The UFC Needs to Sign Overeem!
Posted on December 28, 2010, 12:26 PM by codemasterThe UFC Heavyweight Division looks much better these days than it once did, but the lawsuit of Roy Nelson, the crushing defeat of Brock Lesnar, and the fighting age of Nogueira and Mir illustrate that there still is a lack of depth in the UFC HW roster.
One of the biggest signs of a shallow talent pool is the number of Strikeforce fighters in the Heavyweight top ten rankings. If Strikeforce is the "minor league" to the UFC's "major league", then how is it Fedor, Alistair, Antonio and Fabricio are showing up in the top ten.
It could be that MMA fans are 'out of their minds' as Dana White has opined, but it could also mean exactly what it says: Strikeforce has some top MMA heavyweights.
The good news is that in the top 4 the UFC is well represented--a far cry from the Tim Sylvia champion days. There is also some good potential with new fighters in Brendon Schaub and Stefan Struve. The problem is that these new fighters need time to develop their skills, and in a shallow pool, they may be thrust into big matches before they are ready.
In any promotion, one must also consider injury or other reasons a fighter cannot fight. Without depth, it is harder to create evenly matched and logical rankings if one fighter fails to show for a bout.
So what is the answer?
The UFC needs to pull out its wallet and pay.
If Overeem were signed, it would be sensational and would revitalize the future of the UFC Heavyweight division. It really does not matter whether you consider Overeem that good, since once he is signed, all the arguments will be decided in the octagon.
Overeem recently won the K-1 championship against tough opposition. Some commentators have erroneously claimed that K-1 is a 'completely different sport' to MMA and that just because Overeem won this title does not mean that it applies in any way to MMA. K-1 encompasses most of the stand-up game (except elbows and double knees) in MMA, which is a huge part of the game. Winning the K-1 definitely indicates your skill at striking in MMA.
Would Overeem fight in the UFC? If the money were right, I am pretty sure he would be interested. Will the UFC pay? So far, they seem to be in 'wait-and-see' mode.
I would also love to see Fedor acquired, but I do not believe M-1 will ever sign a deal--they want too much and I don't see them changing their minds.
The two others in the Lowkick top ten should also be acquired if possible. Fabricio Werdum has grown as a fighter, and there is no shame in losing to JDS. Antonio Silva also looks interesting, though his last fight showed some holes in his game.
The Heavyweight Division in any martial art is always important to the promotion since it draws viewers and generates fan interest. This may not be fair to other weight classes, but it is a fact of the business. This is why the UFC needs to step up to the plate, and use some of that mountain of money they have earned to acquire heavyweights from Strikeforce, This would provide a quick-fix for the looming problem in the heavyweight division.
- 1. Sign Overeem Now!
- 2. No, Overeem's a UFC Reject
Comments
in a way it just doesnt seem like Reem would sign with the UFC. but it would cool as F*CK
Overeem has said many times that one of his main goal is to ultimately get the UFC title, so im sure if UFC offers him a contract he'll sign with them...the same thing goes for almost every fighter except Fedor, they all wnt to eventually become UFC champs just because its the biggest organization rite now
The UFC did offer the Reem a contract and he refused. he is on record as saying he did not want to have his freedom to compete elsewhere taken away and wasn't prepared to sing over all rights to DW.
Or get banned for illegal substances lol...who knows
how can overeem be a ufc reject when he's never even fought there or been offered to fight there? also, frank mir is only 31, that's only a year older than overeem, he has plenty of fight left in him yet. striking is quite different for mma, you have to change your stance to defend against takedowns, which alters the effectiveness of certain strikes and movements etc. and the fact is overeem has only defended his belt twice since he won it back in 2007 so he'll need to fight more regularly and keep winning for the ufc to be interested in him. and while strikeforce has an impressive hw division it isn't better than the ufc. they have fedor, reem and werdum and those are the only ones who would contend for the ufc title.
To be fair to the Reem. he haas fought 8 times in MMA since winning the SF belt and technically 10 K1 fights that includes Tournaments where he fights more than once a night. I would say that is a pretty busy schedule of fighting since 2007. OK, most were in Japan but 18 fights is pretty impressive none the less.
Plus he just competed in k1 finals and now he is fighting this weekend.
They cant sign him cause hes under contract with like 3 other organizations. Plus I want him to fight Fedor and Werdum first.
Nothing personal but I am getting sick of hearing this. It is a fantasy question. Overeem has a championship clause in his SF contract. He can not fight in the UFC unless they will co-promote and they won't. IF he loses Zuffa might sign him. They set a precedent for taking SF leftovers when they picked up Phil Baroni and Denis Kang who couldn't hack it in SF let alone attain the title. However,they would likely make a show of not wanting Overeem due to wanting to show that SF is inferior by not picking up a guy who lost the title there. It would look bad if he then took the UFC title.
Funny how the UFC nutguggers bash Strikeforce then turnaround and say Strikeforces HW division is good hahahah
strikeforce does not have a better heavyweight division than the ufc. They have some talented fighters but after they fight each other, who's left. In a perfect world Overeem, Fedor, Antonio Silva, would all be fighting the best the UFC has to offer, and be fighting each other since strikeforce can't seem to line up the fights the fans want to see.
carwin didn't disappear, he was supposed to fight against roy nelson but he had to pull out due to an injury. brock lesnar is probably just taking some time off to rethink his career after getting his ass handed to him by velasquez. and there are young guys like struve and schaub coming up through the ranks that could challenge soon, although i do believe the ufc needs to sign some new young talent to freshen up the division.
Overeem wont go to the UFC till he beats Fedor
Or tries huh
Sorry about the poll, but I lost the abiltiy to edit the article after an almost duplicate article was deleted.
It could be that obtaining these Strikeforce fighters is not possible contractually, but it seemed more unlikely that UFC heavyweights would migrate to Strikeforce rather than the other way around. Only seeing these fighters fight each other will we find out how they really match-up.
With Caine Velasquez sidelined, this problem in the UFC becomes more worrisome. Carwin is off recovering from back-surgery. Lesnar is on a medical suspension, which could be up to a year if his eye is not healed. When the top three of your heavy weight division is laid up, that has got to be of concern to Dana White.
PS.
While it is true that the threat of takedowns changes the striking game, it is my contention that many skills used in K-1 are directly transferable to MMA.
It wont happen because the UFC wont let Overeem fight in K1 tournaments.
Reem would murk every HW in the UFC.