Alistair Overeem Plans to Call it a Career After a ‘Couple More Fights’

With victories in four of his last five UFC appearances, Alistair Overeem is still going strong.

Nonetheless, the 40-year-old Dutchman acknowledges that he is nearing the end of his mixed martial arts career. Overeem laid out a tentative timeframe for retirement in a post on social media Tuesday.

“I’m still improving: even at 40 I think you can clearly see that in my fights,” Overeem wrote. “I’m still on a learning curve. But I have to be realistic. I’m going to have a couple more fights, then I’m going to hang up the gloves. If I win the belt, then the mission is completed.”

I’m still improving: even at 40 I think you can clearly see that in my fights. I’m still on a learning curve. But I have to be realistic. I’m going to have a couple more fights, then I’m going to hang up the gloves. If I win the belt, then the mission is completed #onefinalrun pic.twitter.com/gxQrZrrhhc

— Alistair Overeem (@Alistairovereem) November 24, 2020

Overeem would be on a five-bout winning streak were it not for a last-second stoppage loss to Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC on ESPN 7 last December. Had the fight made it to the final horn, “The Demolition Man” would have won a decision. Still, the Elevation Fight Team representative boasts finishes of Sergei Pavlovich, Alexey Oleynik, Walt Harris and Augusto Sakai during his current run.

Overeem, who lost to Stipe Mioic in a heavyweight championship bout at UFC 203 in September 2016, will attempt to get closer to another title shot when he squares off against Alexander Volkov in the headliner of a UFC Fight Night event on Feb. 6.