Former UFC heavyweight Alistair Overeem backed fellow Dutch star Rico Verhoeven for choosing boxing instead of making the jump to the promotion.
Alistair Overeem has sided with Rico Verhoeven’s decision to stay out of the UFC and pursue boxing instead, arguing that the kickboxing great would face a far steeper challenge inside the cage. Overeem shared that view in comments to Bloody Elbow, offering a blunt assessment of how Verhoeven’s skill set would translate to MMA.
For American fight fans, that stance lands at a time when crossover chatter has become one of combat sports’ favorite topics, especially after high-profile strikers have tested themselves under MMA rules. But Overeem made clear that Verhoeven’s path would be far more complicated than simply relying on elite stand-up ability.
Overeem said he was glad Verhoeven did not go to the UFC, pointing to the promotion’s wrestling-heavy landscape as the biggest obstacle. He referenced Alex Pereira’s success as something rare, saying Pereira achieved something unique in the cage but had not consistently run into truly elite wrestlers. In Overeem’s view, that kind of matchup would have been a serious problem for Verhoeven.
That gets to the heart of the issue for any decorated kickboxer considering a UFC run. The heavyweight division may not be as wrestling-dominant as some lighter classes, but top-level grappling still decides fights, changes game plans and exposes defensive habits that pure strikers can get away with elsewhere. If Verhoeven ever made the move, he would need to prove he could defend takedowns, survive clinch sequences and build a complete MMA game rather than win exchanges at range.
From a U.S. media perspective, Verhoeven has long been viewed as a fascinating “what if” name rather than a sure-fire UFC contender. His reputation in kickboxing is unquestioned, but American fans tend to be skeptical of crossovers until they see cage-ready wrestling and jiu-jitsu. That is exactly why Overeem’s read carries weight: he has lived both worlds.
For now, Verhoeven appears set to stay in the lane that best fits his strengths, and if the crossover debate comes up again, Overeem’s warning about wrestling will remain the first thing to watch.
