Reem interview:

http://mmaweekly.com/alistair-overeems-reaction-to-being-released-from-strikeforce


First half is stuff we for the most part know about, the second half Reem makes some interesting comments.

So essentially he wants to be able to compete in the UFC, DREAM, and K-1. Unfortunately it's not happening.

I thought the them wanting to extend his SF deal to promote the company stuff was interesting and his desire to still be in the UFC. Call me crazy I think he puts all the Japan stuff on hold and at least fights in the UFC for a little while..

Nice interview. I think they thought it would be better to cut him from the final 4 instead of him possibly making the final and then going on a power play to get a better contract for himself.

I actually see him putting the whole MMA thing on hold for kickboxing before i see it the other way around. Because if Overeem is to have the success that i'm sure he would expect to have in the UFC...he would be stuck there for a lot longer than a little while. That would play a factor in him signing a dotted line that says the UFC owns your ass..unless you fail..then you can go back to kickboxing.

So we have the Golden Glory thing, if what Dana says is true than that keeps Reem out unless he leaves Golden Glory(his camp and management since pretty much his start) or they make another compromise..which Dana claims they won't.

His seemingly higher interest in kickboxing, not to mention his current status in that sport. I'm sure the pay isnt that bad neither with the MMA pay thrown in. It probably makes more business sense for Overeem to reamin overseas where he is a bigger name and non-exclusive where he can get paid big money in K-1/Golden Glory/or whoever promotes his kickboxing fights and then big money the very next month in MMA while staying loyal to Golden Glory who has pretty much managed Overeem since he was a kid.

We can pretty much bank on the Overeem/GG relationship never ending. I also doubt Zuffa would give him anywhere near the cash offer they were prepared to give Fedor to fight in the UFC and M-1 to fuck off since Overeem is not really a name as much as he is a talent. Fedor wasnt a massive name, but in comparision to Reem he was and obviously the record and streak Reem does not have.

There is always a deal that can be made..it's possible...but it seems unlikely that Overeem would change the things needed to suit Zuffa..and honestly there is probably very good reason why considering his higher name value and financial oppurtunites internationaly..and it's a given Zuffa won't change to suit anybody or anything at all.

With the details offered publically...Overeem in the UFC seems like as much of a longshot as Fedor at this point. The difference is, Overeem isnt attached to another MMA org, he's attached to a different sport.

Fuck Zuffa.

Reem is the new Fedor. Welcome to the beginning gentlemen. Just think in a year he may be fighting Carwin in Dream, then maybe Mir or Roy? Who knows who is gonna get cut and be an ex UFC champ to get beat up by Reem. Then he will never make it over to fight JDS or Cain or Bones. Ahh the beginning.

bigbeastcardinal12 wrote:

Reem is the new Fedor. Welcome to the beginning gentlemen. Just think in a year he may be fighting Carwin in Dream, then maybe Mir or Roy? Who knows who is gonna get cut and be an ex UFC champ to get beat up by Reem. Then he will never make it over to fight JDS or Cain or Bones. Ahh the beginning.

i could so see this happenin. i dont think dana would get rid of mir though, him and hughes were some of the only ones that stuck with the ufc back in the day even though they were getting better offers overseas. plus i think dana can always use him as a guest commentator on sf

He didn't want to re-sign with Strikeforce because it was too restricting and mentions he wouldn't be able to fight in the UFC. HELLLOOOOOOOOOO the UFC has the same restrictions in their contracts and he'd get moved over to the UFC once they are absorbed. Or he'd get moved over anyway. That was a bad reason imo. Now the other ones he mentioned I am fine with. I understand he wants to fight in K-1 and Dream but he has to understand that Zuffa doesn't want him getting hurt somewhere else or losing.

KingsOwn19 wrote:

I actually see him putting the whole MMA thing on hold for kickboxing before i see it the other way around. Because if Overeem is to have the success that i'm sure he would expect to have in the UFC...he would be stuck there for a lot longer than a little while. That would play a factor in him signing a dotted line that says the UFC owns your ass..unless you fail..then you can go back to kickboxing.

So we have the Golden Glory thing, if what Dana says is true than that keeps Reem out unless he leaves Golden Glory(his camp and management since pretty much his start) or they make another compromise..which Dana claims they won't.

His seemingly higher interest in kickboxing, not to mention his current status in that sport. I'm sure the pay isnt that bad neither with the MMA pay thrown in. It probably makes more business sense for Overeem to reamin overseas where he is a bigger name and non-exclusive where he can get paid big money in K-1/Golden Glory/or whoever promotes his kickboxing fights and then big money the very next month in MMA while staying loyal to Golden Glory who has pretty much managed Overeem since he was a kid.

We can pretty much bank on the Overeem/GG relationship never ending. I also doubt Zuffa would give him anywhere near the cash offer they were prepared to give Fedor to fight in the UFC and M-1 to fuck off since Overeem is not really a name as much as he is a talent. Fedor wasnt a massive name, but in comparision to Reem he was and obviously the record and streak Reem does not have.

There is always a deal that can be made..it's possible...but it seems unlikely that Overeem would change the things needed to suit Zuffa..and honestly there is probably very good reason why considering his higher name value and financial oppurtunites internationaly..and it's a given Zuffa won't change to suit anybody or anything at all.

With the details offered publically...Overeem in the UFC seems like as much of a longshot as Fedor at this point. The difference is, Overeem isnt attached to another MMA org, he's attached to a different sport.

Spong was just complaining he still hasn't been payed from the old regime in K-1, who even knows how the new one will work out or if Reem ever got payed from the previous GP, he'd also make more money in the UFC anyways. Eventually GG will change their tune if that's the case in the first place, more money for their fighters in the States and therefore them if they do. You can see in what Reem says he knows, if he wants to prove he's the best at least, he has to fight in the UFC, I think he wants to. His value is at it's peak, if he fights in K-1 and gets KO or in Dream and loses, all his value drops off into nothing and the UFC wouldn't bother.

bigbeastcardinal12 wrote:

Reem is the new Fedor. Welcome to the beginning gentlemen. Just think in a year he may be fighting Carwin in Dream, then maybe Mir or Roy? Who knows who is gonna get cut and be an ex UFC champ to get beat up by Reem. Then he will never make it over to fight JDS or Cain or Bones. Ahh the beginning.

Mir would never be cut, Dana loves Mir and has a relationship with his Dad. Carwin is possible, Reem better work on his striking defense, it only takes one to slip through for Carwin and Werdum was landing pretty often.

Golden Glory may or may not allow their fighters to get paid first. Does not seem like such a stretch. Overeem walking away from kickboxing when it's been his main interest and he's pretty much the top guy right now in the realm to be exclusive to the UFC seems like a stretch.

Nobody is worried about losses in K-1 unless they pile on. It's not that long ago Badr Hari knocked out Overeem and it did nothing to damage his hype and that was when he was still whooping on Tony Sylvesters and friends.

I'm not so sure there would be more money in the UFC compared to what he gets from K-1, Dream, and potentially another organization in the united states. There is way too many outlets for income and you know he gets paid like a star, and it's not like the UFC is going to give this guy some massive contract because he is not a draw and the ratings for his fights on showtime reflect that. UFC has little incentive to offer this guy huge money that would trump or even match what he makes as a star internationally, and that way GG don't have to change shit.

It just seems like wishful thinking to believe that Overeem, who is making money and can fight two sports and make big money from both and who has been more interested in kickboxing for a couple years now with no setbacks to tame that greater interest other than the Badr Hari loss will just decide to put it on hold to bound himself to the American based UFC with no options other than to fight in the United States. We are talking about Overeem here. He recognizes that UFC has the top guys right now, but i think MMA is secondary to him or kickboxing is too big of a deal for him to just simply walk away.

It's possible, but i lean towards not anytime soon...but i've been wrong about these types of things before...but they way i see it and the way pretty much everybody saw it before Overeem became available for the UFC was that MMA is secondary or at least no more important to him than K-1 and that he'll pretty much always have a preference to fighting mostly overseas...We'll see. I won't say it won't happen, but i'm leaning he'll be fighting a few kickboxing fights and a few more MMA fights before we see him in the UFC.

I hope i'm wrong though but i hoped i was wrong about M-1 and i was right. M-1/Fedor had low incentive to change their practices and it's pretty much the same with Overeem..only for far different reasons. You got to keep in mind as well that Overeem does have contracts with other orgs that value Overeem greatly(K-1 and DREAM) while not exclusive would pretty much put any UFC talk on hold because of how UFC does business..which is probably why we have not heard of any talk of Overeem even speaking to UFC post-SF release.

u might be underrating Reems star power in the US Kings. Reem vs Werdum was the 2nd highest rated SF fight on showtime. Only behind Fedor vs Silva.


Not bad considering it was only his 2nd big fight here. Granted it may not have earned him much by way of new fans, but still, it was a good #.

I didnt know that. I thought Overeem-Werdum was kind of average, but i guess i got some events mixed up. Still don't think UFC blows him away with anything money wise and still wouldnt say he has strong drawing power in the states.

At this point I also do not see him with "big time" drawing power. But who does actually? Brock? Kimbo? As been chronicled, it's been awhile since the high water PPV mark of UFC 100.

If Reem won the tourney, I would say a SF vs UFC fight at that point would be much anticipated. Much stronger interest in a Reem tourney winner then anyother remaining participant. And as we all know, the GP losing reem via contract negotiations undercuts the GP winner in a big way. The semi's at this point are kinda eh.

So yeah Reem may not be a HUGE draw right now, but his star was undeniably on the rise, and if he won the tourney, who knows how big it could have been.

FIghters first sound off.

I stream events....

KingsOwn19 wrote:

I didnt know that. I thought Overeem-Werdum was kind of average, but i guess i got some events mixed up. Still don't think UFC blows him away with anything money wise and still wouldnt say he has strong drawing power in the states.

Reem said he's bigger in the States then in his home country..

KingsOwn19 wrote:

Golden Glory may or may not allow their fighters to get paid first. Does not seem like such a stretch. Overeem walking away from kickboxing when it's been his main interest and he's pretty much the top guy right now in the realm to be exclusive to the UFC seems like a stretch.

Nobody is worried about losses in K-1 unless they pile on. It's not that long ago Badr Hari knocked out Overeem and it did nothing to damage his hype and that was when he was still whooping on Tony Sylvesters and friends.

I'm not so sure there would be more money in the UFC compared to what he gets from K-1, Dream, and potentially another organization in the united states. There is way too many outlets for income and you know he gets paid like a star, and it's not like the UFC is going to give this guy some massive contract because he is not a draw and the ratings for his fights on showtime reflect that. UFC has little incentive to offer this guy huge money that would trump or even match what he makes as a star internationally, and that way GG don't have to change shit.

It just seems like wishful thinking to believe that Overeem, who is making money and can fight two sports and make big money from both and who has been more interested in kickboxing for a couple years now with no setbacks to tame that greater interest other than the Badr Hari loss will just decide to put it on hold to bound himself to the American based UFC with no options other than to fight in the United States. We are talking about Overeem here. He recognizes that UFC has the top guys right now, but i think MMA is secondary to him or kickboxing is too big of a deal for him to just simply walk away.

It's possible, but i lean towards not anytime soon...but i've been wrong about these types of things before...but they way i see it and the way pretty much everybody saw it before Overeem became available for the UFC was that MMA is secondary or at least no more important to him than K-1 and that he'll pretty much always have a preference to fighting mostly overseas...We'll see. I won't say it won't happen, but i'm leaning he'll be fighting a few kickboxing fights and a few more MMA fights before we see him in the UFC.

I hope i'm wrong though but i hoped i was wrong about M-1 and i was right. M-1/Fedor had low incentive to change their practices and it's pretty much the same with Overeem..only for far different reasons. You got to keep in mind as well that Overeem does have contracts with other orgs that value Overeem greatly(K-1 and DREAM) while not exclusive would pretty much put any UFC talk on hold because of how UFC does business..which is probably why we have not heard of any talk of Overeem even speaking to UFC post-SF release.

To drunk to read it all, finish it manana, but Reem didn't have the same hype in MMA when the Badr Hari fight happened and someone find me what he makes in K-1/Dream hell guys aren't even getting paid, cause personally can't see it eclipsing his UFC potentially, way more other money making ops through the UFC aswell.

As of Feb, Reem hadn't been payed for winning the Prix, that was Feb, but who knows...

LA wrote:

KingsOwn19 wrote:

I didnt know that. I thought Overeem-Werdum was kind of average, but i guess i got some events mixed up. Still don't think UFC blows him away with anything money wise and still wouldnt say he has strong drawing power in the states.

Reem said he's bigger in the States then in his home country..

man i gotta say, Reem was cool, when he came to dallas i got the lucky seats so also got a pass for his after party, he just wants to have fans you could tell, he was pissed that entire fight

Reem is mad cool, I like Reem a lot, just there's two sides to MMA, like any sport.