In 2010, Alistair Overeem reached the pinnacle of his kickboxing career when he earned the the K-1 World Grand Prix title. “The Demolition Man” was part of the legendary 16-man lineup where, in one night, Overeem defeated the likes of Tyrone Spong, Gokhan Saki and the prolific Peter Aerts all in an effort to claim the most prestigious title as a striker.
He has since parlayed his success to the MMA stage, having claimed belts in both the DREAM and Strikeforce organizations. Overeem has since signed with the UFC as a top contender in his class and will face former world champion Brock Lesnar this December.
The Dutchman has a lot to look forward to in his career, but is forced to relive the past. The aforementioned K-1 organization has yet to pay Overeem for his efforts during last year’s tournament run.
Alistair has always remained loyal and respectful of the financial woes that have plagued the organization for some time, but nine months is nine months too long.
“They didn’t pay me…It’s a lot of money, I can tell you that,” Alistair said as a guest on The MMA Hour.
“We’re on the verge of starting up legal action, but Japan is a hard environment to move. You have the language barrier, you have the culture barrier. Are we expecting something from it? It’s hard to say. I actually think it’s going to be really hard. FEG (K-1’s parent company) has a lot of outstanding liabilities, a lot of unpaid bills, so maybe mine is just going to be put underneath the stack of the other bills. They have a lot of debt.”
Overeem will not return to the kickboxing circuit anytime soon, as his exclusive contract with the UFC would indicate, but as a man who reached the upper echelon of the sport, some compensation for his actions are in order.
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