Alistair Overeem faces an uncertain future with the UFC after he dropped his second straight fight on Saturday night after being finished by Travis Browne at UFC Fight Night 26.
It also marked the second straight knockout loss for the former K-1 Grand Prix champion.
When Overeem signed with the UFC after exiting Strikeforce in 2011, he was immediately tossed into title discussion and was offered a shot at the gold on day one, but he passed so he wouldn’t have to sit out and wait for the fight.
In the interim, Overeem blasted through former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar in the fight that would end his career, and once again the Dutch striking legend was on top of the world.
That moment still stands as the lone highlight on Overeem’s UFC resume, however, because the 20 months since that time have been anything but a dream come true.
Just weeks away from his shot at the UFC heavyweight title in March 2012, Overeem tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone at a pre-fight drug screening. Not only was he removed from the championship main event, but he was effectively suspended for nine months by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for the infraction.
When he returned in 2013, Overeem was then knocked out by fellow former Strikeforce heavyweight Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva in one of the biggest upsets in the division. Then on Saturday night after looking like he was seconds away from victory, it all came crashing down on Overeem as Browne planted his foot firmly on his chin late into the first round.
Overeem crashed to the mat, and with just a couple of more punches Brown stood victorious—and the former Strikeforce and K-1 champion was getting up off the mat feeling the sting of another knockout defeat.
Following the fight, UFC president Dana White was asked about Overeem’s future with the promotion after he was brought in amidst so much hype, but thus far has failed to live up to expectation outside of his lone win over Lesnar.
“You guys especially all believed that he was the best at one time. He had a big following, and we bring a guy like that in and you see what happens,” White said about Overeem following the conclusion of the UFC Fight Night 26 post-fight press conference. “We bring in the best guys in the world, guys who are supposedly the best guys in the world and we find out, that’s what we do.”
White rarely ever makes decisions about a fighter’s future on the night of an event, good or bad.
At this point there’s no telling what White and the UFC will ultimately decide to do with Overeem, and when he was asked if the heavyweight fighter would return, White answered, “I have no idea, I don’t even think about that stuff tonight.”
Beyond his in-cage performances, Overeem is currently one of the highest-paid fighters on the UFC roster. For his debut bout against Lesnar, Overeem raked in over $385,000, while he made over $285,000 for his losing effort against Silva in 2013.
There are no salary figures reported for Saturday night’s show in Boston, but it’s likely Overeem was once again one of the most highly compensated fighters on the card.
With two losses in a row, both by knockout, and options dwindling in the heavyweight top 10, Overeem’s future may come down to cost versus reward—and right now he’s not living up to his end of the bargain.
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
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