How do you solve a problem like The Reem? Ah, that is the question.
Alistair Overeem is 1-2 in the UFC, with two upset knockout losses in a row. The first came to Antonio Silva at UFC 156, the second just last Saturday night to Travis Browne at UFC Fight Night 26 in Boston. Very few would have thought it possible when he rode a wave of combat dominance, narrative tension and cold, hard cash into the Octagon for the first time.
But times have changed. True, Overeem has looked dominant in his efforts. Also true that the dominance is flawed, because it only lasts until the very moment when he gasses, gets cocky and/or the opponent finds his chin. We can just call it “The Moment When He Gets Knocked Out” and call it even.
So there’s a little bit of an asterisk there for the dominance, and it has him tumbling out of UFC contender status, and quite possibly into a gatekeeper or novelty role. But he’s still a big name, a star in the sport, a proven combat champion and a physical and physically charismatic specimen.
He’s also 33 years old, with multiple injuries on record, PEDs on his rap sheet, 64 total fights under his belt and, perhaps most importantly, one humdinger of a reportedly lucrative contract.
Never fear. This where I swoop in. Here are 10 solutions for the UFC to re-rail The Reem. Some of them are general, some are specific, some involve fight matchups, some involve other things. They are ranked in order of what I personally think the UFC should do.
And before you even ask, each and every one of these solutions is completely, deadly serious and certifiably feasible. So if you feel the need to comment, please proceed accordingly.