Alistair Overeem: I Went Back To The Drawing Board After Loss To ‘Bigfoot’

Former Strikeforce, DREAM, and K-1 World Grand Prix champion Alistair Overeem is coming off one of the most devastating losses of his career after being knocked out in impressive by Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva at February’s UFC 156 card. Overeem was winning the first two rounds of that bout, but appeared to get cocky and gas during the last round.

He lost out on a potential title shot with upset, and it compounded with his previous drug test failure and suspension prior to UFC 146 to make Overeem a fighter who just hasn’t lived up to the massive hype set before him. He’ll get back into the cage this Saturday, August 17, 2013, at the TD Garden in Boston to do battle with rising Heavyweight star Travis Browne as the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 26.

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Overeem knows that he was overconfident during his fight with “Bigfoot,” and met up with MMA H.E.A.T. at yesterday’s open workouts from Boston to discuss how e plans to fight differently this time around:

“I think that the whole Anderson Silva thing showed that it can always happen. But, you know, what I did with myself was go back to the drawing boards. I thought of every possible detail that went wrong, and I fixed it. I just worked hard getting all the right people together, all the details, all the pieces that were missing from the previous camp, and I fixed them. We’re four-and-a-half months on, working hard, and here we are. From a loss, you learn way more than a win. For me, I’m just focused on this fight. Let the pieces fall where they may.”

Overeem appears to have re-evaluated his training process and found the right pieces to add to his camp. But “The Demolition Man’s” critics will always state that while Overeem has ultra-powerful striking and good submissions, he tends to gas and also wilt when faced with a lot of punishment. He’ll have to re-prove himself to the UFC and his fans, because anything less than championship gold will be a letdown for this behemoth.

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There’s no doubt that Overeem has the talent to be world Heavyweight champion, but can he put it together and not allow his ego to dictate how he fights? His performance against Browne this Saturday will go a long way in determining if he lives up to the huge buzz he brought with him when Strikeforce folded. Will Overeem silence his detractors this weekend in Boston? Take a look at Overeem’s interview and open workout below, and decide for yourself: