OVEREEM (TEMPORARILY) JOINS MIKE'S GYM
15.04.2013
Alistair Overeem has joined Mike’s Gym in Amsterdam for some training while home to visit his mother.
The UFC heavyweight joins a team which currently includes Badr Hari, Gokhan Saki and the lightweight contender Murthel Groenhart.
However, it is only temporary. Overeem remains a member of the Blackzilians team in Florida and is merely getting some striking training in while back home in the Netherlands, sources tell Fighters Only.
Overeem’s homeland is, alongside Thailand of course, a mecca of kickboxing and in Mike’s Gym he is lining up alongside some of the top talents in the sport.
Hari is the former K-1 Heavyweight Champion while Saki demolished Daniel Ghita this past weekend to become the world ranked number two, and the lead contender for a shot at champion Semmy Schilt.
Coincidentally, Overeem and Saki used to be team mates at Golden Glory before moving on to their new homes. Overeem and Hari are – or were – bitter rivals and have gone 1-1, with both fights ending in KO.
Overeem moved to the Blackzilians after signing with the UFC while Saki took leave of Golden Glory when head trainer Cor Hemmers retired due to old age.
Mike’s Gym is headed by the eponymous Mike Passenier, who has had tremendous success as a coach. With Groenhart in particular he has taken a blank canvas of a youngster and moulded him into a potential world-beater.
Passenier is known as a superb analyst who spends hours watching video; some call him the Greg Jackson of kickboxing. His fighters are known for an aggressive, boxing-oriented game and a high KO rate.