Alistair Overeem had a very impressive 2008. He made the permanent transition to heavyweight and left many opponents in his wake. He defeated Tae Hyun Lee, Mark Hunt, and Gary Goodridge. Overeem was also dominating Mirko Cro Cop before an unintentional knee to the groin forced an early stoppage. Had Overeem finished Cro Cop, Overeem would certainly have garnered some consideration for fighter of the year.