Overeem made the first significant move in the second, where he dazed “Vai Cavalo” with an overhand right and followed it with a wicked knee strike to the body. Werdum weathered those shots and dragged the Dutchman into deeper water. It led to a dominant Round 3 for the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, as he clipped Overeem with a knee, jumped into top position and spent the final two-plus minutes grinding away with ground-and-pound. However, Werdum’s efforts failed to net a finish and went unrewarded. The two heavyweight titans had met twice previously. Werdum submitted the Dutchman with a second-round kimura under the Pride Fighting Championships banner in 2006, then lost the rematch by unanimous decision in Strikeforce a little more than five years later.
Overeem knocked out “The Super Samoan” with a savage knee strike in the third round of their UFC 209 rematch on March 4, 2017 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Hunt hit the deck facedown and unconscious 1:44 into Round 3. Overeem kept the 2001 K-1 World Grand Prix winner at bay with kicks to the legs and body but did his best work in close quarters. He tenderized Hunt’s midsection with knees and mixed in standing elbows upstairs. The well-traveled Kiwi had his moments—he had Overeem ducking for cover along the fence in the first round and buckled his knees with a pair of standing elbows in the second—but failed to finish the job. Overeem backed him to the cage in Round 3 and fired a pair of knees to the head that turned out the lights. The win gave the Dutchman a 2-0 edge in their head-to-head series, as he had submitted Hunt with a keylock at Dream 5 in 2008.
Theirs was a violently entertaining confrontation, as Rua put away Overeem with punches in the semifinals of the 2005 Pride Middleweight Grand Prix—the star-studded 16-man tournament that brought “Shogun” universal acclaim and adoration. Overeem succumbed to blows 6:42 into Round 1 on Aug. 28, 2005 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. However, “The Demolition Man” did not go quietly. Overeem struck for multiple takedowns, traded knees in the clinch and nearly closed out the Brazilian with his patented guillotine choke. Rua’s resilience soon began to wear on the Golden Glory product. He eventually took top position on the fading Overeem, moved to mount and unleashed punches until the job was done. The win punched Rua’s ticket to the tournament final, where he needed a little more than three minutes to obliterate Ricardo Arona. He rematched Overeem at Pride 33 in 2007, closing out the Dutchman with punches 3:37 into the first round.
Lesnar took one too many shots to the body from Overeem, as the former Dream and Strikeforce champion shined in his long-awaited Ultimate Fighting Championship debut. He softened Lesnar with knees to the gut before finishing him with a brutal liver kick and follow-up punches in the UFC 141 headliner on Dec. 30, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, prompting the stoppage 2:26 into Round 1. Lesnar attempted one single-leg takedown and was turned away by the hulking Dutchman, who showed no regard for the former World Wrestling Entertainment superstar’s skills. He walked through Lesnar’s punches, bullied his way into the clinch and fired off the knees for which he has become feared. Lesnar slowly wilted. Unable to get the fight the ground, he ate one last kick to the abdomen and crumpled at the base of the cage. There, Overeem swarmed with punches until referee Mario Yamasaki intervened on the onetime UFC champion’s behalf.
Alistair Overeem lacks little in terms of career accomplishments, though an Ultimate Fighting Championship title has thus far eluded his grasp.
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As Overeem prepares for his battle with Sakai, a look at a few of the rivalries that helped fuel his ascent to combat sports superstardom:
Fabricio Werdum
He may not have set the world on fire with his performance, but Overeem nevertheless walked away with a majority decision in his rubber match against Werdum in the UFC 213 co-main event on July 8, 2017 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Scores were 28-28, 29-28 and 29-28, as “The Demolition Man” took a 2-1 lead in his head-to-head series with the two-time Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist. Neither man did much to separate himself in a tentative first round. Overeem made the first significant move in the second, where he dazed “Vai Cavalo” with an overhand right and followed it with a wicked knee strike to the body. Werdum weathered those shots and dragged the Dutchman into deeper water. It led to a dominant Round 3 for the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, as he clipped Overeem with a knee, jumped into top position and spent the final two-plus minutes grinding away with ground-and-pound. However, Werdum’s efforts failed to net a finish and went unrewarded. The two heavyweight titans had met twice previously. Werdum submitted the Dutchman with a second-round kimura under the Pride Fighting Championships banner in 2006, then lost the rematch by unanimous decision in Strikeforce a little more than five years later.
Mark Hunt
Overeem knocked out “The Super Samoan” with a savage knee strike in the third round of their UFC 209 rematch on March 4, 2017 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Hunt hit the deck facedown and unconscious 1:44 into Round 3. Overeem kept the 2001 K-1 World Grand Prix winner at bay with kicks to the legs and body but did his best work in close quarters. He tenderized Hunt’s midsection with knees and mixed in standing elbows upstairs. The well-traveled Kiwi had his moments—he had Overeem ducking for cover along the fence in the first round and buckled his knees with a pair of standing elbows in the second—but failed to finish the job. Overeem backed him to the cage in Round 3 and fired a pair of knees to the head that turned out the lights. The win gave the Dutchman a 2-0 edge in their head-to-head series, as he had submitted Hunt with a keylock at Dream 5 in 2008.
Mauricio Rua
Theirs was a violently entertaining confrontation, as Rua put away Overeem with punches in the semifinals of the 2005 Pride Middleweight Grand Prix—the star-studded 16-man tournament that brought “Shogun” universal acclaim and adoration. Overeem succumbed to blows 6:42 into Round 1 on Aug. 28, 2005 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. However, “The Demolition Man” did not go quietly. Overeem struck for multiple takedowns, traded knees in the clinch and nearly closed out the Brazilian with his patented guillotine choke. Rua’s resilience soon began to wear on the Golden Glory product. He eventually took top position on the fading Overeem, moved to mount and unleashed punches until the job was done. The win punched Rua’s ticket to the tournament final, where he needed a little more than three minutes to obliterate Ricardo Arona. He rematched Overeem at Pride 33 in 2007, closing out the Dutchman with punches 3:37 into the first round.
Brock Lesnar
Lesnar took one too many shots to the body from Overeem, as the former Dream and Strikeforce champion shined in his long-awaited Ultimate Fighting Championship debut. He softened Lesnar with knees to the gut before finishing him with a brutal liver kick and follow-up punches in the UFC 141 headliner on Dec. 30, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, prompting the stoppage 2:26 into Round 1. Lesnar attempted one single-leg takedown and was turned away by the hulking Dutchman, who showed no regard for the former World Wrestling Entertainment superstar’s skills. He walked through Lesnar’s punches, bullied his way into the clinch and fired off the knees for which he has become feared. Lesnar slowly wilted. Unable to get the fight the ground, he ate one last kick to the abdomen and crumpled at the base of the cage. There, Overeem swarmed with punches until referee Mario Yamasaki intervened on the onetime UFC champion’s behalf.
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