Alistair Overeem is actively working toward a potential return to competition after announcing his retirement in 2023.
Overeem stepped away from fighting after multiple injuries made training camps nearly impossible, but says his health has since taken a turn for the better. He has focused on recovery methods including ice baths and dry needling, and is now exploring his options for a comeback.
“Injuries took me out of the sport. Took me out. I couldn’t train. I was actually in pain. I dove into longevity. A lot of ice baths, a lot of dry needling, a lot of everything and actually healed my body,” Overeem said. “There is motivation. We’re just looking at options. Like what can we do, what should we do?”
Overeem has not fought since 2022, when he faced Badr Hari in GLORY kickboxing. His unanimous decision win in that bout was later overturned to a no-contest after he tested positive for a banned substance. Before that, he suffered a knockout loss to Alexander Volkov in the UFC in 2021.
The former Strikeforce heavyweight champion and UFC title challenger has not specified whether a potential return would be in MMA, kickboxing, or boxing. He discussed but did not call for a matchup with Rico Verhoeven, saying, “Rico is an icon. He’s an icon, the kickboxing world is behind him, clean image, he’s actually a good guy.”
