Alistair Overeem: Boxing comeback, life in Dubai and legendary MMA career

Dubai: Alistair Overeem enjoyed one of the most decorated careers in combat sports, becoming a K-1 World Grand Prix champion, Strikeforce heavyweight champion and DREAM heavyweight champion, establishing himself as one of the most feared heavyweights in mixed martial arts.

He fought some of the biggest names in the sport and competed at the highest level across multiple promotions. And at the age of 46, Overeem is now preparing to make his comeback, but this time inside the boxing ring.

In an exclusive interview with Gulf News, the Dubai resident explained the desire behind his return to competition and why he believes boxing could offer him an exciting new challenge.

"I'm a fighter at heart, I guess,” said Overeem.

"To be honest I was never really into boxing as a sport, but that's where it's happening at the moment. I recently started doing some boxing workouts and the creativity came back and the platform is there for me.

"I feel like I can do something beautiful in boxing."

The Dutch fighter previously spoke about his ambition to make his professional boxing debut on the undercard of the heavyweight showdown between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury in December, a fight that would bring together two of British boxing's biggest names.

The former MMA champion is friends with Joshua, having trained at the same gym as the British heavyweight, and believes an appearance on such a high-profile occasion would be the perfect introduction to his new venture.

"It would be great to be on that card, I was born in England, so it makes sense,” said Overeem.

"I first met AJ at the Team Usyk gym, and he's a really cool guy, we have a lot of similarities so to fight on the same card would be super cool."

While his attention is turning towards boxing, Overeem has also found a new passion away from competition since settling in Dubai a couple of years ago.

The 46-year-old lives on Palm Jumeirah, where he has embraced the Dubai lifestyle and become increasingly interested in health, recovery and longevity.

Having spent much of his life pushing his body to its limits as a professional athlete, Overeem has embarked on what he describes as a longevity journey following his retirement from MMA.

And Dubai, with its growing focus on health and fitness, has provided the ideal environment for that pursuit.

"Life in Dubai is great, my wife loves it here, it's a very uplifting place and there's so many great things happening.

"The longevity stuff came around from my healing journey post-career, being an athlete I always wanted to be in the best shape and after my MMA career I could focus on it even more.

"Health is a big trend here in Dubai, there's a lot of people on the beaches running so it's very natural to pursue this longevity goal here."

Despite stepping away from the demands of professional MMA, Overeem's competitive instincts clearly remain.

His journey in combat sports began incredibly early, making his professional mixed martial arts debut at just 17 years old in 1997. What followed was a career spanning more than two decades, during which he established himself as one of the most recognisable figures in heavyweight fighting.

He enjoyed considerable success in Japan, winning the DREAM interim heavyweight championship, before adding the prestigious K-1 World Grand Prix title to his collection in 2010. He then went on to become a Strikeforce heavyweight champion, cementing his reputation as one of the world's leading heavyweight fighters.

By the time he made his UFC debut in 2011, Overeem was already an established global star, making his first fight in the promotion against Brock Lesnar, one of the most anticipated bouts in combat history.

Overeem produced a memorable performance, stopping the American in the first round at UFC 141 in Las Vegas to announce his arrival in the promotion in emphatic fashion.

"I have many favourite career fights but my first UFC fight against Brock Lesnar is definitely one of them,” he continued.

"Brock isn't just a regular guy, he's a beast of a man, so it was a great performance and one I will always remember."

Overeem went on to face some of the biggest names in the UFC heavyweight division, including Junior dos Santos, Fabricio Werdum and Stipe Miocic.

However, despite his success in other organisations, the one major accolade that eluded him was the UFC heavyweight championship.

He came agonisingly close in December 2016 when he challenged Miocic for the title at UFC 203 in Cleveland. Overeem dropped the champion early in the opening round and appeared to have an opportunity to claim the belt, but Miocic recovered and eventually stopped him.

He eventually brought his professional MMA career to an end in 2021, having accumulated an impressive record and established a legacy across several major promotions.

Despite not winning the belt in the UFC, Overeem says he looks back at his time in the promotion with a lot of pride.

"I'm extremely proud of what I achieved in the UFC, it's a tough promotion where you're constantly fighting the best in the world.

"We had great wins and some tough losses as well, but when I look back I have a great legacy."

Now, with a new chapter awaiting him in boxing, Overeem appears far from finished with combat sports.

After beginning his journey as a teenager, conquering kickboxing and MMA, the Dutchman is once again ready to make his return.