It appears that contract talks between the Ultimate Fighting Championship and former Strikeforce heavyweight champ Alistair ‘Demolition Man’ Overeem (35-11, 1NC) are very close to reaching an agreement, which could see the Dutch fighter in the Octagon as early as late fall.
UFC President Dana White recently confirmed that he was in talks with the Golden Glory fighter, and now news of Overeem’s possible debut has surfaced through UFC fighter Shane Carwin.
Carwin posted a recent notice on the popular Underground Forum board, saying that he talked with Overeem at a recent convention who said he’d likely debut with the UFC “before 2012.”
I had a chance to speak with him at the Magic Convention in Las Vegas (no we were not the big and tall models) and he said that he and Dana were close to a deal and he would likely be in the UFC before 2012. I think he would make a great addition to the roster.
When I decided that I was going to try for the UFC the HWT division was not nearly as stacked as it is today. The up and coming guys have tons of talent and heart and the top of the division is full of super talented guys. I am excited about all of the potential fights. I have gone to war with many of these guys in my mind and I can’t wait for an opportunity to hit and be ht by them.
With the likelihood that Overeem will be coming to the UFC in the near future, other fighters have begun to talk about matching themselves up against the K-1 champ.
Frank Mir recently spoke to MiddleEasy.com about his thoughts on Overeem possibly coming to the UFC as well as the possibility of fighting Brock Lesnar for a third time.
“If [a third Lesnar fight] works out, it works out. I just want to fight again, it doesn’t matter who. [Fighting] Alistair Overeem would be pretty cool if he actually came over. I think he’s a great fighter, I think he’s done a lot in this sport, his K-1 accomplishments, I think he’s an immediate threat. I’d like to test myself against him.”
(transcribed by MMAMania.com)
Fans will have to wait to see when, and if, the ‘Demolition Man’ signs with the UFC and who they will match him up against for his debut bout.