Ex-UFC contender Alistair Overeem set to challenge champ Rico Verhoeven at GLORY: Collision 3
Alistair Overeem has his next combat sports assignment, and it comes in the form of one of kickboxing’s most notable names.
A former UFC heavyweight contender, Overeem is set to compete for the first time since his promotional release and subsequent signing with GLORY Kickboxing. At “GLORY: Collision 3,” Overeem will challenge champion Rico Verhoeven for the heavyweight title.
The event will take place Oct. 23 at GelreDome, a 34,000-seat stadium in Arnhem, Netherlands. Overeem, 41, announced the news Monday on “The MMA Hour.”
Overeem departed the UFC days after a February TKO loss to Alexander Volkov. The loss was his second in four fights. Since 2010, Overeem has strictly competed in MMA. His last kickboxing bout was a TKO win over Peter Aerts in the K-1 Grand Prix 2010 Final. With that win, Overeem extended his kickboxing record to 10-4.
Verhoeven, 32, is regarded by many as one of the greatest heavyweight kickboxers of all time. He enters the match against Overeem with a 58-10 record and on a 14-fight winning streak, which includes victories over Badr Hari, Hesdy Gerges, Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva and, most recently, Tarik Khbabez.
