Alistair Overeem stunned the mixed martial arts community when it was announced that the Dutch fighter would be banned for a year due to failing a dope test. But, just a day after the news of the suspension was made public, Alistair Overeem’s team management has come forward with a claim of their own.
After calling it a career in mixed martial arts, the veteran heavyweight fighter is now competing for the GLORY kickboxing promotion. “The Reem” won a kickboxing match in October 2022 against the Moroccan fighter Badr Hari but also raised doubts about whether or not he had taken drugs to boost his performance.
This ain't even surprising 🤷♂️💀 #GLORY #kickboxing #Alistairovereem pic.twitter.com/FWhJq5UYGD
— PunchingNews (@PunchingNews) March 15, 2023
According to a statement from the kickboxing promotion, Overeem has been removed from the GLORY rankings, and his fight with Badr Hari has been ruled a ‘No Contest’ due to a violation of GLORY’s anti-doping rules. Alistair’s suspension will continue for 12 months, starting from his last fight – COLLISION 4, and he must also return a percentage of his wages.
#GLORY overturned #AlistairOvereem's win against #Morocco's #BadrHari last October after a doping violation was confirmed. Overeem has also been suspended for a year, in addition to being removed from GLORY rankings and relinquishing a part of his earnings from the Hari fight. pic.twitter.com/9lePlB1gsY
— Hespress English (@HespressEnglish) March 15, 2023
What does Alistair Overeem’s team management say about the failed drug test?
The members of the Demolition Man’s team, on the other hand, are telling a different story. The kickboxer did not see an improvement in his performance by abusing any sort of performance-enhancing drugs, as stated by a few members of Team Overeem.
Alistair Overeem has been suspended and his win over Badr Hari has been overturned due to a doping violation.
📰 https://t.co/pxh2MAXmPZ pic.twitter.com/HURifHXDw9
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) March 14, 2023
According to the Dutch kickboxer’s coach Nick Hemmers, a minimal amount of nonperformance enhancing drug was found in his blood which was only utilized to treat his back injury as opposed to affecting his performance.
“I think it’s nonsense that his victory was taken away. We simply won that match against Badr, and I will always say that. We have taken note of the removal of Alistair from the ranking.” said Nick.
This is not the first time the 42-year-old fighter has failed a drug test. In 2016, after testing positive for elevated testosterone levels while competing for the UFC, the Nevada Athletic Commission handed him a nine-month suspension.
🚨| Alistair Overeem has failed a doping test.
Overeem has been suspended for one year from October 8, 2022 and his victory over Badr Hari has been overturned to a No Contest.
[per @KrisDekkerMMA]#GLORY #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/H3NyIE8gU6
— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) March 14, 2023
Overeem is currently 42 years old, thus it’s quite doubtful that after a year-long suspension for doping offenses, he would be ready to fight in any combat sports. His team management, though, is doing everything they can to get him off the suspension.
“After the B-sample was also positive, it was to be expected that his fight against Badr Hari would be converted to ‘No Contest’. We are talking about trace amounts of a supplement that Alistair has used for recovery from an injury, which is not performance-enhancing.”
“This injury occurred during the preparations for his fight with Rico [Verhoeven]. It surprised Alistair that after eight months traces were still found in his system. For now, we will rest and wait and see what comes next.” Overeem’s team management wrote in an official statement.
per @KrisDekkerMMA
Alistair Overeem has been suspended a year by GLORY for failing a drug test. His last fight will be declared a NC. pic.twitter.com/GE9WWf05Pc
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) March 14, 2023
Do you support Glory’s decision to place the veteran fighter on a one-year suspension? Or do you think the penalties for failing a drug test should have been more severe to convey a strong message to the young fighters?
