Overeem makes boxing debut against Manuwa on Jake Paul's Christmas Eve card in Dubai

Alistair Overeem will make his professional boxing debut against Jimi Manuwa in a six-round heavyweight bout on December 24 at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Most Valuable Promotions confirmed the matchup on Thursday, placing it on the undercard of Jake Paul’s return to boxing against Cedric Doumbe.

Overeem (47-19, 1 NC in MMA) brings considerable combat sports pedigree to the ring. The Dutchman is a former Strikeforce heavyweight champion and the 2010 K-1 World Grand Prix winner, and last competed in kickboxing for Glory in 2022. Despite his decorated career, this will mark his first professional boxing contest.

“I’ve fought the best in the world, and I’ve been a world champion in multiple disciplines,” Overeem said. “Now I’m starting a new chapter in boxing, and I’m not here to make up the numbers. Jimi Manuwa is a dangerous man with serious knockout power, but I’ve built my career on taking the toughest challenges in combat sports.”

Manuwa is no stranger to the transition himself. The former UFC light heavyweight contender retired from MMA in 2019 with a record of 17-6, including 15 wins by knockout or technical knockout. He made a successful boxing debut in August, stopping former UFC heavyweight Chase Sherman by second-round TKO, and is clearly looking to build on that momentum.

“After my win in Orlando, I wasn’t looking for an easy opponent,” Manuwa said. “On Christmas Eve, one of us is going to sleep, and it’s not going to be me.”

The bout pits two of MMA’s most feared knockout artists against each other in a new discipline, with both men carrying genuine finishing power into the heavyweight boxing division. Overeem’s transition from kickboxing and MMA into boxing mirrors a broader trend of combat sports crossovers, though few debuting fighters arrive with his level of striking experience across multiple formats.