Alistair Overeem (47-19, 1 NC) is returning to his kickboxing routes. The former heavyweight champion was released by the UFC earlier this year after he suffered a TKO loss to Alexander Volkov.
That loss snapped a two-fight winning streak that had Overeem in UFC title contention. Overeem is 41 years old and was trying to make one final run at the UFC heavyweight title before he retired.
However, after Alexander Volkov defeated him in February, it was clear that a UFC title run was likely not in the cards. Overeem met with the promotion and they agreed to part ways and Overeem began shopping new homes.
Bellator openly said that they were interested in bringing in the former heavyweight champion. However, after weighing all his options, Overeem has decided to move on from MMA and return to kickboxing. ESPN’s Ariel Helwani was the first to report today that Overeem had signed a multi-fight deal with Glory Kickboxing.
Overeem to Glory Kickboxing
Overeem signed his deal and is expected to make his Glory Kickboxing debut later this year although a date has not yet been finalized. Whenever he does step into the ring, it will be his first kickboxing matchup since December of 2010.
Overeem captured the K-1 heavyweight kickboxing title that night when he stopped Peter Aerts in the first round. That was Overeem’s third win of the night which also included wins over Tyrone Spong and Gokhan Saki.
After he won the K-1 heavyweight title, Overeem shifted back to MMA when he signed with the UFC. That is where Overeem has been for the last ten years, and despite never winning the title, it’s been a great run for The Demolition Man.
It’s going to be interesting to see what Overeem has when he returns to kickboxing full time. It’s been obvious that we haven’t seen the Overeem of old in terms of his striking for a long time. Maybe shifting to just kickboxing will get him back in the groove. Either way, it should be fun to watch.