Alistair Overeem hints at comeback three years after retiring due to injuries

Alistair Overeem is seriously considering ending his retirement, telling reporters at the Oleksandr Usyk vs. Rico Verhoeven card that a sustained focus on physical recovery has left him feeling better than he did during his final years as an active fighter.

“The thing is I retired three and a half years ago,” the former Strikeforce heavyweight champion said. “Injuries took me out of the sport. Took me out. I couldn’t train. I was actually in pain. I dove into longevity. A lot of ice baths, a lot of dry needling, a lot of everything and actually healed my body. There is motivation. We’re just looking at options.”

Overeem, who turned 45 — not 36 as he stated — has not competed since a 2022 kickboxing bout against Badr Hari under the GLORY banner. He won that fight by unanimous decision, but the result was later overturned to a no-contest after he tested positive for a banned substance. Before that, he had been released by the UFC following a knockout loss to Alexander Volkov in 2021, which proved to be his final appearance in the promotion. He formally announced his retirement in 2023.

The Dutch veteran did not specify which discipline he might return to, leaving open the possibility of MMA, kickboxing, or boxing depending on the opportunity. He did, however, address a hypothetical matchup with Rico Verhoeven — who came close to defeating unified heavyweight boxing champion Usyk before a controversial stoppage in the 11th round — with a mixture of respect and candour.

“I wouldn’t disrespect him like that,” Overeem said. “This is his moment. Let that be. But I mean I got the question from a reporter: ‘Is there still some unfinished business?’ Listen, for MMA, he’s not an MMA guy. I wouldn’t even need to train because I would just beat him. For boxing, I would need a little camp. Rico is an icon. He’s an icon, the kickboxing world is behind him, clean image, he’s actually a good guy.”

Overeem’s career spans more than two decades and includes championship reigns in Strikeforce, DREAM, and K-1, as well as a UFC heavyweight title shot against Junior dos Santos in 2011. Whether a formal comeback materialises remains unclear, but his comments suggest the door is open if the right offer arrives.