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Alistair Overeem is set to make his professional wrestling debut in the United Kingdom next month, marking a new career journey for the former UFC heavyweight.
Although 'The Demolition Man' has made it clear in the past that wrestling is "lame," he will soon compete in a match. The 42-year-old fighter is set to face Adam Scherr, who is best known for his time in the WWE, where he performed under the ring name Braun Strowman.
The pair will meet at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham, England. Originally, the match was set for June 4, but it was recently pushed back to July 9.
Some fans are confused by Overeem's decision to venture into professional wrestling given the fact that he previously ridiculed the sport. During an appearance on The MMA Hour, the Dutchman said:
“And just recently, I started looking again on YouTube, and oh my God, this stuff is lame. It’s just lame what these guys are doing. It’s fake, it’s lame, it’s stupid. It doesn’t make any sense. It’s lame. It’s not even a sport. It’s just lame. It’s bad acting. It’s just lame. Sorry for all the fans of WWE, but I’m just being honest. I’m just giving my opinion. Free country, right?” [h/t News 18]
Catch the full interview below:
Regardless of his feelings towards wrestling, Overeem's debut against Scherr is bound to be a big part of what's set to be an amazing show in July.
Alistair Overeem before and after the UFC
UFC fans know Alistair Overeem as an outstanding knockout artist who fought against some of the best in the game during his time in the octagon.
Before his UFC debut in 2011, he was the Strikeforce heavyweight champion. Additionally, he nabbed the same title in DREAM. Overeem was a fierce competitor, but failed to gain a title during his lengthy tenure in the UFC.
His last fight in the promotion ended in defeat, with a TKO loss to Alexander Volkov at UFC Fight Night 184 marking the end of the road for the Dutch star inside the octagon.
Since his departure from the UFC, Overeem has once again trained for kickboxing. His return to the sport was set for last October against Rico Verhoeven, but the bout was unfortunately canceled. Overeem will now face Badr Hari at Glory Collision 4 on October 8.
With his professional wrestling debut set for July, as well as kickboxing return three months later, it's clear that Alistair Overeem is keeping himself busy post-MMA.
