All has been quiet on the Alistair Overeem front as of late. Perhaps that’s a good thing, though.
The former Strikeforce heavyweight champion has been mostly quiet since the Nevada State Athletic Commission dropped the smallest possible banhammer on him, suspending him until December before begging him to consider fighting in their lovely and humble state once again.
Overeem broke his silence on Twitter yesterday with this doozy:
I’ll be fighting again in December and mark my words, I’ll be back.. to get the belt, sooner rather later.
— Alistair Overeem (@Alistairovereem) June 18, 2012
Overeem’s suspension ends on December 27th. If UFC tradition sticks around for more one year, we’ll see a possible year-end Las Vegas card on December 29th. If that’s the case, Overeem would be eligible to apply for a license and would be available to appear on the card.
Overeem also noted that he’s coming back to get the belt. The timing works out almost perfectly for Overeem to face the winner of the fall bout between Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez.
But should Alistair be allowed to come back from a suspension for elevated testosterone and jump immediately back into the title picture? Part of me says no, but it’s just a small part. The rest of me wants to see Overeem face Dos Santos or Velasquez.
The truth is, Overeem’s earned a title shot just much as, if not more than, anyone else in the heavyweight division. If he’d failed his drug test for the Brock Lesnar fight—where he secured his title shot in the first place—then I’d kick him to the sidelines and make him win another fight.
But Overeem beat Lesnar, fair and square. Whatever happened in the months between that fight and his test failure should have no bearing on his standing as the top heavyweight contender.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com