Alistair Overeem Wants to Return in December, Fight for Title

Come December, Alistair Overeem hopes to be fighting in the UFC again and he hopes to be fighting Junior dos Santos for the heavyweight title.

“That’s my goal,” Overeem recently told the Sherdog Radio Network. “I know that the UFC will not promote me on their card as long as I’m not licensed. That being said, we’re going to try to get licensed sooner and I’m confident that I will succeed.”

Overeem had been scheduled to fight dos Santos in Las Vegas in May, but a pre-fight drug test revealed that his testosterone-to-epitestosterone ratio was more than double the Nevada Athletic Commission’s limit. In April the commission voted to deny Overeem a conditional fight license and prohibited him from applying again until Dec. 27. He’ll be on the shelf at least until then, but he said the time off isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

“The last few months have actually been calm media-wise, which was good,” Overeem said. “I moved to Miami. I’m full-time here now and I got all settled there. I’m still training, always training, always improving my game. Basically took a small step out of the limelight, enjoyed life a little bit, did what I wanted to do because the last five years have been totally crazy … obligation after obligation, fight preparation after fight prep. It came up to seven fights a year and at three years consecutively. I’m actually having some time off now, which I’m enjoying. I’m actually feeling very well.”

Some fans haven’t been particularly happy with him, though, since news spread of his elevated T/E ratio. Overeem previously explained that the ratio was the result of an injection he was prescribed for lingering injuries and that he had no knowledge it contained testosterone. Now he wants to prove he’s a clean fighter.

“I’m going to test regularly,” Overeem said. “I’m now the most tested fighter out there. For me, that’s something I can do, but we also have to realize that there will always be people who are negative, who are against me, so to speak. There are also people who are for me. That’s just the way it goes. I can only do so much, and if people accept that, that’s fine. If they don’t, that’s also fine.”

Regardless, Overeem wants to be fighting again by the end of the year. In the meantime he’s kept his eye on dos Santos, who stopped Overeem’s replacement, Frank Mir, in May.

“I think it was good,” Overeem said of dos Santos’ performance. “He won the fight. He won it dominantly. Other than that, you know, dos Santos, he’s a good fighter. He’s a champ. I don’t really see that surprise in his fight style. I think I’m the one to beat him.”

Listen to the full interview (beginning at 2:11:25).