Tag: Antonio Silva

Antonio Silva to Alistair Overeem: ‘This Is Not Kickboxing’

Antonio Silva clubbed his way into a major fight with Alistair Overeem. At UFC 156, we’ll see whether he can club his way out.In the meantime, Silva seems to believe his richer, more multidisciplinary training and competition background could make the …

Antonio Silva clubbed his way into a major fight with Alistair Overeem. At UFC 156, we’ll see whether he can club his way out.

In the meantime, Silva seems to believe his richer, more multidisciplinary training and competition background could make the difference against Overeem, who rose to fame as a kickboxer.

“He’s a tough guy and he’s got great striking. But this is not kickboxing,” Silva said Monday during a UFC media conference call covered by Bleacher Report. “This is not K-1. This is MMA.”

The two heavyweight sluggers face off near the top of the ultra-stacked UFC 156 main card, going down Feb. 2 from Las Vegas. 

Silva (17-4) will compete for the first time since picking up his first UFC win, an October TKO over the well-regarded Travis Browne (13-1-1). However, the win was dampened slightly by a leg injury Browne sustained early in the fight. The injury hampered Browne’s mobility and his ability to fight—Browne has since called for a rematch.

For the time being, though, Silva said he is focused on finally tangling with Overeem (36-11-1). The two were originally set to meet in the semifinals of the defunct Strikeforce promotion’s heavyweight grand prix after Silva and Overeem defeated Fedor Emelinenko and Fabricio Werdum in February and June, respectively, of 2011. However, Overeem, citing injury and a fast turnaround time between fights, withdrew from the tournament. Daniel Cormier replaced Overeem and won the tournament.

Silva may be interested in a return engagement of his own, with heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez, who welcomed Silva to the UFC with a bloody TKO in May. But Silva said Monday he’s not worrying about that one, either—at least for now.

“I don’t care about the title shot now,” Silva said. “My fight is with Overeem. I want to fight him. I waited for this fight for two years…After that, I will think about Cain Velasquez.”

Scott Harris is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report. All quotes obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

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Alistair Overeem Doesn’t See Any Problem Getting Past Antonio Silva at UFC 156

Throw the name Alistair Overeem out there, and you’ll receive quite an array of differing opinions regarding the former Strikeforce, Dream and K-1 Grand Prix champion. Overeem may have only one fight in the UFC—a first-round TKO win over fo…

Throw the name Alistair Overeem out there, and you’ll receive quite an array of differing opinions regarding the former Strikeforce, Dream and K-1 Grand Prix champion.

Overeem may have only one fight in the UFC—a first-round TKO win over former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar—but he has quickly turned into one of the most talked-about and divisive figures in the UFC. He’s also quickly turned into a fighter that is on the verge of receiving a heavyweight title bout against current UFC champion Cain Velasquez. That is, if he can get past the man he will face at UFC 156, Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva.

Overeem recently served out a nine-month suspension after a random drug test revealed a testosterone to epitestosterone level of 14-to-1, well above the acceptable level of 6-to-1.

The eyes of the mixed martial arts world will be on him to see how he performs after a long layoff, not to mention what results will come back following his post-fight drug screen. But to hear Overeem tell it, he enjoys the focus that is on him: “There’s always pressure, there’s always tension. I like that, that is my fuel, but every fight is the same, you just need to get the job done. Winning the next fight is the most important thing.”

When talking about that next fight, his first since sending Lesnar into retirement, Overeem seemed unconcerned, plainly stating, “There’s one more mountain to climb and that’s ‘Bigfoot,’ but to be honest I do not see any problem.  It’s going to be an exciting day, 12 nights from now.”

If Overeem does climb that mountain and earns the victory over Silva—and if his post-fight test comes back clean—he will most likely be booked to face Velasquez.

Clean drug test or not, Overeem is now a man who will always be under suspicion due to his past drug test failure. When he stood before the Nevada Athletic Commission to be licensed for UFC 156, it was revealed that he had undergone random testing from the commission and also submitted five voluntary tests of his own. The fact that he passed all the tests does help his cause and will remove some suspicion, but not all.

When asked if he were going to undergo more voluntary testing in the future, Overeem said, “I did the drug testing, which was negotiated with my management. If it’s necessary for me to do more testing I’ll do that, if not I probably won’t. It’s something I’ll have to take up with my management.”

Hopefully the UFC and Overeem’s management will strongly suggest Overeem continue those voluntary tests, as it will go a long way to help fans’ perceptions, and that will be especially important if he goes on to become the UFC heavyweight champion sometime in the future.

All quotes obtained firsthand by BR MMA.

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Junior Dos Santos: Why Facing the Loser of Silva/Overeem Makes the Most Sense

Junior dos Santos will be forced to battle back from the most damaging fight of his professional career. The beating that Cain Velasquez applied the former champion last night is the kind of beating that can leave a fighter impaired, potentially long t…

Junior dos Santos will be forced to battle back from the most damaging fight of his professional career. The beating that Cain Velasquez applied the former champion last night is the kind of beating that can leave a fighter impaired, potentially long term.

That said I don’t expect to see too many lingering affects the next time dos Santos enters the cage. He’s still a young man with sharp tools, and prior to UFC 155, he’d never actually taken much abuse as a professional. I think a gun shy, or “broken” version of JDS is a number of years and many, many battles distanced.

The man will be just fine. He may not feel terrific about his performance, and he may have taken a bludgeoning last night, but I’ve got a feeling his pride is aching far more than any part of his body today.

It’s profoundly important that JDS take no “warm up” fights. He made his UFC debut tussling with elite talent in Fabricio Werdum, and he’s done nothing but continue that trend having beaten Mirko Filipovic, Gabriel Gonzaga, Roy Nelson, Shane Carwin, Cain Velasquez and Frank Mir (to name a few) since. There’s no need to treat this man as a shattered commodity. He’s got to leap right back into the deep end of the pool, and start chewing through more sharks if he hopes to reach the mountain’s summit again in the next few years.

Now, knowing that I’m all for seeing JDS competing with extremely dangerous opposition immediately, it’s also important to keep him away from emerging number one contenders. If JDS returns, and eliminates the current number one in line, we’re left in a precarious situation, one which places JDS in line for a rematch with Velasquez that he’s likely not quite prepared for.

We’ve seen enough rapid-fire rematches as of late.

The UFC needs to enable Junior to regain full confidence, and they need to allow the former champion the opportunity to beat good opposition, not great. If he dives right back in and takes out the greats of the division, we’ll be staring at a rubber match with Cain far sooner than most would prefer.

Junior dos Santos will, more than likely earn the chance to meet Cain in the cage for a third time, but that doesn’t need to happen anytime soon. Let’s get the man back to his winning ways, beating the lower-tier of the top 10 rankings before fans find all legitimate challenges for Cain eliminated by his professional nemesis.

The loser of the upcoming UFC 156 heavyweight showcase that will see Alistair Overeem battle Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva sounds ideal to me. If Silva comes up short, JDS eyes a man he hasn’t beaten at this point, who’s fairly well-rounded with loads of experience. If Overeem happens to fall on February 2nd, we’ll see a grudge match of epic proportions, and one that will force JDS to compete at peak level.

A rematch with Fabricio Werdum is always an option down the line. But at this point, the best possible matchup for dos Santos is the loser of UFC 156’s featured heavyweight tilt. That fight keeps him in talks for top contention, but also leaves him resting on the outskirts of a title fight, with, hopefully, enough time to squeeze in the few more fights needed to regain his footing in the division.

 

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Overeem: Bigfoot Silva Is ‘Stupid’ for Leaving Blackzilians, Cain Will Beat JDS

Even though Alistair Overeem wants to fight Junior dos Santos as soon as possible, the international heavyweight star expects Cain Velasquez to spoil the party.As the Dutchman discussed in a recent interview with the Las Vegas Sun, he doesn’t expect th…

Even though Alistair Overeem wants to fight Junior dos Santos as soon as possible, the international heavyweight star expects Cain Velasquez to spoil the party.

As the Dutchman discussed in a recent interview with the Las Vegas Sun, he doesn’t expect that he’ll get to face “Cigano” for the UFC heavyweight title any time soon. In his mind, that’s due in part to JDS flip-flopping on the once-planned matchup, along with Velasquez’s superior wrestling:

“I want dos Santos to win so I can beat him, but I think Cain is going to take care of him for me, unfortunately.” Overeem said. “Junior is going to get taken down. He’s going to get ground-and-pounded.

“[Junior’s] been doing the zig-zag. He wants to fight me then he doesn’t, so then he fights Cain. I think he’s going to have his hands full with Cain. He’s going to lose.”

However, it takes two men to make a fight, and Overeem was already slated to challenge JDS for the UFC Heavyweight Champion on May 26, 2012 at UFC 146. Those plans were scrapped once Overeem turned a positive drug test for abnormally high levels of testosterone, leading to a nine-month suspension.

Despite being out of action for so long, Overeem has been doing steady media tours in preparation for his return at UFC 156 against Antonio Silva.

Notably, the Dutchman also joined the “Blackzilians” supercamp last February, which led to Silva’s recent departure from the highly publicized group. As Overeem opines, it was ultimately an unwise move by the Brazilian heavyweight:

I think it was the stupidest thing on his part. This is a really good team with a really strong manager backing it and a lot of good people. I just don’t think it was a clever thing to do. I don’t even know where he’s training now.

Regardless of the inner-camp drama, both men will cross paths again at UFC 156 as part of the main card in Las Vegas this coming February. Overeem heads into the bout on a 12-fight undefeated streak, dating all the way back to a November 2007 victory over Paul Buentello for the inaugural Strikeforce Heavyweight Championship.

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Alistair Overeem Not Licensed Despite Fight with Silva Being Promoted for Feb. 2

MONTREAL – If you think that the recent announcement that Alistair Overeem would be fighting Antonio “Big Foot” Silva at UFC 156 means that Overeem has been given an all clear on the suspension he is currently serving, you would be wrong. A…

MONTREAL – If you think that the recent announcement that Alistair Overeem would be fighting Antonio “Big Foot” Silva at UFC 156 means that Overeem has been given an all clear on the suspension he is currently serving, you would be wrong. At least that’s the message that UFC president Dana White sent on Saturday night following the UFC 154 press conference.

White spoke to the media and made it clear that while the Nevada Athletic Commission gave the UFC the green light to begin promoting the Overeem and Silva bout, Overeem was still subject to a hearing in front of the commission in relation to his March 27 suspension.

“We got the permission from the commissioner to set up a fight with him or whatever,” White said. “But he still has to go in front of the commission and that still doesn’t mean that the outcome could be good, but I think that Alistair’s been doing the right thing as far as the commission’s concerned.”

The suspension that Overeem is serving was handed down after a urine sample he provided on March 27 came back with a 14-to-1 ratio of epitestosterone to testosterone, far above the 6-to-1 level allowed by the Nevada Commission.  That suspension will run its course on Dec. 27. At that date, Overeem will be eligible to stand in front of the commission and apply for a license to fight in Nevada.

White sounded confident that Overeem would be granted that license to face Silva on the Feb. 2 fight card from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nev. “He’s doing all the things he needs to do to get back in their good graces,” White said.  “It’s looking positive because he’s been doing what he’s supposed to do.”

If Overeem is granted his license, his fight vs. Silva will land on the pay-per-view portion of the card that will be headlined by a title bout between featherweight champion Jose Aldo and former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar.

**all quotes obtained first hand by BRMMA

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Alistair Overeem to Return From Suspension Against Antonio Silva at UFC 156


(Overeem and Silva [2nd and 3rd from left], back when they were just a couple of hungry up-and-comers, competing in something called a ‘Strikeforce’. / Photo via FCFighter.com)

The UFC has confirmed that heavyweight behemoth Alistair Overeem will return to the Octagon at UFC 156: Aldo vs. Edgar (February 2nd, Las Vegas), where he’ll face Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva. According to UFC.com, the bout “has been scheduled pending licensing approval of Overeem by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. That decision will be finalized in early 2013.”

Overeem’s most recent appearance was at UFC 141 last December, where he smoked Brock Lesnar in the first round. Following that fight, Overeem was booked to challenge Junior Dos Santos for the UFC heavyweight title, but failed a random NSAC drug test in stupendous fashion, and was barred from licensing for nine months. Overeem blamed the test result on “an anti-inflammatory medication that was mixed with testosterone” prescribed by his doctor, which ranks just below Antonio Silva’s “I took a testosterone-booster for my acromegaly” excuse on the believability scale. (Yes, the winner of this fight will be a former steroid suspect, and so will the loser.) Overeem will be able to re-apply for licensure in Nevada next month.


(Overeem and Silva [2nd and 3rd from left], back when they were just a couple of hungry up-and-comers, competing in something called a ‘Strikeforce’. / Photo via FCFighter.com)

The UFC has confirmed that heavyweight behemoth Alistair Overeem will return to the Octagon at UFC 156: Aldo vs. Edgar (February 2nd, Las Vegas), where he’ll face Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva. According to UFC.com, the bout “has been scheduled pending licensing approval of Overeem by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. That decision will be finalized in early 2013.”

Overeem’s most recent appearance was at UFC 141 last December, where he smoked Brock Lesnar in the first round. Following that fight, Overeem was booked to challenge Junior Dos Santos for the UFC heavyweight title, but failed a random NSAC drug test in stupendous fashion, and was barred from licensing for nine months. Overeem blamed the test result on “an anti-inflammatory medication that was mixed with testosterone” prescribed by his doctor, which ranks just below Antonio Silva’s “I took a testosterone-booster for my acromegaly” excuse on the believability scale. (Yes, the winner of this fight will be a former steroid suspect, and so will the loser.) Overeem will be able to re-apply for licensure in Nevada next month.

As for his opponent, Antonio Silva rescued his career in October with a first-round TKO of Travis Browne, which followed back-to-back knockout losses. But the win was somewhat controversial; would Bigfoot still have been able to beat Browne if “Hapa” wasn’t hobbled by a hamstring injury early in the fight?

Overeem and Silva were originally slated to face off in the semi-finals of Strikeforce’s heavyweight grand prix. However, Overeem was removed from the tournament (and booted from Strikeforce altogether) when he refused to compete due to nagging injuries. Daniel Cormier replaced the Reem, beat Bigfoot’s ass, went on to win the tournament, and probably made a couple of ballsy gamblers rich in the process.

We’re hoping for a good, competitive scrap between The Reem and The Chin, but this matchup looks tailor-made to put Alistair back in the spotlight, and re-establish him as the UFC’s #1 heavyweight contender. Anybody else see it differently?