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Alistair Overeem is not willing to retire without a UFC belt around his waist.
MMA veteran Alistair Overeem is one of the most decorated fighters in combat sports history, having won world titles in Strikeforce, DREAM and K-1. The UFC heavyweight title has always eluded him, however, and ‘The Reem’ says his career would not be complete without having UFC gold in his possession.
Speaking to MMA Junkie ahead of what will be his 91st professional fight at UFC on ESPN 7, ‘The Demolition Man’ said he plans to capture the UFC heavyweight title and then retire within the next two years, etching his name into the history books as one of the most accomplished heavyweights of all time.
“You have to be realistic,” Overeem said at the UFC on ESPN 7 open workouts. “For me, two years (left fighting). Maybe a little bit more, maybe less. Probably a little bit more. But then it’s going to be enough. But I do believe you have to stop on time. It is a dangerous profession. We’ve been fighting for 23 years. Twenty-three years ago was the first fight, so with that also we need to be clever.”
“My career would not be complete without UFC gold. I just need to win my fights. If you win Saturday, I’ll probably have to do one more win then we can make noise for a title shot.”
Overeem is currently ranked #6 in the UFC heavyweight division and riding a two-fight win streak, beating both Sergei Pavlovich and Alexey Oleynik via first-round TKO. A win over Jairzinho Rozenstruik on Saturday could very well catapult the Dutchman into title contention. UFC on ESPN will take place on Dec. 7 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.