Former UFC title challenger and one-time Strikeforce and Dream heavyweight king, Alistair Overeem, has called it a career after a wild lifestyle change in 2023.
The last time Allistair Overeem competed in fight sports was in October of last year when he scored a unanimous decision victory over long-time rival Badr Hari, at Glory Collision 4. However, the victory was overturned after he tested posted for performance enhancers.
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The 43-year-old disappeared from the spotlight since then but popped on fight fan’s radar last month when he was captured in a picture with Rizin FF CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara looking shockingly thin after years of being known for his impressively muscular heavyweight frame.
Some MMA supporters feared that Overeem was suffering from serious health issues. However, the heavyweight great admitted during a recent appearance on the “Lovin Dubai” podcast that the dramatic weight loss was due to changing from a heavy meat diet to becoming a vegetarian.
Alistair Overeem claimed the switch came after an encounter with nutritionist Julian VanHoven. Due to his extreme weight loss, he has decided to end his career after 25 years in the industry and 67 fights in MMA and kickboxing.
“I actually just decided to stop fighting,” Overeem said. “This is not my thing anymore. It’s been 25 years, right? We’re going to do other cool stuff now.”
Alistair Overeem’s questionable but memorable fighting career
Alistair Overeem was one of the greatest heavyweights of the 21st century. Yet it took the Dutch MMA star a decade to grow into the cage fighting great that many fans will remember. For the first half of Overeem’s career, he was a light heavyweight competing in Asia and fought elite stars of the time like Chuck Liddell, Antônio Rogério Nogueira, Vitor Belfort, Ricardo Arona, and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.
However, in many of those major matchups, he came up short as making the cut down to that weight class diminished the potential in his 6-foot-4 frame. Eventually, he bulked up in a major way to the point where he had one of the most impressive physiques in the sport, and it opened the door to many questions about the use of enhancements during an era where serious drug testing was not common.
He would eventually go on to be one of the best heavyweights outside the UFC, winning the Dream and Strikeforce heavyweight titles. When the UFC purchased their top competitor in the United States he took his talents to the MMA world leader.
In the Octagon, Alistair Overeem went 12-8, winning nine by knockout and scoring victories over former champions Brock Lesnar, Junior dos Santos, Frank Mir, and Fabricio Werdum. Following his win over Lesnar, he tested positive for high levels of testosterone.