UFC president Dana White had his opinion on which direction he'd like to see veteran heavyweight Alistair Overeem go in after "The Reem" delivered a beatdown to fellow vet Roy Nelson on Saturday night.
It was suggested that Overeem, the former Strikeforce and Dream champion, should meet up with former UFC champion Junior dos Santos, a bout which was originally slated as a title fight back in 2012 before it fell out.
"I like it," White said at the UFC 185 post-fight news conference. "Does Overeem like it?"
Overeem, for his part, seems to be setting his sights a little higher, as he called out the fighters who will meet for the UFC heavyweight title in June, champion Cain Velasquez and interim champ Fabricio Werdum.
"I'm not done yet," said Overeem (39-14, 1 NC). "I'm 34 years old and I'm coming for that belt. Cain or Werdum, I'm coming for you bros."
Whether you believe the long-awaited grudge match with dos Santos is Overeem's best bet, or whether you think he's ready for Velasquez or Werdum, the mere fact that Overeem is once again being mentioned for potential pairings with the division's elite is remarkable, in and of itself.
Overeem was on the wrong end of spectacular knockouts three times over the course of four fights in 2013-14. The first two, against Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva and Travis Browne, saw Overeem unload his diverse striking arsenal, then get waxed. The most recent loss, to Ben Rothwell in September, was the sort of flash knockout which can happen to anyone.
Either way, three knockouts in four fights for a 34-year-old with 68 documented professional combat contests between MMA and kickboxing doesn't usually seem a recipe for a stellar future.
So what's changed? Mostly, it's been the scenery. The Amsterdam native moved his base of MMA operations from Florida's Blackzilians camp to Jackson's MMA in Albuquerque.
Jackson's has a history of reclamation projects, and Overeem appears to be the gym's latest example.
"I felt very confident going into the fight," Overeem said. "At Jackson's there's a lot of chemistry, we work together and everyone is there to help their teammates out. The environment over there gives me confidence, everyone is very friendly. Switching to that camp has really been the recipe to my success."
Gone is the guy who comes out with both guns blazing. He's been replaced by a fighter who still delivers big blows, but is smart enough to know when to pick his spots.
Against the 7-foot-tall Stefan Struve in September, Overeem closed the distance and took the fight to the ground, a seemingly counterintuitive move which surprised Struve and enabled Overeem to finish the job.
Saturday night against Nelson, Overeem brutalized his opponent's lead calf with a kicking assault, which largely prevented Hunt from teeing off and getting the full power behind his infamous heavy hands. Overeem softened Nelson with body kicks, then came in close and wrecked him with knees.
Nelson, of course, is one of the toughest fighters ever to set foot in the Octagon ("Roy Nelson is not human," White remarked afterwards), so Overeem made sure to respect his opponent's power. In case he forgot, Nelson reminded him with a right hand in the second which nearly knocked out Overeem's mouthpiece.
"Every time I hit him, I could see in his eyes that he wanted to take my head off," Overeem said. " Every time I hit him, he'd get more angry, sort of like the Hulk or something."
So Overeem made sure not to go wildly rushing into Nelson's big meat hooks, and instead played it safe as he secured the decision.
White, for his part, seemed a bit disappointed.
"I just wish he had more killer instinct," White said. "He had Roy hurt at one point. He doesn't like to take risks, but he looked good tonight."
White got that last part right. The old Overeem took risks. The old Overeem also kept getting knocked out. Overeem wasn't thrilled some of the Dallas crowd booed his effort Saturday night, but he'd rather get the 'W'.
"It's never nice to get booed, but I'm getting booed a little bit often lately," Overeem said. "You know what? Sometimes you've just got to go through it. You've got to stick to the gameplan. I actually wanted to be a little bit more aggressive, but my corner was like, 'He's very dangerous. Stay calm. Do your gameplan.' Because otherwise you might have like a Travis Browne situation. You're like kicking the [expletive] out of somebody, and then he comes back, and then it's like a loss. So focus and execute the gameplan."
That's what Overeem has done in each of his past two fights. And that's why Overeem is looking at a consequential fight at the top of the heavyweight division next, instead of lining himself up for a Bellator old-timers main event.
So whether that next opponent ends up being dos Santos or someone wearing gold, Overeem is willing to wait and see what happens.
"Obviously, [Velasquez and Werdum] are going to fight first, and I'll have some work to do before that happens," Overeem said. "We're going to have some time off, and I hope to fight again soon."
Follow Dave Doyle on Twitter: @DaveDoyleMMA
