Alsitair Overeem is training in Thailand. The kickboxing legend and MMA veteran is putting in the final preparations ahead of his heavyweight fight with Badr Hari in Holland this month.
Overeem has been reunited with his old coach Cor Hemmers. The two worked together ahead of the K-1 Grand Prix in 2010 which the Dutchman won, arguably the finest achievement of his career.
These days Hemmers, who is 66, usually lets his son do most of the pad work. But he had travelled to Singapore to corner Marat Grigorian so the veteran trainer was reunited with one of his most successful fighters in Pattaya.
Overeem shared some footage on Instagram of the two men working out together:
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Previous fights
They appear to be at the Fairtex Gym in Pattaya. The fight will headline Glory Collision 4 which is set for the 41,00 capacity GelreDome in Arnheim and sees two of the greatest Dutch kickboxers of all time face off for what will surely be the final time.
Overeem and Hadr’s two previous fights have both taken place in Japan. They share a win apiece and both bouts were finished in the opening round.
In 2008 Overeem knocked out Hadr with a left hook at the Dynamite! event, Shinya Aoki submitted Eddie Alvarez the same night. The following year the Dutch Moroccan would have his revenge, scoring a first round knockout of his own in the semi finals of the K-1 heavyweight Grand Prix.
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Veteran kickboxers
Overeem is 42 and has not competed in kickboxing since 2010 when he won the K-1 Grand Prix. But the Dutchman has not exactly been stuck on the sidelines, he emerged as a major star with the UFC.
Overeem challenged for the UFC heavyweight title in 2016 but was stopped by Stipe Miocic. He has previously been the heavyweight champion with both Dream and Strikeforce.
In total Overeem fought 20 times for the UFC, winning 12 of those fights. He would have fought more frequently but was banned for the best part of a year after testing positive for a banned steroid in 2011.
Meanwhile Hari has been consistently competing in kickboxing although recent results suggest he is past his prime. The former K-1 heavyweight champion hasn’t won any of his past six fights with a decision victory changed to a no contest after a failed drugs test.
Overeem will be hoping to roll back the years and recapture the form that saw him win the K-1 heavyweight Grand Prix in 2010. And he has enlisted the help of the man who masterminded that victory to do it!
