Dana White has "nothing but respect" for Alistair Overeem after UFC 148 meeting
Alistair Overeem, the man who was set to face Junior dos Santos at UFC 146, is back in the good graces of UFC President Dana White. Overeem, suspended until late December for his well-documented drug screen failure, had been publicly disparaged by the always outspoken White. When Overeem had recently taken to Twitter with his well-known intentions of fighting at the UFC’s annual year-end show, UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta was quick to put any of these rumors to rest until the NSAC had cleared Overeem to fight. White was reported to be out of all dealings with Overeem, supposedly disgusted by the dishonesty he felt Overeem had fed him. However, the day after UFC 148, news to the contrary has arisen. Apparently Overeem and White met with another last night to bury the proverbial hatchet, and White was quoted with the following:
“Nothing but respect for Alistair now. We all make mistakes and we all do stupid s–t. I say this all the time. It’s all in how you handle yourself after. He went downstairs and waited for forty minutes until I called him upstairs, and then came into my office like a man.” via MMAFighting.com
There is no doubt that Overeem could be a huge draw in the Heavyweight division if he can stay clean and able to fight with assurance. For now, it appears he has owned up to his past mistakes and is going to lengths in order to repair the damage done with his employer. White shows that he is willing to forgive if a fighter makes some changes in a positive light. He continued on:
“He’s doing all the right things now. He’s fixing all the wrongs. We’ll see what happens.”
While Overeem does not have a fight date on the horizon as of yet as he awaits the decision of the NSAC regarding his suspension, he is putting all of the pieces in place to do so should he be immediately reinstated. Current UFC Heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos recently said tat he is unsure of his next opponent and fight date, although it has been rumored to be a rematch with Cain Velasquez. Will Alistair Overeem rule the Heavyweight division of the UFC anytime soon?
Further Reading: Alistair Overeem breaks silence, says he is clean
