Following a messy split with his former gym and management, current UFC heavyweight No. 1 contender Alistair Overeem has revealed that he has joined Authentic Sports Management and will be training in Florida with the “Blackzilians.” The fo…
Following a messy split with his former gym and management, current UFC heavyweight No. 1 contender Alistair Overeem has revealed that he has joined Authentic Sports Management and will be training in Florida with the “Blackzilians.”
The former Strikeforce, K-1 and Dream champion is still involved in legal action with his former representation, Golden Glory. Both sides have engaged in verbal warfare after Golden Glory attempted to garnish Overeem’s purse from UFC 141, where he defeated former champ Brock Lesnar.
Along with the signing, Overeem will be relocating to the United States. For his first Octagon appearance, the Dutchman spent time at Xtreme Couture and Reign Training Center, as well as in his native Holland.
The striking specialist stated that he was not actively seeking new management, but after meeting with Authentic, it was the right fit.
“I saw what kind of added value they bring to the table. I saw firsthand what they do for their fighters and that’s not even comparable to the situation in Holland,” said Overeem.
Overeem also hinted that a number of his current trainers will make the transition with him to the US, including Fabrice Deters and Remco Peperkamp, who continued to work with him in preparation for the Lesnar fight in December.
By joining the “Blackzilians,” Overeem will train with fellow countryman (and kickboxing stalwart) Tyrone Spong, as well as current light heavyweight No. 1 contender Rashad Evans at the Florida gym.
Rob Tatum is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. You can also find Rob’s work at TheMMACorner.com. For anything related to MMA, Follow @RobTatumMMA.
Lorenzo Fertitta tweeted last night that the highly anticipated heavyweight clash between newly crowned UFC Heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos and former Strikeforce and DREAM Heavyweight champ Alistair Overeem is in the works for UFC 146, which is scheduled to go down on May 26th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Overeem, on the other hand, is coming off a first round TKO via Uberkick of Brock Lesnar at UFC 141. We’ve added a gif of the liver kick from hell below. Why, you ask? BECAUSE WE CAN.
Fun Fact: Both men have not lost a fight since 2007. Dos Santos has scored nine straight with six coming by way of TKO, and Overeem has notched eleven in a row, with only one of those making it out of the first round.
What do you think Potato Nation, will JDS be able to fend off the overwhelming machismo of Alistair, or will the heavyweight title change hands yet again? Also, Rhode Island, neither a road nor an island. DISCUSS.
Lorenzo Fertitta tweeted last night that the highly anticipated heavyweight clash between newly crowned UFC Heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos and former Strikeforce and DREAM Heavyweight champ Alistair Overeem is in the works for UFC 146, which is scheduled to go down on May 26th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Overeem, on the other hand, is coming off a first round TKO via Uberkick of Brock Lesnar at UFC 141. We’ve added a gif of the liver kick from hell below. Why, you ask? BECAUSE WE CAN.
Fun Fact: Both men have not lost a fight since 2007. Dos Santos has scored nine straight, with six coming by way of TKO, and Overeem has notched eleven in a row, with only one of those making it out of the first round.
What do you think Potato Nation, will JDS be able to fend off the overwhelming machismo of Alistair, or will the heavyweight title change hands yet again? Also, Rhode Island, neither a road nor an island. DISCUSS.
Well the makers of “The Reem” have done it again and it looks like this could be the best episode yet of Alistair Overeem’s online web series thanks to the cool footage of fans around the world watching and reacting to his UFC debut.
Well the makers of “The Reem” have done it again and it looks like this could be the best episode yet of Alistair Overeem’s online web series thanks to the cool footage of fans around the world watching and reacting to his UFC debut.
Of note is Dana White’s assertion that he was wrong to call Overeem “overrated,” Tito Ortiz’s obvious hate for Brock Lesnar and Ariel Helwani’s high praise of Alistair in spite of picking him to lose the fight.
I’d love to know how much the room service bill cost for the post-fight celebration. Probably more than some readers make in a year.
Lil’ Jon makes a cameo at the end when he parties with “The Demolition Man’s” entourage in Vegas on NYE. Can’t wait to see the next one of these. Apparently The Reem has been shopping for a new gym in Florida, where he recently checked out American Top Team and Imperial Athletics.
In a recent interview given to Jim Rome, Dana White was a little more candid than we have seen when discussing Brock Lesnar’s recent retirement, specifically what was going through the former UFC Heavyweight Champion’s mind moments after becoming permanently incontinent compliments of an Alistair Overeem body kick. “It felt like I got kicked by a horse,” said Lesnar. Ok, so maybe that’s an exaggeration, but White states that Lesnar didn’t see himself taking down “The Reem” anytime soon, figuratively or literally:
The conversations I’ve had with Brock Lesnar since that fight, all indications point to it’s over. … Here’s what Brock said to me, he said ‘I’ll tell you what after my surgery from diverticulitis, this last surgery I had, I have never felt so good in my life.’ He said ‘I’ve had the best camp I’ve ever had, no injuries, I was in great shape, all the things that could go right, went right, that guy is just that much better than me and it’s time for me to retire.
Well, this pretty much seals the deal on that issue. If there were any doubts as to Mr. Lesnar’s heart and true investment in MMA, here you go.
In a recent interview given to Jim Rome, Dana White was a little more candid than we have seen when discussing Brock Lesnar’s recent retirement, specifically what was going through the former UFC Heavyweight Champion’s mind moments after becoming permanently incontinent compliments of an Alistair Overeem body kick. “It felt like I got kicked by a horse,” said Lesnar. Ok, so maybe that’s an exaggeration, but White states that Lesnar didn’t see himself taking down “The Reem” anytime soon, figuratively or literally:
The conversations I’ve had with Brock Lesnar since that fight, all indications point to it’s over. … Here’s what Brock said to me, he said ‘I’ll tell you what after my surgery from diverticulitis, this last surgery I had, I have never felt so good in my life.’ He said ‘I’ve had the best camp I’ve ever had, no injuries, I was in great shape, all the things that could go right, went right, that guy is just that much better than me and it’s time for me to retire.
Well, this pretty much seals the deal on that issue. If there were any doubts as to Mr. Lesnar’s heart and true investment in MMA, here you go.
And before you uproar with cries of “The man went through multiple surgeries!” and “You try and fight Overeem!”, please take note that we are not knocking the man for his toughness; anyone who could take the beating that Shane Carwin dealt him in the first round of their title fight back at UFC 116 and come out smiling in the second is surely more badass than anyone who wrote about it. But it seems so disappointing that Lesnar chose to retire when, in his own words, he was the best he ever felt. Whether or not he is truly as healthy as he claims is something we may never know, but considering what a groundbreaking achievement it was for a professional wrestler to be both signed by and be successful in the UFC, it’s a shame that ultimately Lesnar couldn’t break the stereotype that has existed for every professional wrestler who has tried to compete in MMA since; that they’re all just jumping ship, in it for the money. Brock Lesnar didn’t exactly convince us that the theory was ungrounded, especially with this line of reasoning.
Look at it this way, if every fighter retired because they had been beaten by a truly better opponent, what would have become of Rampage Jackson after Wanderlei Silva obliterated him back at PRIDE FC – Final Conflict 23? Surely not the man who, after suffering yet another KO via knees just one year later, would eventually knockout Wandy at UFC 92. THAT’S what separates true fighters from the rest. Desire. Come to think of it, Wanderlei would have ended the career of Kasushi Sakuraba as well, which might have been a good thing. At least he’d be able to remember who his kids are nowadays.
But it’s an issue of the past now, and we’ve already dwelled upon it too much. So we guess we should just be grateful for what Lesnar managed to accomplish, as brief as it may have seemed.
Brock Lesnar’s last appearance in the Octagon was not necessarily a memorable one—especially not for UFC president Dana White.The UFC boss admitted during the post-fight press conference that he was shocked about Lesnar’s sudden retirement from t…
Brock Lesnar‘s last appearance in the Octagon was not necessarily a memorable one—especially not for UFC president Dana White.
The UFC boss admitted during the post-fight press conference that he was shocked about Lesnar’s sudden retirement from the sport. The retirement followed his recent loss to Alistair Overeem at UFC 141.
The former WWE star was an instant ratings boost for the company and brought a few attendance records while appearing on pay-per-view cards.
However, after having some time to collect his thoughts regarding the former UFC heavyweight champion’s departure, White said Lesnar told him privately he no longer had the desire to compete.
Here’s what Brock said to me after his fight (with Alistair Overeem), he said, “After my surgery, I never felt so good in my life. I had the best camp I ever had, no injuries, I was in great shape, but that guy is that much better than me and it’s time for me to retire.”
White recalled Lesnar’s presence in the UFC and said he brought a lot of excitement to the heavyweight division.
White said he was reluctant to sign Lesnar due to his inexperience, but he was impressed with what the 265-pound South Dakota native accomplished during his time in the company.
In retrospect, White was nothing but complementary towards Lesnar’s career and applauded him for his efforts.
“What he was able to accomplish in the UFC is amazing,” he said. “It was fun while Brock was here.”
(Apparently Corassani treats tapping the same way he deals with flipping to the wrong page of a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Novel.)
This should come as no surprise, but none other than TUF 14 alum and all around jackwagonAkira Corassani has been booked to take on British striker Jason Young at the UFC’s inaugural trip to Sweden for its second UFC on FUEL event. Corassani, a Swedish born (the streets, specifically) Muay Thai striker, has trained with the likes of Siyar Bahadurzada, Frankie Edgar, and Eddie Alvarez, and made a name for himself on this past season of The Ultimate Fighter, bringing a combination of power punches and Jersey Shore-like swagger to the house before being choked into wonderland by eventual runner-up Dennis Bermudez in the semifinals.
Young, who has dropped a couple of close decisions to Dustin Poirier and Michihiro Omigawa in his octagon run, will likely be fighting for his job when he takes on Corassani. A word to the wise Jason: steer clear of the leg-locks on this one.
(Apparently Corassani treats tapping the same way he deals with flipping to the wrong page of a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Novel.)
This should come as no surprise, but none other than TUF 14 alum and all around jackwagonAkira Corassani has been booked to take on British striker Jason Young at the UFC’s inaugural trip to Sweden for its second UFC on FUEL event. Corassani, a Swedish born (the streets, specifically) Muay Thai striker, has trained with the likes of Siyar Bahadurzada, Frankie Edgar, and Eddie Alvarez, and made a name for himself on this past season of The Ultimate Fighter, bringing a combination of power punches and Jersey Shore-like swagger to the house before being choked into wonderland by eventual runner-up Dennis Bermudez in the semifinals.
Young, who has dropped a couple of close decisions to Dustin Poirier and Michihiro Omigawa in his octagon run, will likely be fighting for his job when he takes on Corassani. A word to the wise Jason: steer clear of the leg-locks on this one.
Also set for UFC on FUEL 2 will be a rematch between German kickboxer Dennis Siver and TUF 9 winner Ross Pearson. Their first pairing, which was contested at lightweight, saw Pearson walk away with a well earned unanimous decision; Pearson simply out struck the arguably more decorated striker, cutting Siver in several places and rocking him on more than one occasion. Siver would go on a four fight win streak thereafter, scoring wins over TUF 9 runner-up Andre Winner and Aussie grappling whiz George Sotiropoulus, among others. After suffering a first round submission loss at the hands of Donald Cerrone this past October, however, Siver recently announced that he would be dropping to featherweight.
Pearson, on the other hand, would see his hype train (and a 4 fight win streak) derailed in his next fight compliments of Cole Miller, who would score a come from behind submission victory on the Brit after being thrashed for the majority of two rounds. After splitting a pair of contests against Spencer Fisher and Edson Barboza, “The Real Deal” dropped to featherweight and scored a unanimous decision victory in his debut over Junior Assuncao at UFC 141.
To check out Pearson and Siver’s first battle, go here.
