Dana White Wants More Killer Instinct Out Of “The Reem”
Alistair “The Reem” Overeem scored his second win in a row at last night’s (March 14, 2015) UFC 185 when he picked apart heavyweight slugger Roy “Big Country” Nelson over the course of three rounds to earn a unanimous decision win. Overeem may not have lived up to his full hype in the UFC, but he seems to be evolving quite nicely as of late.
UFC president Dana White speaking with MMAFighting, said that “The Reem” looked better than ever last night. However, he did have some criticism for the Dutch kickboxer, saying that he wished Overeem had more killer instinct:
“Alistair looked better than he’s ever looked, I just wish he had more killer instinct,” White said. “He had Roy hurt at one point. He doesn’t like to take risks, but he looked good tonight.”
Overeem has been susceptible to the knockout in the UFC, which may be the reason for him playing it safe. Either way, “The Reem” battered Nelson with leg and body kicks, and devastating knees. Credit must be given to Nelson too, as “Big Country” truly has an iron chin, and an unfathomable ability to take damage. White agreed:
“How tough is Roy Nelson?” White said. “Roy Nelson is not human. The shots that guy took tonight. The kicks to the body were unbelievable.”
Always being one of the most notable and respected heavyweights, people were let down when Overeem started his UFC run out the way he did. Many were wondering when the gigantic kickboxer would live up to the hype, and maybe he has finally put everything together. Whatever the change may be, “The Reem” gives all the credit to his gym, the highly acclaimed Jackson-Winklejohn MMA:
“I felt very confident going into the fight,” Overeem said. “At Jackson’s there’s a lot of chemistry, we work together and everyone is there to help their teammates out. The environment over there gives me confidence, everyone is very friendly. Switching to that camp has really been the recipe to my success.”
As for what’s next for Overeem, there may be a fight on the horizon that many fans have been drooling over for years, and that would be one against the heavy handed former heavyweight champ Junior Dos Santos. Dos Santos is coming off of a win over Stipe Miocic last December, and doesn’t have a fight lined up yet.
White said the fight sounds good to him, if Overeem likes it:
“I like it,” White said. “Does Overeem like it?”
Do you like this fight?
