Alistair Overeem tests positive for Elevated Testosterone

Alistair Overeem has tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone and must now appear before the Nevada Athletic Commission before he can be licensed to fight at UFC 146.

NAC Executive Director Keith Kizer emailed Sherdog.com the test results on Wednesday. The No. 1 contender for the UFC heavyweight title, Overeem is slated to take on champion Junior dos Santos on May 26 in Las Vegas. However, that booking now appears to be in jeopardy.

According to Kizer, Overeem’s testosterone to epitestosterone (T/E) ratio was greater than 10-to-1, exceeding the allowable 6-to-1 limit. Along with five other competitors, “The Demolition Man” was tested following a UFC 146 press conference in Las Vegas on March 27. Frank Mir, Roy Nelson, Antonio Silva, Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos all produced negative tests.

The surprise test marked the first of two randomly administered screens Overeem had been ordered to submit prior to his May 26 outing as per the terms of the conditional license he was granted to compete at UFC 141.

Overeem had been asked to submit a pre-fight urine sample prior to his Dec. 30 clash with Brock Lesnar, but he was unable to immediately comply due to his travel between the United States and the Netherlands. Days later, Overeem submitted a sample to an approved facility in the United Kingdom and was cleared to fight on the condition that he undergo additional testing after the bout. The Dutchman dominated Lesnar in the UFC 141 main event later that month, earning a first-round technical knockout to claim his stake as the No. 1 contender for dos Santos’ belt.

Source: http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/Alistair-Overeem-Tests-Positive-for-Elevated-Testosterone-Must-Appear-Before-Nevada-Commission-41607

There's a great interview in this month's fighters only magazine with Overeem where they ask him about his dual nationality as he has a British mother. He said he felt partly British and when Fighters Only joked about us Brits being able to claim him for our own he said we can along with the Dutch. So I was hoping he was going to win in May so that I could claim him as the first ever British UFC champion LOL...that looks like its going for a burton.

I read that too, i'll still claim him but it's a shame.

It's an odd one as disappointing he failed but you'd have to be completely ignorant to think he doesn't take them!

His contract when joining the UFC or athletics commission stipulated 2 random tests 6 months after fighting Lesnar, which i think was due to him being late or something with his testing then.

Another ironic thing is in one of his latest Reem videos he's wearing a t-shirt the the words "Drug Free" on it!

Well they dont call him Overoid for nothing

talkingpoint wrote:There's a great interview in this month's fighters only magazine with Overeem where they ask him about his dual nationality as he has a British mother. He said he felt partly British and when Fighters Only joked about us Brits being able to claim him for our own he said we can along with the Dutch. So I was hoping he was going to win in May so that I could claim him as the first ever British UFC champion LOL...that looks like its going for a burton.

Strange with everything I've read about him there's never been any mention of dual nationality, although being born in England means he can apply for it, & that he has a Dutch mother & a Jamaican father.

A shame about failing the urine test although it's no real surprise when you see the size of him or his physique, would've been a good fight. Now it seems Frank Mir is going to replace him. Thoughts on this & the victor?

what Mir in the main event for the title? Seriously!!! This is brilliant for Mir but I fear he's going to get KO'd! Mir needs and I mean needs to take this fight to the ground and use his BJJ. JDS is the best striker in the heavyweight division (bar Overeem) so Mir shouldn't even think about standing and striking.

Apparently so. After reading on here about Overeem I checked out some news & vids on MMA Core & it was being talked about on them. Was a vid saying that JDS needs to keep it standing & how Mir sent out a message after breaking Nogs arm. I think he's a good choice based on his recent record, on a 3 or 4 fight winning run. Do agree with you he's got a good chance of being ko'd if it stays standing, his chins not the best.

with 4 ounce gloves anyone could be called chinny in the heavyweight division - look at Cain TKO'd in 64 seconds! These guys are just so powerful that if they connect you're going down no matter who you are.

Mir's stand up has improved but he was slow out of the starting blocks against Big Nog and almost paid the price for it; he's going to need to fake and shoot for the takedown quickly and then get into side control or full mount. I'm sure JDS' submission defence is good, especially if he's trained purposefully for Mir but I'd rather take my chances on the ground than standing against JDS. Mir holds the record for the most amount of broken limbs in the UFC - he's the most feared submission artist in the heavyweight division, he needs to impose his will on this fight or its going to be lights out.

talkingpoint wrote:with 4 ounce gloves anyone could be called chinny in the heavyweight division - look at Cain TKO'd in 64 seconds! These guys are just so powerful that if they connect you're going down no matter who you are.


Disagree to be honest, if this was boxing I would agree. Take Roy Nelson for example a guy you'd have to say has a granite chin. He takes punch after punch & then comes back with his own & mostly goes the distance. Mir however has been rocked & stopped several times, notably by Nog, full credit to him for surviving & turning it around, but I think Nog only has himself to blame. With regards to Cain it was more that the punch hit him on the temple that ended it so quick

Mir's stand up has improved but he was slow out of the starting blocks against Big Nog and almost paid the price for it; he's going to need to fake and shoot for the takedown quickly and then get into side control or full mount. I'm sure JDS' submission defence is good, especially if he's trained purposefully for Mir but I'd rather take my chances on the ground than standing against JDS.

Your right about that I just can't see Mir winning the stand up which from what I've seen is where JDS likes to be. JDS is a bit of an enigma, we've only really seen him on his feet where he is very good & has an ability to keep it that way, I've not really seen him on the ground or have to defend take downs much, I'm sure he's a well rounded fighter & if Mir does take him down we will find out!


Mir holds the record for the most amount of broken limbs in the UFC - he's the most feared submission artist in the heavyweight division, he needs to impose his will on this fight or its going to be lights out.

I didn't know that, that's a crazy statistic, certainly has a bit of a nasty streak mixed with great submission technique.

Roy Nelson has arguably the best chin in the entire UFC and is himself an exception and not a rule; but lets not forget that Mir was also rocked in the Big Nog fight by a strike to the temple, not the chin! But yes in light of Mir's UFC record all his loses are by TKO and therefore he does not stand a good chance on the feet with JDS.

Incidently Mir has broken 4 arms in the UFC more than any other fighter, so I'm sure JDS will be aware of just how dangerous Mir is on the ground!

talkingpoint wrote:Roy Nelson has arguably the best chin in the entire UFC and is himself an exception and not a rule; but lets not forget that Mir was also rocked in the Big Nog fight by a strike to the temple, not the chin! But yes in light of Mir's UFC record all his loses are by TKO and therefore he does not stand a good chance on the feet with JDS.

Incidently Mir has broken 4 arms in the UFC more than any other fighter, so I'm sure JDS will be aware of just how dangerous Mir is on the ground!

Bad as it sounds I laughed when I read that! Certainly see why Mir is one of the most feared fighters on the ground.

So what is going to happen to Overeem? Will there be a ban or something?

AlexHuckerby wrote:So what is going to happen to Overeem? Will there be a ban or something?

I imagine so. Dana White takes a pretty hard line on failed drug tests, Nick Diaz tested positive for weed & is facing a ban, although apparently he has a medical certificate for it. Chael Sonnen got 12 month ban reduced to 6 months as he was prescribed testosterone as he has a low count but didn't declare it beforehand. There was a guy within the last 12 months who failed day before a big UFC fight, kicked out & now fighting for a low level outfit BAMMA, Nate somebody. The UFC want to be viewed in a good positive light so pretty much have a zero tolerance policy. I think Overeem is f*****, his T to E ratio was apparently 14 to 1, NSAC allow 6 to 1, don't know how he will explain this. I have heard he will get the B sample tested & also pay for a test to prove whether the elevated testosterone level is natural or otherwise. His physique says otherwise. He is out of the fight with JDS as it stands.

It now seems that Mir will not be facing JDS, Dana White has said Mir vs Cain is still on & could be made into the headline fight if no opponent for JDS is found. Names that have been mentioned are Mark Hunt, Dan Henderson & Fedor, although with the Fedor I don't know how serious this is & he has a fight lined up for June in Russia which would count him out. Personally I think Mir is a far better option than the others, it would be better for JDS to defend his title & Cain either drop out or fight Hunt. I get the feeling Dana wants JDS & Cain to face off again & that he wants Mir as a warm up opponent who he thinks will lose.

yeah I get the impression Dana doesn't particularly want Mir in the title picture. Mir was heavily criticised by Dana for 'failing' to make the Cro Cop fight entertaining and didn't even award Mir the KO bonus despite the fact that his KO of Cro Cop was the only one of the night! If Mir beats Cain then Dana will have no choice but to put him in a title fight but it's obvious he'd rather have a rematch between JDS and Cain.

talkingpoint wrote:yeah I get the impression Dana doesn't particularly want Mir in the title picture. Mir was heavily criticised by Dana for 'failing' to make the Cro Cop fight entertaining and didn't even award Mir the KO bonus despite the fact that his KO of Cro Cop was the only one of the night! If Mir beats Cain then Dana will have no choice but to put him in a title fight but it's obvious he'd rather have a rematch between JDS and Cain.

Kind of says it all really doesn't it. From what I was reading yesterday I got the impression that Dana would like to put him Cain in but since he beat Brock he's only had 1 fight in 20 months & needs a 'warm up' first.

That's one of the problems I have with Dana, he's so biased in favor of his favorite fighters or fighters that bring or potentially bring money to the table. I remember when Cain beat Brock there was talk that Cain would attract more fans from the Mexican & Hispanic communities. On the Boxing forum its often mentioned how well the UFC is run compared to boxing at the moment with regards to big fights & the best fighting the best, but sometimes its not quite as clean cut as we think, one mans bias can get in the way. Here's hoping Mir wins just to throw a spanner in Dana's works.

I always support Mir in his fights but this will be a stern test. If Mir loses to Cain then I think his best chances of fighting for the title again will be lost. Mir only has a couple more years in him at most and if he can't beat Velasquez then he'll probably be relegated to gatekeeper, something I doubt Mir will be too happy with. He wrote an article in fighter's only magazine a couple of months ago about how he won't need an 'intervention' to retire but will make the decision for himself when the time is right.

Apparently Overeem is up before the NSAC on the 24th to state his case/reason for the elevated testosterone levels in his body so he can have his license granted & fight JDS. I have now heard that he isn't getting his B sample tested & that he is on TRT but didn't declare it. Apparently this is his reason for the high levels but for me this is just to convenient. I get the impression that in the States now you can get these prescriptions as easily as the medical marijauna from the Dr, you just pay $100 & your on your way. What I am hearing a lot recently is that guys are getting TRT due to low natural levels but the cause of the low levels is guys using various ped's in the first place & at a young age!! What do others think about this & if Overeem is cleared to fight?

all sounds quite technical to me, either he's cheating or not and I suspect the former but I'm sure UFC will do everything they can to allow the fight to go ahead. Overeem I'm sure is good for business.

Well it seems he's gonna use a technicality to get out of this mess & has apparently got a top lawyer who represents the top tier of sports stars & Hollywood types to represent him. I just find this whole TRT to be a loophole in the system, same with those using steroids to recover from injuries quicker.

I'm beginning to think the same as you, this fight is gonna go ahead, as you say Overeem is good for business. A shame.

The fight is now Dos Santos v Mir

The NSAC have given Overeem a 9 month ban for his elevated testosterone levels which 'have occurred' after he was given something for an injury from a Doctor with a bit of a dubious background, again a fighter 'did not know' what it contained. Apparently the Dr said there wasn't enough in there to give any performance enhancing effect which begs the question why it was so high! Overeem will be able to apply for a license & fight on Dec 29th at a supposedly already planned big money event. Some say they think this was a done deal before the hearing & the whole situation puts the commission & the UFC in a not so good light with regard to peds within the sport. As has already been mentioned Frank Mir replaces him against JDS & Cain will now fight Big Foot, I forget who Roy Nelson has lined up.

I must say it was a good few years since Pride that i had saw Alistair, it's fair to say he's bulked up a 'little'.

Yes just a touch. I must say I've found the whole Overeem bulking up & physique a bit strange, I mean how much of an advantage does he have being so big & ripped almost bodybuilder style? To me that kind of physique doesn't bode well for high work rate & long fights or for the ground game. If you look at Fedor for example it never looked as though he hit the weights or followed a strict diet & had huge success. I know that he has trained for strength & explosive power but is his physique the result of that type of training & diet?

yeah typically a body builders frame is not built for stamina or endurance or conducive to good cardio, which is very important in MMA. Overeem may have developed the muscle mass to finish opponents quickly but I very much doubt he could go more than 3 rounds without gassing.

To be honest I dont think Overeem has a high enough work rate to gas, if he gets in with someone who will make him fight at pace, take his best and still come back, then he might be in a little trouble. But who could do this?

I think Cain would be a good test for Overeem, Cain's cardio is excellent and he's a tough opponent - good wrestler and striker.

Would his chin hold up though if caught? Overeem does have a great takedown defense aswell

Cain can be a monster in his own right - look at the way he handled Brock to win the title, I'm sure Cain could take Overeem down if he was busy enough to work the body, head and then switch to the double leg. Of course he could get tagged and it could all be over but I'm sure he'd make it competitive.

Soldier_Of_Fortune wrote:Would his chin hold up though if caught? Overeem does have a great takedown defense aswell

Would Overeems chin hold up against Cain if caught? In K1 he has been floored & was stopped by Badr Hari in the rematch admittedly it may have been premature but Hari was taking him apart. There has been a lot of discussions about the style & losses of the LHW Overeem & the new style of the HW Overeem. In the early days he had a much higher workrate but was often countered & ko'd a few times, hence why he was considered to have a glass jaw. Now that he is much bigger he is relying on explosive power & single punches, keeping his hands up guarding that chin. Now I know that Kick Boxing & MMA are different but in the 2010 final both Tyrone Spong & Gokhan Saki, fighting one handed, both had success early, Spong was not so experienced & Saki had he had use of both hands would've made things a lot harder. Before we all get carried away with him we must remember that his opponents at HW have not been as good as his LHW & kick boxing ones.

http://www.mma-core.com/videos/interviews/Dana_White_talks_about_UFC_146_change_to_Frank_Mir_to_face_J/10028764

Dana is definitely angry with Overeem! Seriously he was on the eve of becoming the first ever grandslam heavyweight champion in MMA and he goes and blows it.

He's certainly not a happy man, thought he was going to cry a couple of times. To be fair to Dana I think he genuinely wants the sport to be clean, other fighters who failed were kicked out, Overeem has got off fairly lightly it seems. Also he lied to him & saying "you can test me anytime, I'm the most tested athlete in the world" doesn't help. To be honest the fact he has fought in Pride & K1 probably means he either wasn't tested or they didn't care, who else has been testing him?