Alistair Overeem Wants to Win the Strikeforce Grand Prix Then Face the UFC Heavyweight Champion

Alistair Overeem wants to see the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix winner against UFC champion Cain Velasquez to unify the titles and see who truly is No. 1.

UFC vs. Strikeforce. Champion vs. champion.

The ‘business as usual’ model came crashing to a halt last week with the announcement that UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre would face Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz this October at UFC 137.

Now, more Strikeforce fighters are hoping for a similar unification of the titles, and that includes heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem.

Currently the reigning Strikeforce king as well as the K-1 Grand Prix champion, Overeem has every intention of making the challenge to face the best heavyweigh in the UFC if he’s successful in navigating through the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix he’s currently competing in.

“That definitely is my plan, but let’s take it one step at a time,” Overeem said on Tuesday about unifying the titles. “I’m taking this fight very serious, if you look at both of our papers, this is a very exciting fight. Fabricio has been incredible the last couple years, and me myself I’ve not been sitting still. It’s going to be an incredible fight.”

While the odds of proposed super fights between the best in the UFC and the best in Strikeforce are much greater now with GSP vs. Diaz happening in October, Overeem doesn’t let that concern him much.

His biggest focus now is facing Fabrcio Werdum and then moving on to win the rest of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix.

“I’m just focused on this fight and I don’t know exactly what is happening behind the scenes, I heard about the GSP/Diaz fight, but that fight has no relevance to my situation. I’m in the tournament, I’m locked in, 3 more fights to go to win,” Overeem stated.

“Then there might be some crossover fight happening, but for the time being it’s not on the schedule.”

Looking at the talent in the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, anyone could argue that the winner of this tournament is already the top heavyweight in the world regardless of who the champion is in the UFC.

Overeem agrees with that, and he’s happy to prove to anyone who watches that he is the best heavyweight in the world right now.

“I see this Grand Prix as an opportunity to show not only the fans in the U.S. but to the fans all over the world, that I am No. 1,” Overeem said.

“The No. 1 you don’t become by beating no names, you have to beat the names, and I think this tournament holds very good names, very experienced names, it holds all sorts of names. But I believe every fighter in the tournament is good and experienced. You’ve got to beat the best, to become the best.”

While the talk about any Strikeforce heavyweight moving over to face the champion in the UFC is premature, especially in the midst of the Grand Prix tournament still going on, but Overeem does point out facing the current champion over there does intrigue him.

“If I would win the tournament, I personally, and I believe many fans with me, would love to see the (winner) of the tournament against the UFC champion, Cain Velasquez,” Overeem stated.

The first order of business on Overeeem’s mind right now however is facing old foe Fabricio Werdum in the first round of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix next weekend in Texas.

Damon Martin is the lead staff writer and radio host for MMAWeekly.com.
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