I became vegan and lost 27 kilos. Terrifying Overeem quit sports
Igor Nekrasov July 5, 2023, 22:15 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
Destroyer became the face of MMA, but he never won a UFC belt.
The famous Dutch wrestler Alistair Overeem has announced his retirement from professional football. The only athlete in history to hold three titles in MMA and kickboxing at the same time, he spoke about his resignation.
“I really made the decision to stop fighting. I don’t see myself in this anymore. I fought 25 years, during which a lot of interesting things happened. But now is the best time to pay attention to health. I will dedicate the next chapter of my life to this,” Overeem said in an interview with the Jon Bravo Films YouTube channel.
Overeem is one such fighter who started his career in old school kickboxing and mixed martial arts. Alistar made his MMA debut in the last century in the Japanese promotion RINGS – Fedor Emelianenko also started there with fights. After that, there were introductions to PRIDE and other organizations, with Overeem trying his hand at both light heavyweight and heavyweight. Having finally decided on the heavyweight category, in 2006 he made his first appearance in Strikeforce, and a year later he became the organization’s champion. But 2010 turned out to be a truly triumphant year for Overeem: First, he knocked out 120-pound Brett Rogers defending the Strikeforce belt, then he became a K-1 champion, and at the end of the year, he added the K-1 Champion Title. DREAM. This record still remains out of reach – no one has yet managed to hold three belts in MMA and kickboxing, except Alistair.
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Here it is worth saying that from the time Overeem debuted in Strikeforce to winning three titles, Alistair has changed beyond recognition. If in the early stages of his career the Dutchman was, albeit impressive in size, but commensurate with his opponents, then over the next four years Alistair gained 20 kilograms and turned into a real monster that justifies the nickname of he: the Destroyer. He had practically no subcutaneous fat, and Overeem looked like a real bodybuilder.
After his debut in the UFC, Alistair failed a doping control and was suspended for nine months, although he had to fight for the championship belt. The return to the Octagon proved difficult, Overeem suffering three losses in four subsequent fights. Whether it was difficult for Alistair without illegal drugs, or only a black streak stood out, but it seemed that the Dutchman could already be ruled out. And he adapted to the new rules and won four fights in a row, earning another title shot.
Yes, Overeem then lost to Stipe Miocic and did not fight for the organization’s belt again, without becoming a champion. But at the same time, absolutely everyone in the division was afraid of Alistair, they were afraid of his power and physical strength, experience and abilities. The Dutch tested the strength of young prospects, and Sergey Pavlovich won’t let you lie: Overeem welcomed our hero to the UFC with a first-round knockout. Alistair has the scalp of Junior dos Santos, Andrei Orlovsky, Brock Lesnar, Frank Mir, Fabricio Werdum – UFC champions of different years, while Alistair himself did not win the coveted belt. 67 fights, 47 wins: Overeem’s career was truly legendary.
After being fired from the UFC, Overeem returned to kickboxing and signed with Glory. True, in March 2023, Alistair again faced doping problems and was disqualified, after which he decided to end his professional career.
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This summer, even before Alistair announced his retirement, a photo of his current form appeared online. There was a feeling that Conor McGregor took the earned mass from Overeem – the Dutchman in the photo looked like an ordinary middleweight. Alistair himself revealed the secret of his transformation: he became a vegetarian. According to the fighter, he lost 27 kilograms.
“I radically changed my diet and became a vegetarian. I don’t feel like eating meat anymore. It’s my choice,” Overeem said.
After half a century of fighting, Overeem has, as it were, been restored to its original configuration. A lot of muscle was left in the Octagon along with his gloves and titles, and Alistair himself, at 43, begins a new life.
