There doesn’t seem to be any stopping Alistair Overeem. The heavyweight sensation has stormed through the rankings since joining Jackson-Wink MMA Academy in 2014
‘The Reem’ had mixed success in the UFC, dropping losses to Antonio Silva, Travis Browne and Ben Rothwell before reinventing himself in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Overeem’s knockout of teammate Andrei Arlovski at UFC Fight Night 87 marked his fourth straight win, and the Dutchman seems poised for championship success.
In 2011, Overeem beat Fabricio Werdum to advance to the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Semi Finals, but ‘Vai Cavalo’ now regins as the UFC heavyweight champ. The two also fought under the PRIDE FC banner in 2006, which saw Werdum snatch a submission in the second round.
Overeem is out for vengance, and the 35-year-old believes the stars are aligned for a rematch in the near-future.
Werdum will defend his title for the first time against Stipe Miocic at UFC 198, after the Brazilian dethroned Cain Velasquez in 2015. ‘The Demolition Man’ foresees victory for Werdum, which he believes will set up the inevtiable rematch later this year.
“I think I’ll get the winner [of Werdum vs. Miocic],” Overeem said on The MMA Hour, per Hunter A. Homistek of MMA Fighting. “When you look at the cards, when you look at the numbers, I have the best numbers to challenge for the title, so of course, you don’t want to be premature.
“I do think, if you ask who I think is going to win, I give it 60/40 to Werdum because I fought him twice, and he’s just a very clever, slick fighter,” Overeem said. “It’s easy to underestimate him because he’ s physically not that strong and athletic, but he’s sneaky. He’s [always got] an ace up his sleeve, you know? So I expect him to come out with some sort of a surprise.
“When you look at Stipe, Stipe’s pretty straightforward with what he does. He’s good at what he does. He’s aggressive, his cardio is good, he’s strong, but I think Werdum is going to out-smart him.”
UFC 198, which will host the championship tilt between Werdum and Miocic in the main event, takes place later tonight, May 14, at Arena da Baixada in Curitiba, Brazil.
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