Rarely is the addition of a top-10 heavyweight into a gym’s ranks ever a cause for concern. But when it comes to Alistair Overeem, things are never that simple.
A perennial lightning rod for controversy, Overeem is expected to join Albuquerque’s famed Jackson-Winkeljohn gym for his next fight camp. Greg Jackson’s motley squad includes a host of notable UFC names such as Travis Browne and light heavyweight champ Jon Jones, which would provide an intruding cast of training partners to aid Overeem in his ascent back up the heavyweight rankings.
Overeem’s decision, though, comes on the heels of a mass backlash led against the Dutchman by his former training partners in Boca Raton, as several members of the Blackzilian camp have expressed their pleasure at Overeem’s departure, while Gilbert Burns alleged that Overeem injured the knee of fellow UFC heavyweight Guto Inocente during a particularly nasty sparring session.
Jackson’s top heavyweight, however, isn’t concerned.
“I think everybody is due a chance,” Browne said on The MMA Hour. “Just because he wasn’t the best teammate there doesn’t mean he can’t be a good teammate here.
“When he comes to Jackson’s, the stuff that all his other teammates were saying that he did is not going to fly at Jackson’s. He will not have an opportunity to even let it get that far. Like, if he says, ‘oh hey, Coach, I’m going to bring in my own guys and work out at night,’ Coach Jackson would be like, ‘you can either train with the team or you can leave.'”
Browne, who actually fought and defeated Overeem via first-round TKO in August 2013, added that a culture of pandering to Overeem’s many requests while he was with the Blackzilians likely led to the situation in Florida reaching its acrimonious conclusion — a culture which will not be tolerated for one second in Albuquerque.
“I feel like a lot of people, because he’s Alistair Overeem, have catered to him,” Browne said. “I feel like the Blackzilians probably catered to him so he got used to it and he felt like he was going to be able to throw his weight around a little bit.
“At Jackson’s, that’s not going to fly. You’re either part of the team or you’re not. If you’re not part of the team, get the hell out of here. We don’t need you here. We didn’t ask you to come here. You asked to come here, you see something here that you need. So you’re either part of the team, or leave.”