Interview with recent K-1 champion fighter Alistair Overeem after defeating Benn Edwards.
An exclusive interview with the recent K-1 triumphant, Alistair Overeem, in which he makes an open appeal to Fedor Emelianenko, talks about the famous "Steroid Bychar", talks about plans for 2011 and his series of documentaries. This is Alistair's first interview in the world press since the victory over Benn Edwards.
ValeTudo: Alistair, for a start, let me congratulate you on your recent victory at the K-1 tournament. Impressive performance. Did everything go as you planned? Was your plan to counterattack Ben with side kicks (hook)?
Yes, the fight went as I expected, because I said that I would knock him out in the pen or the second round (laughs). But you never know how the battle will end, I did not have a special plan to catch him on counter-attacks, as it happened in battle, I just prepared for anything and was ready for any development of the battle. You can never know exactly what your opponent will do. I can say that Ben Edwards is a very powerful drummer and a strong guy, in the next fight he will succeed.
ValeTudo: What is your plan before December 11 (date of the final K-1 tournament). Are you going to take a breather before preparing for the fights again?
There is very little time until December 11, so I will not rest for a long time. I will start preparing from next week. After the final battles, I plan to take a break.
Fight between Benn Edwards (left) and Alistair Overeem. ValeTudo: Let's move on to MMA. Last week, Fedor Emelianenko made some comments completely unusual for his modest person, for example, he said the following when answering the question of a possible fight with you: “Strike Force cannot offer me a serious opponent. Alistair Overeem finds various excuses for our fight. The rest of the stars have lost their last battles, and therefore the organization is reluctant to put them against me. "
Well, here it starts again (laughs). There was a lot of discussion about whether it was really Fedor who made such statements, because Fedor will never answer the question like that. I know that M-1 often writes answers to interviews for Fedor, so I'm not surprised that M-1 said something like that. On the other hand, perhaps it was Fedor who said this, being misinformed by M-1, about negotiations for a fight with me in Strikeforce. M-1 is doing an excellent job of hiding the truth from Fedor. If Fedor had read on the Internet, especially the MMA websites of the USA, he would have been simply shocked at how much bad things are said about him and especially about the M-1 company. They (M-1) have destroyed his legacy with their own hands, with all those crazy demands and strange comments in the last year. Therefore, I hope that Fedor reads this interview and finds out what is really going on.
Alistair Overeem arrives at the Fedor - Werdum fight to challenge the winner. ValeTudo: Only yesterday it became known that Werdum's camp prefers to give Fyodor revenge instead of fighting you for the Strikeforce champion title. If you had a choice, who would you like to play your next fight with?
I remain true to my words, I already said, Werdum beat Fedor, so Werdum is the next contender for the title. It's too bad that Werdum is now saying such things out loud. This does not add weight to the champion belt and is disrespectful to the organization (Strikeforce) in general. I have never in my life heard that someone did not want to fight for the champion belt. If Werdum prefers a fight with Fedor, I will not be upset about this (laughs), but if Fedor wants to fight with me, I will be more than happy with this opportunity, it will be a great honor for me.
ValeTudo: Your documentary "The Reem" is amazing, it's the best MMA documentary, showing the life of a fighter from the inside out. Are you going to continue filming new episodes or do you have an ending planned for the film, something like "Final Episode"?
You know, to tell the truth, I don't know myself yet. I started this project hoping that I could find a sponsor to help me with the documentary. This is a lot of money for me and now I pay for everything out of my own pocket, I do it for the fans, so I hope to continue, but at the same time, I have to be realistic. If we find a sponsor by the end of the year, I promise to continue this project.
ValeTudo: Your manager Bas Boone said that you will fight at the Dynamite New Years tournament !! in Japan. Are there any options for your opponent? Is it possible that it will be a title fight, what you wanted so badly in the middle of the year?
I expressed a desire to fight at the Dynamite tournament, but it all depends on how the K1 grand prix goes). Perhaps I have 3 fights ahead, so there is a great risk of injury, but if I am healthy, I really want to have a fight on New Year's in Japan. My possible rival? Of course, this is either Fedor or Werdum (laughs). No, I'm kidding, of course. It would be great if it was a title fight.
ValeTudo: And the last question, what are your plans for 2011? Will we see you more often in MMA fights, or will it be a combination of K-1 fights and ultimate fights, as was the case in 2009 and 2010?
I don’t know, first I’ll take a break for rest, then I would really like to fight against Werdum in April / May, then in a couple of months another fight in Strikeforce, after which it will be visible.
