Overeem Offers Verhoeven 2-Fight MMA and Boxing Deal as Usyk Opens a -5000 Favorite
Updated
Updated · MMA Junkie · May 21
Overeem Offers Verhoeven 2-Fight MMA and Boxing Deal as Usyk Opens a -5000 Favorite
8 articles · Updated · MMA Junkie · May 21
Alistair Overeem said he would come out of retirement to face Rico Verhoeven in a two-fight package—one MMA bout and one boxing match—after Verhoeven’s showdown with Oleksandr Usyk in Egypt.
Overeem argued Verhoeven, 37, is unlikely to switch fully to MMA because wrestling, submissions and positional grappling take years to master, making boxing the more realistic path.
Usyk enters Saturday’s fight at the Pyramids of Giza as a massive betting favorite, with Caesars listing the undisputed heavyweight champion as high as -5000 against Verhoeven.
Overeem expects Usyk to stop Verhoeven in the later rounds, saying the Ukrainian is on another level while Verhoeven remains relatively unknown outside GLORY kickboxing.
The matchup would revive a rivalry that never materialized in 2021, when Overeem withdrew injured from a planned GLORY: Collision 3 fight with Verhoeven.
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