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Alistair Overeem hints at retirement from professional MMA following his release from the promotion's contract. The Reem tweeted an emotional farewell post and referred to his ten-year tenure with the UFC as the final run.
'The final run has come to an end, but what a run it has been. After 10 years in the UFC I can say this has been the experience of a lifetime. Grateful to the @ufc the fans and all fighters. A special thank you to @danawhite and Lorenzo Fertitta for making everything possible,' Alistair Overeem tweeted.
MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn broke the news of heavyweight contenders Alistair Overeem and Junior Dos Santos's release from the UFC on March 4, 2021.
'Junior Dos Santos and Alistair Overeem leave the UFC as two of the seven heavyweights to ever reach 20 octagon appearances. They also rank in the top-5 in heavyweight history for knockouts and knockdowns. Few have done it like these two,' Mike Bohn tweeted.
The release was disheartening for UFC fans from the Zuffa era but not at all surprising in light of Overeem and JDS's recent career trajectory.
Alistair Overeem won everything except the UFC gold
Alistair Overeem (47-19-1 MMA, 12-8 UFC) has held the heavyweight title in major MMA and kickboxing promotions K1, Dream, and StrikeForce. Despite being one of the most decorated heavyweights of all time, The Reem is one of the elite fighters who never laid their hands on UFC championship gold.
After making a successful UFC debut against former champion Brock Lesnar in 2011, Alistair Overeem went 12-8 under the promotion's umbrella with wins over prominent fighters like Frank Mir, Junior Dos Santos, Fabricio Werdum, Mark Hunt, and Andrei Arlovski. Overeem never quite succeeded in building the momentum with consistent wins and lost key fights that repeatedly derailed the momentum for him. Alistair Overeem's sole attempt at the heavyweight title came against reigning champion Stipe Miocic in 2016. The final UFC title run of the Demolition Man's career came to a halt with the TKO loss to Alexander Volkov in February 2021.
Even at 40 years of age, Alistair Overeem's skills have not diminished to a degree where he cannot compete against younger fighters and it would not be surprising if he makes his comeback in other promotions that might be willing to sign him.
