‘Reemed’: Watch Alistair Overeem Outstrike Frank Mir 139-5
In a do-or-die heavyweight bout on the main card of last night’s UFC 169 from Newark, New Jersey, former Strikeforce and K-1 World grand Prix champion Alistair Overeem ended a two-fight slide by battering former UFC champ Frank Mir.
Although Mir stated that he wouldn’t retire even if he lost, perhaps all signs are pointing in that direction. Despite receiving yet another therapeutic use exemption (TUE) for testosterone-replacement therapy (TRT), Mir was thoroughly outclassed all night by Overeem.
Both Overeem and Mir were ranked in the Top 10, but the talent gap was considerably larger than that. And the fight video highlights courtesy of FOX Sports above are a testament to that fact.
But, if you need more proof that Mir isn’t done fighting the best in the world after four straight losses, then last night’s FightMetric report will probably sway your opinion. Overeem outstruck Mir by an alarming margin of 139-5, proving that the game has simply passed Mir by:
It happens to even the best of fighters in the UFC, and Mir has nothing left to prove. His striking just can’t hang with the current crop of UFC heavyweights. On the other hand, Overeem looked noticeably smaller than he did in his losses to Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva and Travis Browne, but that appears to be a good thing.
“The Reem” moved his training camp back to Thailand for this fight, returning to his striking roots of Muay Thai. He also began focusing more on cardio after running out of gas and allowing Silva and Browne to come back and knock him out. Mir may not be the best gauge of skill at this point in his career, but there’s no denying that Overeem looked much better than he had in recent months.
The hulking kickboxer called out former foe brock Lesnar after his win, but “The Beast’s” return to the cage is just a rumor at this point. If the UFC truly wants to give Overeem a real challenge, they’ll match him up with Junior dos Santos or Mark Hunt.
I’m willing to bet that either one of those sluggers would be able to land more than five strikes if they faced Overeem. What’s next for the Dutch “Demolition Man”?
