Overeem: Werdum Doesn’t Want To Fight Me
Top heavyweights Junior “Cigano” Dos Santos, and Alistair “The Reem” Overeem will finally do battle at UFC on FOX 17 on December 19, 2015 in Orlando, Florida.
Dos Santos, who current sits at No. 2 in the division, is a former champion while Overeem is currently ranked at No. 9, making this a very intriguing heavyweight battle. The fight is quite long-awaited as well, as the two have actually been scheduled to meet twice before, but both times the bout fell through.
There has also been some animosity between the two, with JDS previously accusing Overeem of ducking him, but according to “The Reem”, who recently spoke on Chael Sonnen’s podcast, it’s actually the opposite, as he said that the heavyweights fear him.
Not only did he indicate that he could beat any heavyweight, but Overeem specifically called out current champion Fabricio Werdum, saying that “Vai Cavalo” doesn’t want to fight him:
“I know that Werdum doesn’t like me. He doesn’t want to fight me. I’m the kind of guy … I can beat you. I can beat any heavyweight. Of course, that strikes fear in them. I pay attention to what people say, what heavyweight fighters say in the UFC. Werdum doesn’t want anything to do with me, either. I’m very much looking forward to fighting him again. Again, these guys, they don’t want to fight me because they know they can lose.”
The two have actually met twice before, most recently at a Strikeforce event in 2011, with Overeem scoring a unanimous decision victory. Prior to that, Werdum took a submission win over Overeem in a 2006 PRIDE bout. However, both fighters have undoubtedly evolved since then, especially Werdum who has looked like a different fighter as of late.
Nonetheless, these are some bold statements from “The Demolition Man” considering his UFC career hasn’t turned out to be quite what many thought it would be. However, he does have the chance to prove that he can beat any heavyweight when he meets one of the best in the world in “Cigano”, and if he does take out Dos Santos, he could find himself dangerously close to a title shot.
Will Overeem be victorious in Orlando?
