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Heavy Artillery: MMAmania.com Strikeforce interview exclusive with Alistair Overeem

by Derek Bolender on Apr 14, 2010 11:06 PM EDT 35 comments

Strikeforce will officially welcome back its heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem to the United States at "Heavy Artillery" on Saturday, May 15.

It has been a long time coming, to say the least. The last time we witnessed Overeem stateside was in November 2007 when he earned his Strikeforce title by defeating mixed martial arts veteran Paul Buentello.

In the roughly two and a half years since, he's stayed extremely active, fighting in seven MMA and six K-1 bouts.

The Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri will play host to Overeem's first title defense as he takes on contender Brett Rogers in the main event of the evening.

The "Demolition Man" took some time out of his training schedule to discuss why Fedor and M-1 are ducking him, Rogers' recent smack talk and crushing his knee on Brock Lesnar's head.

Check it out:

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Over the past six months you have fought a total of six times - three under MMA rules and three under K-1 rules. Many fighters go 3 - 4 months in between fights or even longer. Why have you chosen to be more active than most?

Alistair Overeem: I feel I am at my peak. I have no injuries and my decision with my management to also participate in K-1 turned out really well. I had no injuries and scored many KO victories in round one. The training is harder then the fight itself. Also, my management Golden Glory did an excellent job in me signing a contract where I could fight in different organizations.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): How is your body handling it physically? How are you feeling right now? Are you 100% healthy and ready to fight Brett Rogers on May 15?

Alistair Overeem: Yes, I am 100% fit. I have been fit for all my fights lately. I do not have to cut weight anymore and I am 100% focused on fighting. In the past, when I was fighting for PRIDE I was doing a lot of other stuff in between my fights. I bought an MMA magazine so I was running around with a camera to take pictures for my magazine. Then, personally at home, things did not go really good. The worst was originally my weight was like 103 kg and every time I came down to 93 kg sometimes I was pissing blood as I think my body was eating muscle tissue. That's one of the reasons I could feel the power run out of me after a few minutes. All of that has changed now since I became a heavyweight fighter.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Rogers has been pretty vocal already leading up to the fight and calling you anything from a "coward" to an "egomaniac" and so forth. Has anything he has said bothered you up to this point?

Alistair Overeem: Yeah, I read "chipmunk" lately somewhere. I do my talking in the ring. I've got nothing much to say. I do not even read the forums that much anymore. I'm too busy with training. I was laughing about a Dutch forum called "Mix Fight." They posted Brett doing pads. People thought it was staged, the footage, that's how bad it was! But I go by my own game plan. I got my trainer Martijn de Jong and Cor Hemmers, and I got great management in Golden Glory, as well as tons of big named and skilled sparring partners. I will be very ready for this fight!

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Why do you feel Rogers has gone out of his way to trash talk leading up to the fight?

Alistair Overeem: I don't know. Something I said in an elevator? I don't know what he is talking about. He says he does not like me because of several reasons. I just see him as a next opponent and will do my talking in the ring with my knees, fists, or subs. If Rogers wants to profile himself the way he does that's his business.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Rogers is coming off a loss to Fedor Emelianenko in November 2009. Have you seen tape of the fight? If so, what did you think of his performance against Fedor?

Alistair Overeem: I think Fedor is not the Fedor he was in PRIDE like so many of that generation of fighters. Fedor is the best and has beaten the best, but he is not unbeatable. Vadim (Finkelstein) recently made comments about me being a "steroid bully," and that's why they do not want to fight me? But then fighters who got caught three times with steroids in the past they want to fight.

Or when Vadim does a co-promotion on New Years Eve, the unranked Hong Man Choi can be picked as an opponent for Fedor, who is 20 cm taller than me and 40 kg heavier. Rogers showed some strength, but gassed in my eyes and gave Fedor room to come back because Fedor could smell that!

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Do you feel Brett Rogers has done enough to deserve a shot at your Strikeforce heavyweight title?

Alistair Overeem: I am not really busy with that. I wanted to fight Fedor but my management knows the management of Fedor very well. There is too much risk business-wise to make that fight happen for M-1. If they lose they cannot play their co-promotion card anymore and M-1 will be over. Scott (Coker) will terminate all bindings with M-1 and continue with me and Golden Glory as he knows we are reasonable and we have been around for 10+ years. I think he got gray hairs from them already (laughs).

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Is there any aspect of MMA that Brett Rogers is superior to you in?

Alistair Overeem: He looks strong. I will not get into the trainings video which appeared on YouTube. Many approached me and were laughing their heads off about Rogers' training performances. I take every opponent seriously, especially for the belt. Brett Rogers is just the next one on my list decided by promoter Scott Coker and my management.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): What is your official prediction for the fight?

Alistair Overeem: This will happen - if Brett keeps his promise and comes to fight and comes to me as he is saying in all of his interviews within two minutes he will get KO'd. He'll eat one of my devastating knees or I will sub him on the ground.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Fedor Emelianenko is fighting Fabricio Werdum in June. His camp has also expressed interest in possibly fighting Josh Barnett in the future. Are you starting to feel like Fedor and his management are ducking you?

Alistair Overeem: I explained this in the press before. Of course they are ducking me. I am a risk to their whole organization. Vadim is embarrassing all the Russians. First not fighting Couture and now ducking me. At the same time he calls me a steroid bully in the Russian press. My manager will reply to that soon. But he still wants to fight fighters who have been caught three times using steroids! I will even wonder if Fedor is fighting in June. It always is a surprise party dealing with M-1. I got a nice scenario - Werdum gets injured and I have to fight Fedor in June. Just wishful thinking!

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): If you could pass along a message to Fedor directly, what would you say to him regarding this situation?

Alistair Overeem: Fedor, you are a great fighter and like many other great Russian fighters in history you do your talking in a ring or cage. Leave this M-1 circus and start fighting the best. It's okay to lose sometimes but hiding makes you look like a coward, which Fedor is not, Vadim is!

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Moving forward, should we expect your next fight to be under the K-1, Strikeforce, or DREAM banner?

Alistair Overeem: I am a fighter and fight as much as possible against anybody if the UFC would have a policy that fighting outside their organization was okay. I wanted to fight Brock Lesnar, Frank Mir, or anybody in their top flight right now. So my answer is I do not care about which banner. I care about beating my opponents under whatever banner.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): In that case, is fighting in the UFC even a possibility in the future? What are the chances that Dana White can get you to fight for him?

Alistair Overeem: My management is okay with Dana White. I met him one year ago when I went with my manager and Semmy Schilt to UFC in Ireland. We made pictures and talked about the UFC. If they want me to fight there, no problem, but right now I have a contract with Strikeforce and I will honor that agreement.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): How do you feel you would matchup against the UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar?

Alistair Overeem: I would love to fight Lesnar. It would not be too difficult to crush my knee on his head!

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Is your next major goal to become the K-1 Heavyweight Champion?

Alistair Overeem: Yes, it was not my initial planning, but I must say the last tournament of K-1 was electrifying for me. I got such a good vibe; the atmosphere, the tournament. And I know I can beat teammate Semmy Schilt, who is also from Golden Glory. Semmy recently defended his K-1 heavyweight title against another Golden Glory fighter Errol Zimmerman.

Derek Bolender (MMAmania.com): Thank you for the time Alistair. Is there any message you would like to pass along to your fans out there or any sponsors you would like to thank before we go?

Alistair Overeem: I would like to thank Fight Game clothing and Full Tilt Poker and all other sponsors who helped me in the past and the near future. I want to thank my fans. Anybody who is interested in sponsoring me for my title fight with Rogers please contact my management www.goldenglory.com. Alistair will do some serious damage in 2010. Be prepared!

Editado April 15, 2010 por Dóki

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Five Things I'm Thankful for in Mixed Martial Arts

by Jonathan Snowden on Nov 25, 2010 8:36 AM EST in MMA Editorial

In the wake of the Tomas Rios scandal, at its heart a story about a guy who hates everything, I thought it might feel good to bring the love. We are all here because we love the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. It's easy to forget, as we complain about the little things, that the sport has never been in a better place. The fighters are better than ever. They are matched better. There is more fighting on television than ever before. It's a great time to be a fan of MMA. I'm thankful every month when I look ahead to all the great fights we'll see, all the whirling movement, heart, and true grit that makes martial arts so exciting. It's been a great year - and thing are only looking up. Here's five things to be thankful for as you celebrate this Thanksgiving:

1. The Abundance of Riches

There has never been more MMA on television. But it's not just quantity that gets me a little excited, in ways I'm not quite comfortable sharing with you. There's never been so much good MMA. Really good. The UFC puts on an astounding show almost every month, with perfectly acceptable television cards in the interim. Strikeforce's Rich Chou seems to have mastered the art of finding fun fights. Are the bouts all for world titles or top ten rankings? No. But they are certainly for pride, contests between athletes who are trying to prove they are the better man.

Even beyond the big two, there are fights in abundance. So many, it's hard to keep up. Bellator has consistantly showcased great fighters and helped continue Strikeforce's quest to bring women's MMA to the forefront. HDNet puts on more MMA than anyone - and supplements it with some fantastic kickboxing coverage.

It's never been a better time to be a MMA fan. Not to show my age, but in my day we waited for the VHS to come over from Japan, often an agonizing week or more, waiting to see the latest Pancrase or PRIDE. Now the shows are often broadcast live, even obscure shows on new websites like GoFightLive. I hope you are taking advantage.

2. Joe Silva and great matchmaking

It's easy to say 'I want Joe Silva's job.' Maybe. It certainly seems fun, bringing together great athletes and then turning them loose in a cage to pummel each other. But there are headaches as well. Endless contract negotiations and renegotiations. Injuries, and just plain life, that can ruin carefully crafted plans. And people in your ear, constantly looking to sell you - on their fighter, their fight, their bonus. It is exhausting. In politics, the President's Chief of Staff usually lasts one term. The job is just too overwhelming. It's kind of like Joe Silva's job. Yet, nearly ten years into his run, Silva is going as strong as ever. It's a testament to his iron will, scary smarts, and his love for the game.

3. The Heavyweight Division

Long the laughingstock of the sport, filled with fat guys in t-shirts throwing down for almost 30 seconds before heaving for breath, the division is suddenly super interesting. Much of that credit has to go to Brock Lesnar. The UFC heavyweight divides fans like no other fighter before him, and interest in Brock seems to have translated into interest in his peers and opponents. What will Lesnar do next? We don't know. But I can't wait to watch.

It's more than Lesnar though. A Strikeforce guy told me last week "We may not have the best heavyweight division, but it's the most interesting." I can sign off on that. What does Josh Barnett have left? His contemporary Vitor Ribeiro recently lost a fight to Justin Wilcox on a Strikeforce Challengers show. Has the sport caught up with Barnett the way it did Shaolin? I'm dying to find out. Potential matchups with Fabricio Werdum, Fedor Emelianenko, and Alistair Overeem await. It's going to be an amazing 2011 for the heavyweights - and for Strikeforce.

4. Skill

If you're familiar with my work, you'll know my mind is often wandering in the past. I love writing about and learning from the legends of the sport. That said, even I can recognize that fighters have never been better. Look at Brian Foster. Foster is an unheralded prospect, a guy trying to make his way in the sport. Yet the Brian Foster who beat Matt Brown last weekend would have run game on almost anyone from the UFC's illustrious past. And there are fighters like Foster up and down the card at UFC and Strikeforce events.

Here's the truth: Brian Foster would have kicked the crap out of Royce Gracie. That's how good today's fighters are. I mean, he is built on a foundation of Royce - but he would be competitive with almost anyone who fought prior to the year 2000. And who is Brian Foster? That's what is exciting about this sport. The skill level is still evolving. Who would have ever expected such a disciplined and remarkable fight from Quinton Jackson, a guy who started in this sport as a wildman. He cut off the cage and cornered Lyoto Machida with amazing footwork and straight punches. Then he controlled him in the clinch. It was a masterful performance. I'm thankful to have seen it.

5. The Fighters

We think it goes without saying but is worth putting into words: we wouldn't be here without the men and women who have the courage to step into the cage. Some of them are great athletes with super smart gameplans. Others are less skilled. Some will succeed. Some will fail, only to rise up and try again.

It's truly remarkable that these great athletes are often likeable and thoughtful people as well. I'm proud to be a fan of this sport. Thanks for having the gumption to test yourself against an opponent, all alone with just your wits to save you from harm. I'm sure you're learning a ton about yourself and what makes you tick, who you are with all the pretenses washed away, simply staring across the cage at another human being who wants to do you harm. I'm thankful to have the chance to watch you put yourself to the test.