Valentijn Overeem (; born 17 August 1976) is a retired Dutch professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

and

kickboxer Kickboxing is a combat sport focused on kicking and punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, general ...

currently signed with

United Glory Glory, formerly Glory World Series, is an international kickboxing promotion based in Singapore, which is owned by Pierre Andurand. It is one of the largest kickboxing promotion companies in the world, and features some of the highest-level figh ...

. A professional competitor since 1996, he has previously fought for the

PRIDE Fighting Championships PRIDE Fighting Championships (Pride or Pride FC, founded as KRS-Pride) was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion company. Its inaugural event was held at the Tokyo Dome on October 11, 1997. Pride held more than sixty mixed martial arts even ...

RINGS Ring may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell :(hence) to initiate a telephone connection Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...

, KSW, the

World Fighting Alliance The World Fighting Alliance (WFA) was a mixed martial arts organization based in the United States. Owned and organized by mixed martial arts, MMA legend and trainer John Lewis (Promoter/Match Maker) and nightclub operator and "Club Rubber" prom ...

K-1 K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion established in 1993, well known worldwide mainly for its heavyweight division fights and Grand Prix tournaments. In January 2012, K-1 Global Holdings Limited, a company registered in Hong Kong, acquired ...

M-1 Global M-1 Global (Mixfight-1) or MMA-1 (Mixed martial arts-1) is a mixed martial arts promotion based in St. Petersburg, Russia which organizes between 10 and 20 competitions per year. It hosted its first major show (rather than co-promoting with othe ...

, Its Showtime,

World Victory Road World Victory Road (WVR) is a defunct Japanese mixed martial arts (MMA) organization which promoted the Sengoku Raiden Championship (SRC) in Japan. The organization was formed in 2007 following the purchase of PRIDE FC by Zuffa. It operated in c ...

, and

Strikeforce Strike Force may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games * ''Strike Force'' (video game), a 1991 arcade game *'' Commandos: Strike Force'', a 2006 video game *'' Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce'', a 2009 video game *''Marvel Strike Force'', ...

. He is the older brother of fellow MMA Superstar

Alistair Overeem Alistair Cees Overeem (born 17 May 1980) is a Dutch professional heavyweight mixed martial artist and kickboxer, currently competing in the heavyweight division of Glory. He is a former Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion, Dream Heavyweight C ...

. Overeem has notable wins over fighters such as

Randy Couture Randall Duane Couture (; born June 22, 1963) is an American actor, former United States Army, U.S. Army sergeant, former mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and former Collegiate wrestling, collegiate and Greco-Roman wrestling, Greco-Roman ...

and

Renato Sobral Renato da Cunha Sobral (; born 7 September 1975), also known as "Babalu", is a retired Brazilian Luta Livre submission grappler, mixed martial artist, and was the former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion. Sobral previously fought in the Ult ...

Biography

Overeem was born in

Amersfoort Amersfoort () is a city and municipality in the province of Utrecht, Netherlands, about 20 km from the city of Utrecht and 40 km south east of Amsterdam. As of 1 December 2021, the municipality had a population of 158,531, making it the second- ...

Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city and a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, pro ...

but now lives in Turkey and is associated with the ''Imperial Athletics'' gym in

Boca Raton, Florida Boca Raton ( ; es, Boca Ratón, link=no, ) is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It was first incorporated on August 2, 1924, as "Bocaratone," and then incorporated as "Boca Raton" in 1925. The population was 97,422 in the ...

where he trains with his younger brother

Alistair Alistair is a masculine given name. It is an Anglicised form of the Scottish Gaelic ''Alasdair''. The latter is most likely a Scottish Gaelic variant of the Norman French Alexandre or Latin Alexander, which was incorporated into English in the sam ...

. Along with his younger brother, Valentijn spent part of his childhood in England, which is where his brother was born.

RINGS

Valentijn was trained at the

Chris Dolman Christiaan "Chris" Dolman (born February 17, 1945) is a Dutch retired judoka, sambo player and wrestler. He won a silver medal at the European championship in judo and a gold at the world championship in sambo, counting as the first non-Russian ...

gym, where he specialized in

kickboxing Kickboxing is a combat sports, combat sport focused on kicking and punch (strike), punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is pract ...

and

sambo , aka = Sombo (in English-speaking countries) , focus = Hybrid , country = Soviet Union , pioneers = Viktor Spiridonov, Vasili Oshchepkov, Anatoly Kharlampiev , famous_pract = List of Practitioners , oly ...

before debuting at the Japanese professional wrestling promotion Fighting Network RINGS. In 1999, Overeem participated in the RINGS King of Kings tournament, but he was submitted and eliminated by

Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira (, born 2 June 1976), better known as Minotauro or Big Nog, is a Brazilian retired mixed martial artist. He competed in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former Interi ...

at the first round. He would perform better at the next edition of the tournament, advancing on the first round after eliminating sambo champion Suren Balachinskiy. Overeem earned a yellow card for holding the ropes to avoid a takedown at one point, but he made up by outstriking Suren and focusing on kicking his injured leg, finishing the match by knee strikes. Valentijn then advanced further against famed

luta livre Luta Livre (, lit. ''freestyle fighting''), known in Brazil as Luta Livre Brasileira (lit. ''Brazilian freestyle fighting'') or Luta Livre Submission, and also Brazilian Submission Wrestling, is a Brazilian martial arts and combat sport created ...

practitioner

in an upset. Overeem was the superior striker, prompting Sobral to take him down. Overeem looked for a Kimura lock, the Brazilian reversed it into an armbar creating an exchange that ended with Overeem taking by accident an illegal punch to the jaw that almost knocked him out. As Overeem seemed unable to continue, both judges and the referee proposed to stop the match, but Valentijn's corner insisted on continuing. Returning to the fight, Overeem managed to compose himself and take down Babalu by kosoto gake, which the lutador countered by threatening with another armbar from the bottom. This time, however, Overeem captured a leg and quickly transitioned into a Leglock#Toe hold, toehold, making Sobral tap out. After eliminating Yoshihisa Yamamoto (wrestler), Yoshihisa Yamamoto by armbar in under one minute, Overeem continued advancing, and got another upset by choking out

in a failed takedown. The final match of the tournament was against Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira, with Overeem submitted once again in the first round.

Strikeforce

On 9 June 2010, Overeem signed to fight under the Strikeforce banner. He was scheduled to fight Antônio Silva (fighter), Antônio Silva on 4 December 2010, but suffered an injury that caused him to withdraw from the fight. He eventually made his promotional debut against Ray Sefo at ''Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva'' on 12 February 2011 where he won in the first round by using a neck crank. Overeem then returned against Chad Griggs at Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum on 18 June 2011, in Dallas, Texas. Overeem lost as he tapped out due to punches. On 3 August 2011, Golden Glory announced that Overeem had been released from his contract by Strikeforce.

Post-Strikeforce

On 25 February, Overeem won his fight against Polish kickboxer and mixed martial artist Marcin Różalski at KSW 18 in Płock, Poland. He replaced injured Jérôme Le Banner and took the fight on 2 days notice. Overeem won by submission (toe hold) in the first round. Overeem fought in a kickboxing match on 23 February 2013 after 16 years of inactivity as a professional kickboxer where he faced James Wilson, a former professional boxer turned kickboxer. The fight was held in Miami on the debut event of S-1 Challenge, it ended in a No Contest decision due to an unsafe ring as both fighters fell over the ropes with Wilson falling twice. On 7 December 2013, Overeem fought Mikhail Mokhnatkin at Fight Nights: Battle of Moscow 14. Overeem lost via KO in the first round. Overeem faced Konstantin Gluhov in a rematch on 12 April 2014 at PFC 6: Pancrase Fighting Championship 6. Overeem lost by first-round KO. Overeem would then lose his next bout against Ante Delija via TKO at HOG: House of Gladiators 9 in round one. In 2013, Overeem featured in the video clip Street Credibility by the Belgian rapper CHG Unfadable.

Championships and accomplishments

* Fighting Network RINGS **RINGS King of Kings 2000 Tournament Runner Up **RINGS Free Fight Dutch Heavyweight Champion *Durata World Grand Prix **Durata World Grand Prix 2003 Tournament Champion

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 32–34 , Ante Delija , TKO (punches) , HOG: House of Gladiators 9 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:24 , Dubrovnik, Croatia , , - , Loss , align=center, 32–33 , Konstantin Gluhov , KO (punch) , PFC 6: Pancrase Fighting Championship 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:33 , Marseille, France , , - , Loss , align=center, 32–32 , Mikhail Mokhnatkin , TKO (submission to strikes) , Fight Nights: Battle of Moscow 14 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:45 , Moscow, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 32–31 , Konstantin Gluhov , KO (knee) , PFC 5: Clash of the Titans , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:48 , Marseille, France , , - , Loss , align=center, 32–30 , Michael Knaap , TKO (punches) , Beast of the East , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:03 , Zutphen, The Netherlands , , - , Loss , align=center, 32–29 , Evgeny Erokhin , TKO (punches) , Pankration: Battle of Empires 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:43 , Khabarovsk, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 32–28 , Michał Kita , Submission (guillotine choke) , Oktagon Italy , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:03 , Assago, Lombardy, Italy , , - , Win , align=center, 32–27 , Marcin Rózalski , Submission (toe hold) , 2012 in Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki events#KSW 18, KSW 18 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:24 , Plock, Poland , , - , Loss , align=center, 31–27 , Chad Griggs , TKO (submission to punches) , Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:55 , Dallas, Texas, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 31–26 , Ray Sefo , Submission (baseball choke) , Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:37 , East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 30–26 , Catalin Zmarandescu , KO (knee) , K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 in Bucharest , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:50 , Bucharest, Romania , , - , Win , align=center, 29–26 , Tengiz Tedoradze , KO (head kick) , Pancrase Fighting Championship 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:06 , Marseille, France , , - , Loss , align=center, 28–26 , Rafal Dabrowski , TKO (submission to punches) , Beast of the East , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:17 , Gdynia, Poland , , - , Loss , align=center, 28–25 , Nikolai Onikienko , TKO (broken nose) , Ultimate Glory 11: A Decade of Fights , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:47 , Amsterdam, Netherlands , , - , Win , align=center, 28–24 , Kazuo Takahashi , KO (flying knee) , 2008 in World Victory Road#World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 4, World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:42 , Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 27–24 , Sasa Lazic , Submission (kimura) , LOTR: Schilt vs. Guelmino , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:33 , Serbia , , - , Loss , align=center, 26–24 , Milco Voorn , Submission (choke) , King of the Ring , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:45 , Netherlands , , - , Loss , align=center, 26–23 , Gilbert Yvel , Submission (armbar) , It's Showtime Boxing & MMA Event 2005 Amsterdam , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:30 , Amsterdam, Netherlands , , - , Loss , align=center, 26–22 , Shungo Oyama , Submission (toe hold) , HERO'S 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:28 , Saitama, Saitama, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 26–21 , Kresimir Bogdanovic , TKO (injury) , Ultimate Nokaut 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A , Croatia , , - , Win , align=center, 26–20 , Ross Pointon , TKO (elbows) , Anarchy Fight Night , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:59 , England , , - , Loss , align=center, 25–20 , Dave Dalgliesh , KO (punches) , 2 Hot 2 Handle , , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A , Netherlands , , - , Win , align=center, 25–19 , Autimio Antonia , KO (punches) , CFC 1: Cage Carnage , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:57 , Essex, England , , - , Win , align=center, 24–19 , Roman Savochka , Submission (guillotine choke) , rowspan=3, Durata World Grand Prix 3 , rowspan=3, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:31 , rowspan=3, Croatia , , - , Win , align=center, 23–19 , Milco Voorn , Submission (smother choke) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:21 , , - , Win , align=center, 22–19 , Andrei Rudakov , Submission (americana) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:21 , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–19 , Dave Vader , TKO (injury) , It's Showtime 2003 Amsterdam , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:22 , Amsterdam, Netherlands , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–18 , Mikko Rupponen , Decision (split) , Fight Festival 7 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 15:00 , Finland , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–17 , Ibragim Magomedov , TKO (corner stoppage) , 2003 in M-1 Global#M-1 MFC - Russia vs. the World 5, M-1 MFC: Russia vs. the World 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:20 , Saint Petersburg, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–16 , Ron Waterman , Submission (americana) , PRIDE 24 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:18 , Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–15 , Rodney Glunder , TKO (retirement) , 2H2H 5: Simply the Best 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:00 , Amsterdam, Netherlands , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–14 , Aaron Brink , TKO (punches) , WFA 2: Level 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:24 , Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 21–13 , Marc Emmanuel , TKO (leg kicks) , 2H2H 4: Simply the Best 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:12 , Netherlands , , - , Loss , align=center, 20–13 , Igor Vovchanchyn , Submission (heel hook) , PRIDE 18 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:35 , Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 20–12 , Assuerio Silva , Submission (heel hook) , PRIDE 15 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:50 , Saitama, Saitama, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 20–11 , Gary Goodridge , TKO (submission to punches) , 2001 in Pride FC#Pride 14 - Clash of the Titans, PRIDE 14: Clash of the Titans , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:39 , Yokohama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 20–10 , Ian Freeman , TKO (submission to knees) , 2H2H 2: Simply The Best , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:42 , Netherlands , , - , Loss , align=center, 19–10 ,

, Submission (arm-triangle choke) , rowspan=3, 2001 in Fighting Network Rings#Rings: King of Kings 2000 Final, RINGS: King of Kings 2000 Final , rowspan=3, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:20 , rowspan=3, Tokyo, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 19–9 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:56 , , - , Win , align=center, 18–9 , Yoshihisa Yamamoto (wrestler), Yoshihisa Yamamoto , Submission (armbar) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:45 , , - , Win , align=center, 17–9 , Jerrel Venetiaan , Submission (toe hold) , It's Showtime: Christmas Edition , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:27 , Haarlem, Netherlands , , - , Win , align=center, 16–9 , Suren Balachinskiy , TKO (knees) , rowspan=2, 2000 in Fighting Network Rings#Rings: King of Kings 2000 Block A, RINGS: King of Kings 2000 Block A , rowspan=2, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:13 , rowspan=2, Tokyo, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 15–9 ,

, Submission (toe hold) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:19 , , - , Win , align=center, 14–9 , Joe Slick , Submission (achilles lock) , 2000 in Fighting Network Rings#Rings: Millennium Combine 3, RINGS: Millennium Combine 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:36 , Osaka, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 13–9 , Tuli Kulihaapai , Technical Submission (armbar) , rowspan=2, 2000 in Fighting Network Rings#Rings USA: Rising Stars Block B, RINGS USA: Rising Stars Block B , rowspan=2, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:05 , rowspan=2, Hawaii, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–9 , Tommy Sauer , TKO (punches) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:35 , , - , Win , align=center, 12–8 , Brad Kohler , Submission (kneebar) , 2000 in Fighting Network Rings#Rings: Millennium Combine 2, RINGS: Millennium Combine 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:31 , Tokyo, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 11–8 , Fatih Kocamis , KO (punch) , 2000 in Fighting Network Rings#Rings Holland: Di Capo Di Tutti Capi, RINGS Holland: Di Capo Di Tutti Capi , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:47 , Netherlands , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–8 , Achmed Labasanov , Submission (achilles lock) , 2000 in Fighting Network Rings#Rings Russia: Russia vs. The World, RINGS Russia: Russia vs. The World , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:50 , Yekaterinburg, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 10–7 , Dennis Reed , Technical Submission (guillotine choke) , 2 Hot 2 Handle 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:28 , Netherlands , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–7 , Hiromitsu Kanehara , KO (punch) , 2000 in Fighting Network Rings#Rings Holland: There Can Only Be One Champion, RINGS Holland: There Can Only Be One Champion , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:14 , Netherlands , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–6 ,

, Technical Submission (americana) , King of Kings Tournament 1999#King of Kings 1999 Block A, RINGS: King of Kings 1999 Block A , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:51 , Tokyo, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 9–5 , Hiromitsu Kanehara , TKO (corner stoppage) , 1999 in Fighting Network Rings#Rings: Rise 3rd, RINGS: Rise 3rd , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:35 , Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–5 , Yoshihisa Yamamoto (wrestler), Yoshihisa Yamamoto , Submission (armbar) , 1999 in Fighting Network Rings#Rings: Rise 1st, RINGS: Rise 1st , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:40 , Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–4 , Gilbert Yvel , TKO (shoulder injury) , 1998 in Fighting Network Rings#Rings Holland: Who's the Boss, RINGS Holland: Who's the Boss , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:38 , Netherlands , , - , Win , align=center, 8–3 , Kiyoshi Tamura , Submission (kneebar) , RINGS: Fighting Integration II , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 6:39 , Osaka, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 7–3 , Kenichi Yamamoto (mixed martial artist), Kenichi Yamamoto , TKO (knee) , RINGS: Fighting Integration , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 6:36 , Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 6–3 , Dexter Casey , Submission (guillotine choke) , Night of the Samurai 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:50 , England , , - , Win , align=center, 5–3 , Chris Haseman , Decision (majority) , 1998 in Fighting Network Rings#Rings Holland: The King of Rings, RINGS Holland: The King of Rings , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 , Netherlands , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–3 , Wataru Sakata , Submission (toe hold) , 1997 in Fighting Network Rings#Rings - Extension Fighting 7, RINGS: Extension Fighting 7 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:16 , Sapporo, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–2 , Mitsuya Nagai , Submission (heel hook) , Rings: Fighting Extension III , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:58 , Sendai, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 , Cees Bezems , Submission (heel hook) , 1997 in Fighting Network Rings#Rings Holland - Utrecht at War, RINGs Holland: Utrecht at War , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:56 , Netherlands , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Masayuki Naruse , TKO (doctor stoppage) , 1997 in Fighting Network Rings#Rings Holland - The Final Challenge, RINGS Holland: The Final Challenge , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:58 , Netherlands , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–1 , Wataru Sakata , Submission (armbar) , RINGS: Maelstrom V , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 6:24 , Osaka, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Jeroen Waringa , KO (punch) , Fight Gala: Mix Fight Night , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A , Netherlands , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Tjerk Vermanen , Submission (rear-naked choke) , 1996 in Fighting Network Rings#Rings Holland - Kings of Martial Arts, RINGS Holland: Kings of Martial Arts , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:44 , Netherlands ,

Kickboxing record

, - bgcolor="#c5d2ea" , 2013-02-23 , , NC , , align=left, James Wilson , , S-1 Challenge , , Miami, USA , , NC (Unsafe ring) , , N/A , , N/A , - bgcolor="#ffbbbb" , 1997 , , Loss , , align=left, Remy Bonjasky , , Vini Vidi Vici , , Netherlands , , TKO (Corner stoppage), , 2 , , N/A , - , colspan=9 , ''Legend'':

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Overeem, Valentijn 1976 births Living people Dutch male mixed martial artists Heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing kickboxing Mixed martial artists utilizing sambo Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Dutch sambo practitioners Dutch people of Jamaican descent Dutch male kickboxers Dutch male sport wrestlers Dutch practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Sportspeople from Amersfoort