Alistair Overeem has heard Andrei Arlovski talk about how he isn’t happy that the two are set to meet this Sunday at UFC Fight Night 87 after Overeem joined Jackson-Wink MMA.
Overeem, a former Strikeforce champion, sees things differently.
“He keeps going on about this. I was not given a choice,” said Overeem, during an appearance on UFC Tonight. “Lorenzo (Fertitta) texted me that they wanted me to headline this fight in Rotterdam. They wanted me to fight Arlovski. I said I was fine with it. He’s not my buddy. We don’t even train together. I don’t have a problem with it.
“He’s training with Greg and Wink. I’m training with Chad Smith, the main wrestling coach, and the main BJJ coach, and I flew in some other coaches who I’ve been working with throughout my career. These are people I get along with very well and have good working relationship with.”
Overeem even went in-depth in discussing training sessions that to two have shared under the gym roof, saying that he definitely got the better of the former UFC champion.
“Sorry to open your eyes. This is a full-contact sport,” he said. “It’s the objective to disable your opponent even if sparring or a real fight. You’ve got to use your technique. Yeah, I did disable him in training. He’s never been my friend. I’m ok with it.”
As for where he goes with a win over Arlovski, that is easy, says Overeem.
“I expect to get a title shot after I beat Andrei Sunday,” he said. “But let’s not get ahead of it. He’s going to want to knock my head off. It’s my job to stay sharp and focused. But if I win, I expect to get that title shot in November.”
