Alistair Overeem facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Alistair Overeem |
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Overeem in 2010
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| Born | Alistair Cees Overeem 17 May 1980 Hounslow, London, England |
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| Other names | The Demolition Man | |||||||||||||
| Nationality | Dutch | |||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) | |||||||||||||
| Weight | 256 lb (116 kg) | |||||||||||||
| Division |
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| Reach | 80 in (203 cm) | |||||||||||||
| Style | Kickboxing, Submission wrestling | |||||||||||||
| Stance | Orthodox | |||||||||||||
| Fighting out of | Amsterdam, Netherlands | |||||||||||||
| Team |
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| Teacher(s) | Chris Dolman, Lucien Carbin | |||||||||||||
| Trainer |
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| Rank | Blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Joaquim Valente, Gui Valente and Pedro Valente | |||||||||||||
| Years active | 1999–2022 | |||||||||||||
| Kickboxing record | ||||||||||||||
| Total | 15 | |||||||||||||
| Wins | 10 | |||||||||||||
| By knockout | 7 | |||||||||||||
| Losses | 4 | |||||||||||||
| By knockout | 3 | |||||||||||||
| No contests | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Mixed martial arts record | ||||||||||||||
| Total | 67 | |||||||||||||
| Wins | 47 | |||||||||||||
| By knockout | 25 | |||||||||||||
| By submission | 17 | |||||||||||||
| By decision | 5 | |||||||||||||
| Losses | 19 | |||||||||||||
| By knockout | 15 | |||||||||||||
| By submission | 1 | |||||||||||||
| By decision | 3 | |||||||||||||
| No contests | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Other information | ||||||||||||||
| Notable relatives | Valentijn (brother) | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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last updated on: 9 October 2022
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Alistair Cees Overeem (born 17 May 1980) is a Dutch former professional mixed martial artist and kickboxer. He was a champion in several major fighting organizations. These include the Strikeforce Heavyweight Championship, the Dream Heavyweight Championship, and the K-1 World Grand Prix Championship. He was the first fighter to hold world titles in both MMA and K-1 kickboxing at the same time. Overeem also competed for the UFC Heavyweight Championship.
Contents
Biography
Alistair Overeem was born in Hounslow, London, England. When he was six years old, his parents divorced. He then moved with his mother and older brother to the Netherlands. He grew up in the city of Amersfoort.
As a child, Overeem began training martial arts. He trained with his older brother Valentijn. This helped him learn to defend himself. He decided to become a competitive athlete. He first tried judo, then track and field and basketball. At 15, he joined Chris Dolman's Martial Arts gym. He wanted to become a professional fighter. At first, Alistair did not enjoy the sport. He was often beaten by more experienced students. But he changed his mind after meeting Bas Rutten and Joop Kasteel. After that, he focused completely on his training.
Mixed Martial Arts Career
Overeem had his first professional MMA fight at 19 years old. He won by submission against Ricardo Fyeet. This fight took place on 24 October 1999. It was at It's Showtime, the first event of that promotion.
Early Fights
After building a strong record, Overeem joined the Pride Fighting Championships. His debut there was on 20 July 2002. He defeated Yusuke Imamura by TKO in just 44 seconds.
Pride FC Challenges
Overeem won two more fights in Pride. He then entered the 2003 Pride Middleweight Grand Prix. He lost to future UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck Liddell. This was in the quarterfinal match. Overeem quickly bounced back. He defeated Tomohiko Hashimoto in 36 seconds. On 31 October 2004, Overeem fought Hiromitsu Kanehara. He won by TKO in the second round. Overeem then lost his next fight to Antônio Rogério Nogueira.
In 2005, Overeem entered the Pride Middleweight Grand Prix again. He defeated UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Vitor Belfort. This was in the first round by submission. Overeem then fought Igor Vovchanchyn in the quarterfinals. He won via submission in under two minutes. Overeem lost in the semifinals to the eventual champion Maurício Rua.
In February 2006, Overeem fought Sergei Kharitonov. Overeem won, causing Kharitonov's shoulder to dislocate. This win earned Overeem a spot in the Pride 2006 Openweight Grand Prix. He fought Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist Fabrício Werdum. Overeem lost this fight via kimura in the second round.
Strikeforce Debut
On 9 June 2006, Overeem went to San Jose, California. He won a rematch against Vitor Belfort by decision. This fight was at Strikeforce: Revenge.
Return to Pride and Other Fights
A month later, Overeem returned to Pride. He had a highly anticipated rematch with Antônio Rogério Nogueira. Overeem controlled the first round and a half with his striking. However, he was then stunned by a punch. His corner stopped the fight to prevent further injury.
At Pride Final Conflict Absolute, Overeem lost to Ricardo Arona. He suffered a leg injury that caused him to lose feeling in his foot. He could not defend himself well and tapped out.
He then lost by KO to Maurício Rua at Pride 33. But he returned in June 2007. He won by submission against Michael Knaap. This was at the K-1 GP 2007 in Amsterdam. On 17 September 2007, Alistair faced Sergei Kharitonov again. Overeem lost by KO in the first round.
Strikeforce, DREAM, and Dynamite
On 16 November 2007, Overeem defeated Paul Buentello. He won the vacant Strikeforce Heavyweight Championship. He won by submission due to knee strikes.
On 15 June 2008, Overeem won by KO against Lee Tae-Hyun at DREAM 4. On 21 July 2008, Overeem defeated K-1 World Grand Prix Champion Mark Hunt. He won in the first round by submission at Dream 5.
His next fight was against Mirko Cro Cop at Dream 6. The fight was stopped and declared a no-contest. This happened after Overeem landed multiple knees to Cro Cop's groin.
Overeem was supposed to defend his title against Brett Rogers. However, he had to pull out due to a hand injury. This injury happened after an incident in a nightclub.
Alistair defeated Tony Sylvester with a standing guillotine choke. He used the same move to submit James Thompson at Dream 12.
Overeem then faced Kazuyuki Fujita at Dynamite!! 2009. Overeem quickly won by knockout with a knee to the head.
Overeem next faced Brett Rogers on 15 May 2010. This was to defend his Strikeforce Heavyweight Championship. He won the fight by TKO in the first round. Overeem trained in Pattaya, Thailand, to improve his Muay Thai skills.
Overeem faced Todd Duffee on 31 December 2010. He defeated Duffee by knockout in 19 seconds. This win made him the interim DREAM Heavyweight Champion.
Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix
In early 2011, Overeem was chosen for the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix. This tournament included eight top fighters.
A rematch with Fabrício Werdum happened on 18 June 2011. This was part of the tournament. Overeem defeated Werdum by unanimous decision.
Leaving Strikeforce
On 17 July 2011, it was announced that Overeem was removed from the Grand Prix. Overeem stated that the September date was too soon for him to return. He said he needed time to rest after his fight with Fabrício Werdum. He was replaced by Daniel Cormier. On 29 July, Overeem was released from Strikeforce. This was due to a disagreement about fighter payments. Other fighters from his team, Golden Glory, were also released. Later, the team changed its policy. This allowed Alistair Overeem to sign with the UFC.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (2011–2021)
On 6 September 2011, Overeem signed with the UFC. His first fight was against former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar. This fight took place on 30 December 2011 at UFC 141.
Before the fight, there was some controversy. Overeem had a problem with a drug test. He was still given permission to fight.
On 30 December 2011, Overeem made his UFC debut. He fought Brock Lesnar in the main event. Overeem hurt Lesnar with knees to the body. He then finished the fight with a kick to the liver and punches. This happened at 2:26 of the first round. This victory earned him a chance to fight for the heavyweight title.
Drug Test Issue
Overeem was scheduled to fight UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior dos Santos. This was planned for 26 May 2012. However, on 4 April 2012, Overeem failed a pre-fight drug test. He was found to have a higher than allowed level of a certain substance. UFC President Dana White confirmed that Overeem was removed from the fight. He was replaced by Frank Mir.
Overeem stated that the positive test was due to a doctor-prescribed medication. This medication was mixed with testosterone. His request for more time to explain was denied. He was suspended from fighting for nine months. He was allowed to apply to fight again in December 2012.
Return to Fighting
Overeem returned to face Antônio Silva on 2 February 2013. This was at UFC 156. Overeem was very confident before the fight. He won the first two rounds. But he lost to Silva by KO in the third round.
Overeem was expected to fight Junior dos Santos again. But he pulled out due to an injury. Mark Hunt replaced him.
For his third UFC fight, Overeem faced Travis Browne. This was on 17 August 2013. Overeem started strong, attacking Browne with knees and punches. But Browne recovered and defeated Overeem by TKO.
Overeem then faced Frank Mir on 1 February 2014. He defeated Mir by unanimous decision. After the fight, he mentioned wanting to fight Brock Lesnar again.
Overeem had elbow surgery and took time off. He returned on 5 September 2014. He faced Ben Rothwell and lost by TKO in the first round.
Overeem faced Stefan Struve on 13 December 2014. He won the fight by KO in the first round.
He then faced Roy Nelson on 14 March 2015. He won this fight by unanimous decision.
A fight with Junior dos Santos was rescheduled for 19 December 2015. Overeem won the fight by TKO in the second round.
On 15 February 2016, Overeem signed a new contract with the UFC.
Overeem faced Andrei Arlovski on 8 May 2016. He won the fight by TKO in the second round. This earned him his first Performance of the Night bonus.
Overeem fought Stipe Miocic for the UFC Heavyweight Championship. This was on 10 September 2016 at UFC 203. Overeem lost the fight by knockout in the first round. Both fighters received Fight of the Night honors.
Overeem faced Mark Hunt in a rematch on 4 March 2017. He won the fight by knockout in the third round.
A third fight with Fabrício Werdum took place on 8 July 2017. Overeem won the fight by majority decision.
Overeem faced Francis Ngannou on 2 December 2017. He lost the fight by knockout in the first round.
Overeem faced Curtis Blaydes on 9 June 2018. He lost the fight by TKO in the third round.
Overeem faced Sergei Pavlovich on 24 November 2018. He won the fight by TKO in the first round.
Overeem was set to face Alexander Volkov. But Volkov withdrew, and Alexey Oleynik replaced him. Overeem won the fight by technical knockout in the first round.
Overeem was expected to face Walt Harris. But Harris pulled out due to a family emergency. Jairzinho Rozenstruik replaced him. Overeem lost the fight by knockout in the last seconds of the fifth round.
The fight with Walt Harris was rescheduled for 16 May 2020. Overeem was almost finished early in the first round. But he came back to dominate the fight. He finished Harris with a head kick and punches in the second round.
Overeem faced Augusto Sakai on 5 September 2020. He won the fight by technical knockout in the fifth round.
Overeem faced Alexander Volkov on 6 February 2021. He lost the fight by technical knockout in the second round.
On 3 March 2021, it was announced that Overeem had been released from his UFC contract.
Kickboxing Career
Overeem had his first professional kickboxing fight at 17. He won that fight on 15 November 1997. He then fought Paul Hordijk and won by decision. Overeem later competed in K-1. He had two K-1 fights against Errol Parris and Glaube Feitosa. Overeem was knocked out in both matches. He then focused on MMA for several years.
On 31 December 2008, Overeem faced Badr Hari, a top K-1 fighter. He defeated Hari by knockout in the first round.
K-1 Success
On 28 March 2009, he faced Remy Bonjasky, the K-1 Champion. Overeem did well in the first two rounds. But he was knocked down in the third. Bonjasky won by unanimous decision.
On 26 September, Overeem surprised the kickboxing world. He defeated the legendary three-time champion Peter Aerts. He won by unanimous decision.
At the K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 Final, Overeem knocked out Ewerton Teixeira. This was with a knee strike in the first round. But he lost to Badr Hari in the semifinals.
At the K-1 World Grand Prix 2010, Overeem defeated Dzevad Poturak by KO. He also defeated Ben Edwards by TKO. These wins qualified him for the 2010 K-1 World Grand Prix.
On 11 December, Overeem won the K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 Final. He beat Tyrone Spong by decision in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, he defeated Gokhan Saki. This was by TKO after breaking Saki's arm. In the finals, he fought Peter Aerts again. Overeem won quickly, finishing Aerts in the first round.
Glory Kickboxing
In June 2021, news came out that Overeem had signed with Glory. This was over ten years after his last kickboxing matches.
Overeem was scheduled to challenge the Glory Heavyweight champion Rico Verhoeven. This fight was set for 23 October 2021. But on 6 October 2021, Overeem had to withdraw due to an injury.
Overeem faced Badr Hari on 8 October 2022 at Glory: Collision 4. He won the fight by unanimous decision. However, on 21 November 2022, it was found that Overeem had tested positive for a banned substance. The fight result was changed to a No-Contest.
Fighting Style
Overeem is known as a very skilled heavyweight fighter. He is especially good at striking. He is a kickboxer trained in the Dutch style of Muay Thai. He has won many K-1 world tournaments. Overeem likes to use kicks to the body and legs. He also uses knee strikes from the clinch. These moves are very powerful. His famous finishing move used to be a left knee to the middle of the body. Later in his career, he often used a left body kick. He is also good with left overhands and hooks.
In grappling, Overeem is known for his guillotine choke. This is a simple move that he uses very well because of his strength and height. He was called "the best grappler in Europe" after winning all his matches in the ADCC 2005 tryouts using this move.
Championships and Accomplishments
Kickboxing
- K-1
- K-1 2009 World Grand Prix (Third place)
- K-1 2010 World Grand Prix (Champion)
Mixed Martial Arts
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Heavyweight Title Challenger
- Performance of the Night (One time) vs. Andrei Arlovski
- Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Stipe Miocic
- Tied (Cain Velasquez & Andrei Arlovski) for third most knockdowns landed in UFC Heavyweight division history (10)
- Most knockout losses in Zuffa, LLC (UFC, Pride, WEC, Strikeforce) history (13)
- UFC.com Awards
- 2011: Ranked #10 Import of the Year (Tied with Danny Castillo)
- Strikeforce
- Strikeforce Heavyweight Championship (One time; First; Last; Only)
- One successful title defence
- PRIDE Fighting Championships
- 2005 PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix Semifinalist
- DREAM
- DREAM Heavyweight Championship (One time; First; Last; Only)
- 2 Hot 2 Handle
- 2H2H Light heavyweight Championship (One time)
- 2H2H Light heavyweight Tournament Winner
- World MMA Awards
- 2010 International Fighter of the Year
- 2011 International Fighter of the Year
- Sherdog
- 2010 All-Violence Second Team
- 2015 All-Violence Third Team
- MMADNA.nl
- 2018 Dutch Fighter of the Year.
Submission Grappling
- ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship
- 2005 ADCC European Trials -98.9 kg Winner
Records
- Only fighter to simultaneously hold three championship belts (Strikeforce, K-1 and Dream)
- One of only two fighters to win a world championship in MMA and K-1
Images for kids
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Alistair Overeem in 2010
See also
In Spanish: Alistair Overeem para niños
