This week has not been kind to former Strikeforce heavyweight champ Alistair Overeem. Not only did he lose his UFC Fight Night 50 co-main event bout against Ben Rothwell, but it seems like everyone is jumping at the chance to kick the man while he’s down.
The latest to join in the discussion is Overeem’s UFC 156 opponent, Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva. The Brazilian spoke to Combate (translated by The Underground and MMA Mania) about Overeem and had some less than flattering words.
I was flying to Brazil and at the airport and I had the opportunity to sit and watch the Overeem fight. He is a comedy, a cartoon. You have to feel sorry for a guy like that. … You don’t win the fight talking. We get better through training, through going out there and doing your best. Unfortunately it’s the opposite with Overeem—he really likes to talk.
Overeem is just 2-3 during his UFC tenure. He also failed a drug test prior to UFC 146 that caused him to miss out on his only opportunity to fight for a UFC title.
But each one of us lives his own life. He is reaping what he sowed. Who plants the good reaps good. He’s a despicable person and does not deserve much attention from people…He’s a guy who just leaves enmity wherever he goes. It’s sad to see a person like him, because we never wish harm on a person, never want to see a person in this situation.
Silva also jokingly took credit for breaking The Reem after their UFC 156 encounter.
“It may be that I gave him issues with his chin,” said Silva. “But I’m sure he was psychologically shaken. When he sees a big guy, he must get scared, close his eyes, and remember something.”
The Brazilian was on the receiving end of a calculated beating in their UFC 156 fight before deciding to wake up his inner beast in the third round. What followed was one of the top comebacks in recent history and one of 2013’s most memorable moments, as Silva knocked out Overeem with a thunderous flurry of strikes.
Following his loss to Rothwell, Anthony “Rumble” Johnson took the opportunity to add to the reasons why he’s not a fan of Overeem. Rothwell also didn’t appreciate Overeem’s kicks directly to his knee in their fight, calling him a dirty fighter.
It’s not surprising that Silva wouldn’t have anything good to say about Overeem considering their rivalry. Prior to the fight, the two had an encounter during the UFC 156 faceoffs. Following the KO loss, Silva taunted his fallen foe along with posting an interesting picture, mocking Overeem.
To his credit, Overeem is remaining positive about his recent loss to Rothwell. Criticism is nothing new to Overeem, as he’s been one of the most polarizing fighters throughout his MMA career.
He transformed himself from a small light heavyweight to a hulking heavyweight fighter throughout his career and dominated competition outside of the UFC. He also achieved one of kickboxing’s greatest titles, a K-1 Grand Prix in 2010.
He also has a pretty good running documentary program called The Reem. No matter your feelings on the man, the series provides an excellent in-depth look behind the scenes of his career.
The words being slung his way by former training partners isn’t likely to affect Overeem moving forward. He’s called them “pathetic” recently and seems focused on not making the same mistakes while training at Greg Jackson’s camp.
But as the negative comments roll in, it’s clear that it’s going to take a miracle for some people to change their mind on how they view Overeem.
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