UFC 209's Alistair Overeem not concerned with Mark Hunt's fight against PEDs, just winning

LAS VEGAS – Alistair Overeem is not taking Mark Hunt’s comments personally ahead of their heavyweight clash at UFC 209 on Saturday.

Overeem (41-15 MMA, 6-4 UFC), who faces Hunt (12-11-1 MMA, 7-5-1 UFC) in the UFC 209 pay-per-view opener following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, has been on the receiving end of a verbal onslaught from “The Super Samoan” due to his history with banned substances.

Hunt currently has a pending civil lawsuit against the UFC stemming from his UFC 200 fight with Brock Lesnar where the former heavyweight champion failed multiple drug tests around the time of their fight. Hunt said the UFC is filled with fighters who are cheating with performance-enhancing drugs, and he inserted Overeem into that group.

Despite the fact Overeem failed a drug test in 2012, which led to a nine-month suspension, he said he’s not taking Hunt’s comments to heart.

“I don’t take it personal,” Overeem told MMAjunkie at UFC 209 media day. “He has his lawsuit and his thing (against the UFC), and I cannot blame him because his last three fights his three opponents tested positive for PEDs, so I can understand his frustration. I would have gone about it a little bit different. I’m a little bit more of a positive and a private person. But again, that’s his choice. He’s going to have to live with it.”

PED-related drama aside, Overeem and Hunt share a history in the sport. They competed against each other under the now-defunct DREAM banner in July 2008 in a fight Overeem won by submission in just 71 seconds. Hunt has historically been quite successful when fighting an opponent for the second time, but Overeem said that’s not something that comes into play in his mind.

Not only did the first meeting take place nearly nine years ago, but it was also so short that it’s difficult to take much away from it.

“(I prepare) just as I do fighting them for the first time,” Overeem said. “You’ve got to study, do your homework, you got to be ready for the surprise because his first fight, that will be in his memory too. So, yeah, just study him and prepare. Prepare as you’re fighting the guy for the first time but of course you have that knowledge of him from that first fight. You know how that felt even though the fight was short, it was like a minute. Just be sharp. Don’t take things for granted. He’s very motivated, he’s going to come for the victory, he’s good in rematches, so those words are going to put me more on my toes.”

The UFC 209 matchup between Overeem, No. 6 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA heavyweight rankings, and No. 10-ranked Hunt is a crucial fight both in the heavyweight division and for each competitor. Overeem hasn’t been seen in the octagon since falling short of the UFC title in a first-round knockout against Stipe Miocic at UFC 203 in September. Hunt, on the other hand, could badly use the win to keep leverage on his side as he locks legal horns with the UFC.

On top of the confidence stemming from his previous victory over Hunt, “The Reem” said history shows the contest should go his way. Heavyweight fights are as unpredictable as it gets, but Overeem said he’s part of the elite in his weight class and Hunt has repeatedly fallen short when facing that level of competition.

“I would say Mark Hunt lost the big fights against the top five guys,” Overeem said. “I’m talking about (Fabricio) Werdum, I’m talking about Stipe (Miocic), I’m talking about Junior Dos Santos. I am ranked No. 3 (in the official UFC rankings), I am top five, so I expect to come out on top. I think he falls short when he has to perform.”

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