Alistair Overeem returns home to Holland this weekend when he faces Jackson-Wink teammate Andrei Arlovski in the main event at UFC Fight Night 87 in Rotterdam. There’s no love loss between these two and Overeem feels he’s the better all around fighter. The Reem has won his last three in a row including a TKO over former heavyweight champ Junior dos Santos in December. He believes he’ll get a title shot with a win over Arlovski.
Overeem on if he called out the fight with Arlovski: “He keeps going on about this. I was not given a choice. Lorenzo texted me that they wanted me to headline this fight in Rotterdam. They wanted me to fight Arlovski. I said I was fine with it. He’s not my buddy. We don’t even train together. I don’t have a problem with it.”
Overeem on if he was too rough in training with Arlovski: “Sorry to open your eyes. This is a full-contact sport. It’s the objective to disable your opponent even if sparring or a real fight. You’ve got to use your technique. Yeah, I did disable him in training. He’s never been my friend. I’m ok with it.”
Overeem on training in the same camp with Arlovski: “He’s training with Greg and Wink. I’m training with Chad Smith, the main wrestling coach, and the main BJJ coach, and I flew in some other coaches who I’ve been working with throughout my career. These are people I get along with very well and have good working relationship with.”
Overeem on if the UFC says he’ll get title shot if he wins: “I expect to get a title shot after I beat Andrei Sunday. But let’s not get ahead of it. He’s going to want to knock my head off. It’s my job to stay sharp and focused. But if I win, I expect to get that title shot in November.”
https://youtu.be/yMpdri7rJiI