Can Alistair Overeem Become the UFC Heavyweight Champion?

UFC heavyweight Alistair Overeem is one of the most prolific fighters to ever compete in MMA as it stands. ‘The Demolition Man’ is ranked fifth in the UFC and remains at the highest level despite several years of active competition. His strength of schedule is impeccable having accrued 47 wins in 65 professional MMA fights. This doesn’t include his legendary stint as an elite kickboxer where he enjoyed much success.

The 40-year-old has had his fair share of setback, having lost his UFC title fight to Stipe Miocic at UFC 203 by knockout. Not to mention several other ghastly injuries that have found him as he enters the latter stages of his career. An unfortunate moment that sticks out came in his fight with Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Overeem split his lip wide open in the dying moments of a fight and moved a step away from title contention.

‘The Reem’ has won all the accolades known to man in the realm of combat sports. The Dutch kickboxer is a former Strikeforce, DREAM, and K-1 World Grand Prix champion. Not to mention, he’s one of only two fighters to hold world titles in MMA and K-1 kickboxing simultaneously. However, the coveted UFC heavyweight strap has eluded him to date.

Does Alistair Overeem have what it takes to win UFC gold?

Alistair Overeem has gone 4-1 in his last five outings and he has managed to maintain a high activity rate. Additionally, all his four recent wins have come by the way of TKO stoppage, thus proving he’s looking as sharp as ever. Chiefly, news broke that Alistair Overeem will take on Alexander Volkov on Super Bowl weekend. A win over ‘Drago’ will ensure that ‘The Demolition Man’ gets bumped up the ranks and inches closer to a shot at gold.

Also Read: BREAKING: Alistair Overeem Books a Headline Fight at UFC Fight Night Against a Surprise Opponent

The main concerning factor for the Elevation MMA veteran lies in his ability to take a shot. Overeem’s chin has seemingly been compromised through various years of taking damage from prolific heavyweight strikers. Perhaps this has been the main reason for him changing the way he approaches fights. ‘The Demolition Man’ puts major significance on letting the initial rounds play out, after which he begins to dissect his opponent.

UFC Heavyweight division: Where does it all stack up?

The landscape of the heavyweight division is murky at the very top, to say the least. In any other division, his overall body of work and recent streak would be enough to warrant a title shot. However, Francis Ngannou stands above everyone else and will undoubtedly be the next in line to face Stipe Miocic. Overeem lost to ‘The Predator’ in a violent fashion.

Given his recent performances, there’s no reason to doubt the veteran and his ability to defeat Miocic. Alistair Overeem comes in with some of the best striking in company history, and he has a solid ground game.

The key narrative in a fight for UFC gold against Stipe Miocic would be his effectiveness to stuff takedowns against Stipe. However, the reinvigorated version of Alistair Overeem can most certainly get his hands on the UFC heavyweight title.