UFC heavyweight standout Alistair Overeem is looking to join Greg Jackson’s lauded gym, Team Jackson-Winkeljohn MMA, in Albuquerque, N.M., according to a report by MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani on Wednesday’s edition of UFC Tonight.
Overeem recently split from his former team, the Florida-based Blackzilians, and now mixed martial arts fans and critics have a lead as to where the ferocious striker will set up shop for future fight camps.
Head coach Greg Jackson confirmed the news, according a report from MMAFighting’s Shaun Al-Shatti.
Throughout his coaching career, Jackson has been associated with UFC champions like Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones and Frank Mir, and his current stable of fighters contains a “who’s who” of combatants from various weight classes.
Currently ranked No. 6 in the UFC’s official rankings, Overeem is just 2-2 since joining the UFC in December 2011, but he is coming off of a big win over Frank Mir at UFC 169.
In that fight, Overeem controlled the pace and bested Mir everywhere the fight went, winning a clear-cut unanimous decision for his efforts.
While some, including UFC president Dana White, thought Overeem underperformed in that bout, others, including myself, were seriously impressed with his composure and relaxed demeanor.
Overeem has shown his finishing power throughout his 15-year MMA career, but many questioned his cardio and ability to fight a long, hard-fought bout to the scorecards. Against Mir, Overeem showed that he could fight 15 hard minutes, and he won the decision with ease.
Making Overeem’s dominance even clearer, Mir landed only three significant strikes, or one per round, on average, during the fight.
If he does decide to join Team Jackson-Winkeljohn, one can expect an even more tactical and prepared version of “The Reem,” a scary thought for UFC heavyweights moving forward.
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