Alistair Overeem has had great success in the last four years yet he continues to be criticized by many people in the MMA universe. Overeem has not fought the same competition that the UFC has to offer, but he has done things in the years since he left Pride Fighting Championships that make him stand as an elite heavyweight in mixed martial arts.
If he beats Fabricio Werdum next month there will be a long of people saying that they knew he was capable of this and that they knew he could do it. But right now in May 2011 his detractors are large in numbers and they are quite outspoken.
I will present three reasons why Alistair Overeem is an elite heavyweight and why he deserves to be in the top ten in the world.