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Alistair Overeem certainly made waves when he declared that he was returning to the realm of kickboxing.
With his arrival on the GLORY Kickboxing roster, it seems like 'The Demolition Man' is gunning for gold. The Dutchman will be making his debut against compatriot and heavyweight champion Rico Verhoeven on October 23.
While in conversation with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, the former UFC heavyweight star revealed that he is slated to fight for the title right from the get-go. The bout will headline the GLORY: Collision 3 event. Set to go down at the GelreDome in Arnhem, Netherlands, the event will offer fans the opportunity to fill the dome up to its capacity, which is 34,000.
"Next fight is announced. Next fight is booked. Next fight is final. We will be challenging for the GLORY Heavyweight Kickboxing title. October 23. In the Netherlands, in my backyard. It's going to be awesome. It's going to be against Rico (Verhoeven), and I'm very excited," declared Alistair Overeem.
Catch Alistair Overeem's full appearance on The MMA Hour below:
Why did Alistair Overeem overlook Badr Hari to challenge Rico Verhoeven?
Alistair Overeem was offered the opportunity to butt heads with his former foe Badr Hari and set up a massive trilogy fight on his debut.
However, due to scheduling issues, a fight between the two could not materialize. Nonetheless, it doesn't seem to bother the Elevation Fight Team product; for he gets to compete for all the marbles and hit the ground running in the promotion.
"Well Badr's locked up. Badr's got a fight next week. So he's just booked up. You know, to be honest, me and Badr fought twice... He doesn't hold the title. Of course it's a prestige fight, it's a big fight. But he doesn't hold the title. So of course you're going to go highest possible and that's Rico at this point!" admitted Alistair Overeem.
On a collision course with GLORY Kickboxing's most indomitable fighters, a massive challenge awaits Alistair Overeem.
Having recorded 14 wins on the trot, Verhoeven has consolidated himself at the pinnacle of the promotion. Can Overeem enter this new phase of his career with a bang? Only time will tell!
