Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) division No. 1 contender, Alistair Overeem, will likely have to wait for another crack at the division crown, currently held by Stipe Miocic, after getting stopped in his title bid at UFC 203 last fall.
So until Miocic loses a fight, or Overeem (43-15, 1 NC) wins so many bouts the promotion is forced to reward him with a rematch, “Demolition Man” is willing to take on any and all comers, including No. 5-ranked Francis Ngannou.
But it will have to wait until December, as Overeem just became a father for the third time.
“Francis is a very strong guy and he’s doing really good,” Overeem said at the UFC Rotterdam Fan Q&A (via MMA Weekly). “If the UFC calls me and say let’s do this, then I’ll certainly say yes. I think he’s bigger than me. He’s a challenge and I just see it as a motivation; somebody trying to take something away from me.”
Bigger than Overeem? He’s certainly bigger than this guy.
The former Strikeforce heavyweight champion is 6-1 over the past three years, coming off back-to-back wins over Mark Hunt and Fabricio Werdum. Ngannou, meanwhile, lost his chance to compete at UFC 215 when Junior dos Santos was popped by United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).
“The Predator” is 5-0 in UFC with five finishes … but is that enough to overcome the experience of “The Reem?”