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Video: Overeem Talks
Alistair Overeem talked with HDNet's "Inside MMA" Friday evening. Below is the interview in its entirety, courtesy of HDNet Fights.
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Sherdog Remembers: Overeem’s Pride Debut
By: Sherdog.com Staff
On July 20, 2002, a 22-year-old Dutchman climbed into the ring under the Pride Fighting Championships banner for the first time. His name was Alistair Overeem.
The “Demolition Man” met the overmatched Yusuke Imamura at Pride “The Best Vol. 2” on a Saturday at the Differ Ariake in Tokyo, approaching the eight-sided ring in a white hard hat, with a giant sledgehammer resting on his shoulder. Overeem was years away from becoming one of the most feared fighters in MMA, but his considerable physical ability and flare for the dramatic were on full display. Much leaner then, he still dwarfed the 5-foot-9 Imamura, who had fought Antonio Rogerio Nogueira three months earlier.
The difference in skill on the feet was glaring and immediately apparent, as Imamura dove for a single-leg and secured an early takedown. Overeem was back to an upright position in seconds. Soon after, knees to the body, punches to the head and even a glancing soccer kick had Imamura on his heels. His situation only worsened. A perfectly timed knee to the face cut and crumpled the Japanese fighter, and Overeem delivered one last punch on his downed foe before the referee could intervene. With blood streaming from a gash near his left eye, Imamura staggered back to his corner as the Dutchman and his entourage celebrated.
The show was the second of three in “The Best” series, which Pride launched in 2002 to spotlight up-and-coming fighters. It was the forerunner for the popular “Bushido” events that helped catapult lighter weight fighters like Takanori Gomi to global superstardom.
Pride “The Best Vol. 2” also featured John Alessio’s lone outing in the Japanese promotion -- he stopped Eiji Mitsuoka on a second-round cut -- and the final amateur appearance for Yushin Okami, then 20, who would become one of the world’s premier middleweights. And it all unfolded on this day nine years ago.
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Beatdown After the Bell: Strikeforce
By: TJ De Santis
Jordan Breen and myself took to the air Saturday night following Strikeforce's Overeem Vs Werdum card for another edition of "Beatdown After The Bell."
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For two hours Breen and I chatted about the event that saw Alistair Overeem avenge his 2006 loss to Fabricio Werdum as well as Josh Barnett defeat Brett Rogers. Both men punched their tickets to the second round of Strikeforce's heavyweight grand prix. We also took listener calls, emails, and tweets.
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Picking & Grinning: ‘Overeem vs. Werdum’
By: Jeff Sherwood
Takedown defense will be critical for Alistair Overeem against Fabricio Werdum. | Photo: Dave Mandel
Sherdog.com staff put their reputations on the line with bold predictions for Strikeforce “Overeem vs. Werdum,” which airs on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on HDNet and Showtime (10 p.m. ET). The main event features a rematch between Alistair Overeem and Fabricio Werdum in the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix quarterfinals.
Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum
Guilherme Pinheiro: Both guys have come a long way since their first fight back in 2006. By the way, that fight is just a statistic for me. Overeem and Werdun are completely different animals now. The Dutchman is not only bigger and stronger but far better technically. His kickboxing is second to none in the heavyweight division, and he also boasts an underrated submission game. Werdun is an extremely accomplished grappler who can capitalize on the slightest mistake of his opponents. Unfortunately for him, the only way he can win this fight is if Overeem makes a mistake on the ground. However, getting the fight to the ground is going to be a problem. Werdun’s best takedowns are the ones that he performs in the clinch, and being in the clinch with Overeem does not sound like the greatest idea. I see Overeem doing heavy damage standing up and eventually knocking out the Brazilian fighter in the second round.
Brian Knapp: I think at this point in his career Overeem is too strong, too skilled and too smart for Werdum. He forces Werdum to play his game and whips him in the clinch en route to a second- or third-round stoppage on strikes.
Todd Martin: Werdum will have to weather an early storm from the explosive Overeem, but Overeem has typically struggled as fights go on, even before he gained a massive amount of weight. It will be no surprise if Overeem can finish Werdum early, but I see Werdum surviving and taking over later in the fight for a TKO or submission win. Read more -
Overeem: I Trained 4 Months for This
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ESPN MMA's Hot Button: Velasquez's Best Fight
By: Sherdog.com Staff
Every week inside ESPN.com's MMA section, two scribes debate the most pressing issues in the sport in the Hot Button.
This week, Sherdog.com Administrative Editor Jordan Breen and ESPN.com's Chuck Mindenhall examine whether or not Junior dos Santos is the best opponent for UFC heavyweight Cain Velasquez at this point in time.
With his ever-improving grappling and stalwart boxing, is "Cigano" the man who can offer Velasquez the kind of threat that he has yet to have in the Octagon? Or, is there another foil, such as Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem, that makes for a more stylistically intriguing, or perhaps dangerous, fight for the former Arizona State Sun Devil?
Click here to read the latest ESPN MMA Hot Button. Read more -
Primer: New Year’s in Japan
By: Jake Rossen
Kazushi Sakuraba | Daniel Herbertson/Sherdog.com
If Ryan Seacrest happened to be a major celebrity in Japan, he would eventually be offered a substantial sum to be beaten severely in any number of the country’s traditional New Year’s Eve fighting events. The Japanese watch television in huge numbers that night, and promotions have hired everyone from actors to pro wrestlers to fighters dressed in costumes in order to draw attention away from the standard music and variety programming.
Does it work? For a long time, it did: any combination of Sumo, Bob Sapp, or Olympic champions would usually produce tremendous ratings. But the decline of real fighters and the increasing reluctance (possibly related to the shrinking pay stubs) of the “special attractions” has taken its toll.
It’s a real sign of MMA’s erosion in Japan that only one event -- K-1’s Dynamite -- is actually airing New Year’s Eve; the more serious Sengoku takes place Dec. 30. In both cases, fans can see a series of competitive fights. But in K-1’s arena, the need for ratings will prompt the usual stunt work: Shinya Aoki will be facing Yuichiro Nagashima in a fight that alternates kickboxing rounds with MMA rules and Bob Sapp will be wrestling Sumo great Shinichi Suzukawa in an orchestrated entertainment-only intermission. Both are likely to dwarf the night’s most legitimate bout, a lightweight meeting between Strikeforce’s Josh Thomson and Tatsuya Kawajiri.
Stateside, most of the attention has been directed at Todd Duffee taking a late-notice bout against Alistair Overeem. Duffee was touted as a UFC prospect before a shock KO at the hands of Mike Russow; reported head-butting with UFC management led to his release. But Duffee can strike, and he’s a few levels above the kind of competition you’d expect Overeem to accept only three weeks after a grueling K-1 tournament. Too good to believe, actually. Like most of the Japanese product, it’s subject to change. Read more -
Overeem Smash
By: Jake Rossen
Alistair Overeem file photo | Dave Mandel : Sherdog.com
Physically imposing fighters don’t usually live up to their billing. Bob Sapp had a good run smashing Tokyo, but cardio and technique issues caught up with him; Mariusz Pudzianowski might actually explode in the ring one day, bits of overheated cartilage and broken capillaries showering a lucky few in the front row. These are guys made for fight posters, not necessarily the fight itself.Alistair Overeem arrived at Saturday’s K-1 Grand Prix event at a lean 265 pounds of body mass, and it’s easy to imagine crumbs of clay or marble sloughing off of him as he walked through the tournament. In winning, he became the only man to hold two recognized world titles in two combat sports simultaneously.
Suddenly, the nickname “Ubereem” feels insufficient. When the Japanese have him hunt, kill, strip, and eat a wild boar on some variety show, maybe they can make some suggestions. In the meantime, Overeem is being discussed as a top-shelf MMA fighter. It seems inconceivable anyone can handle his size, athleticism, and technique. Of course, we've said the same about others.
Is all this warranted? Overeem’s status in MMA seems based more on hypotheticals than anything else. He’s probably a better striker than anyone in the heavyweight division, he has a very good ground game, and he’s able to ragdoll opponents to set it all up. (Throwing Brett Rogers like a shot-put was a clue.) It’s exciting to consider what he could do in MMA, but that’s all it amounts to -- speculation. Read more -
Figuring out Overeem
By: Jake Rossen
Scott Coker and Alistair Overeem: Dave Mandel | Sherdog.com
Bas Rutten believes he’s the world’s No. 1 heavyweight; Sherdog.com has him ranked at eight. In a sport full of argumentative fans, mentioning Alistair Overeem might be the quickest way to incite a riot.Overeem, a highly proficient kickboxer with a credible submission game, was originally an uneven light-heavyweight who mixed solid wins (Vitor Belfort, Igor Vovchanchyn) with definitive losses (Mauricio Rua, Chuck Liddell). His handicap was apparently a struggle to meet the 205-pound cap, which he resolved by moving permanently to heavyweight and putting on what appears to be 30 to 40 pounds of muscle. If Muscle and Fitness lacks a Holland edition, it’s not for lack of subjects.
Overeem has proven himself capable in the division, largely by beating the kind of opposition Japan dials a few weeks before an event: Tony Sylvester, James Thompson, and a fading Kazuyuki Fujita. (To be fair, he bookended the routs with good wins over Paul Buentello and Brett Rogers.) He’s big and scary and can compete in a K-1 kickboxing ring without embarrassing himself.
The idea of Overeem is so potent that it can apparently make a good substitute for actual results. Turn up the hype loud enough and you might drown out the fact that he hasn’t actually done much to warrant his reputation. Read more -
Strikeforce Postmortem: The Fall of Fedor, Shamrock, Le, More
By: Jake Rossen
Fabricio Werdum vs. Fedor Emelianenko: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com
Added to Fedor Emelianenko’s considerable accomplishments during a ten-year MMA career: breaking the Internet.
Emelianenko, 33 and with a 32-1 (1 NC) record heading into Saturday’s fight with Fabricio Werdum, has spent the last three years as one of the sport’s best fighters and its single most divisive personality. The mystique of his undefeated record made him the UFC’s priority acquisition -- yet he and his management team rejected their advances, an arrogance that pleased fans irritated at the UFC’s monopoly and annoyed others who wanted to see him butt heads with the 280-pound wrestlers.
For fans, his disinterest was an example of a fighter who refused to become a commodity; for Dana White, he was a fading champion who didn’t deserve the respect shoveled on him. It is probably not unreasonable to say significant ad space was sold on sites that got bumper-to-bumper traffic based on the debate. Strikeforce and Emelianenko got plenty of press. The only person it didn’t benefit was White, who was chastised in media for not being able to close a deal.
White’s consolation was that Emelianenko losing was only a matter of time. Everyone does, sometimes to an athlete most would overlook. (St. Pierre and Silva, the UFC’s two best fighters, lost to Ryo Chonan and Matt Serra, respectively, Washington Generals-level underdogs.) But what made Fedor special was his inexplicable ability to defy the odds for so long. In a sport where just one mistake can cost you a loss -- or a broken arm, or worse -- he had somehow navigated through a decade without suffering a freak occurrence, injury, or brain fart.
Until this weekend. Emelianenko rushed Werdum, who fell to his back more out of a loss of balance than punishment, and made a horrible error: he willingly tumbled into Werdum’s guard, a position representing his biggest danger of the fight. Without the sweat of a long fight to help him, a dry Emelianenko was forced to tap to a triangle choke. Message boards, busy for so long with arguments over his abilities, froze from the congestion.
In a sport where you’re only as good as your last fight, getting tied and tapped by a triangle in just over a minute leaves Emelianenko open to some revisionist history. But reputations are built on the sum total of efforts: to date, no heavyweight has dominated his division as thoroughly, consistently, and for as long as Emelianenko has. He may not be the best heavyweight competing today, but he is easily the most accomplished.
There will probably be a rematch with Werdum, and a chance to reestablish the claim that Emelianenko has beaten every man he’s ever faced. There may also be a softening on demands from M-1, his squad of contract negotiators, who can no longer twist promoters with the promise of delivering a superhuman. The loss may even provide the best result possible for his fans: a career-ending trip in the UFC. And with it, a chance to break the Internet one more time. Read more
