Alistair Overeem still has a couple more fights in him despite his recent comments.
In a recent talk show appearance, Overeem discussed his revamped vegan diet and the reason for his dramatic weight loss. Amid his food preferences chatter, the former Strikeforce Heavyweight champion very quietly slipped in that he was done competing as a professional fighter.
Dutch combat sports outlet, Main Event NL (h/t Beyond Kickboxing), has since followed up on the news with Overeem’s management. According to them, Overeem is admittedly close to retirement but intends on fighting once or twice more.
Overeem, 43, last fought when making his return to the kickboxing ring for an Oct. 2022 Badr Hari trilogy bout. Overeem won the bout via a unanimous decision (watch highlights), putting him up 2-1 against Hari. Unfortunately for the Dutch legend, Overeem’s win was overturned to a no-contest after he tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). It was his first kickboxing match since winning the 2010 K-1 World Grand Prix against Peter Aerts.
What sport and where Overeem looks to finish his career is unknown as mixed martial arts (MMA) has seemingly been put in the rear-view mirror. Overeem last fought in MMA when closing out his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) run, losing a second round technical knockout to Alexander Volkov in Feb. 2021.
Overeem (47-19-1 in MMA, 10-4, 1 no contest in KB) was recently seen in Japan, attending RIZIN 43 in Sapporo, Hokkaido on June 24, 2023. A former member of the PRIDE Fighting Championship roster in the mid-2000s, longtime fight fans surely wouldn’t be opposed to seeing Overeem reunite with Nobuyuki Sakakibara to close out an epic career.