A recent photograph featuring former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem has created a buzz within the combat sports community, leaving enthusiasts in awe and concerned.
Throughout his remarkable 25-year career, Overeem has solidified his position as one of the most dominant and intimidating competitors in various global promotions. Fans have long been captivated by his imposing and muscular physique, which has become a defining characteristic of his presence in combat sports. However, the latest image of Overeem standing alongside RIZIN CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara presents a contrasting visual of the renowned athlete.
The photograph showcases a noticeably different physique for Overeem, diverging from the image of the horse-loving “Ubereem” that fans have grown accustomed to. This unexpected transformation has sparked curiosity and speculation among followers of the sport.
In any conversation surrounding Alistair Overeem’s physical appearance, it is inevitable to address the controversies surrounding his use of PEDs.
One significant setback in Overeem’s career occurred in 2012 when he was scheduled to compete for the UFC title against then-champion Junior dos Santos. However, a month prior to the event, it was revealed that Overeem’s testosterone-to-epitestosterone ratio exceeded the allowed limit, measuring a staggering 14-to-1 instead of the permitted 6-to-1. As a result, the UFC made the decision to withdraw Overeem from the bout.
Presently, Alistair Overeem is serving a 12-month suspension after testing positive for PEDs following his unanimous decision victory over Badr Hari at GLORY: Collision 4 in October. The suspension, which began six weeks after the event, is expected to conclude in the upcoming fall. Consequently, Overeem’s initial win was overturned and recorded as a no-contest.
“I’m like an experienced person I do things and then I feel hey this happens that happens and uh totally changed up my diet I became vegetarian also I got no desire to eat meat anymore so it’s just a choice.”
In a recent interview, Overeem clarified:
“I’m here to kind of bring this information about meat is not good food. It negatively affects you. Yes it tastes delicious even now if I would… I could still eat meat but I just choose not to”
“Um, my diet, my appetite changed, so I usually ate steak at eight o’clock in the morning, and I just felt like steak at eight o’clock in the morning. That was like a standard thing. So, and then I was like, “Yeah, I don’t—I’m full. I don’t want to eat this anymore.” So the next day, I went for less. It was just one more steak I ate, and then the day after that, I didn’t want to eat it anymore.”
“Now, the story behind it: When I spoke to Julian (his nutritionist), I asked him, “Um, what’s happening? My, my, my—I don’t want to eat my steak anymore, and I want to eat my steak because I want to build muscles.” And then he said, “Listen, you had parasites in your body. We gave you the supplements. You started detoxing your body, creating an alkaline environment. These supplements are just simple seaweed that everybody could actually take, and they create an alkaline environment which these parasites do not like. Actually, they get hurt, and they will die off. And once you get rid of them, your tastes change because it’s not me who needs to eat meat; it’s the parasites that influence me. They work through me.”