Quick Facts
Biography
Valentijn Overeem ([ˈvaːləntɛin ˈoːvəreːm]; born 17 August 1976) is a retired Dutch professional mixed martial artist and kickboxer currently signed with United Glory. A professional competitor since 1996, he has previously fought for the PRIDE Fighting Championships, RINGS, KSW, the World Fighting Alliance, K-1, M-1 Global, Its Showtime, World Victory Road, and Strikeforce. He is the older brother of fellow MMA Superstar Alistair Overeem.
Biography
Overeem was born in Amersfoort, Utrecht but now lives in Turkey and is associated with the Imperial Athletics gym in Boca Raton, Florida where he trains with his younger brother Alistair.
RINGS
Valentijn was trained at the Chris Dolman gym, where he specialized in kickboxing and sambo 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 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 practitioner Renato Sobral 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 toehold, making Sobral tap out.
After eliminating Yoshihisa Yamamoto by armbar in under one minute, Overeem continued advancing, and got another upset by choking out Randy Couture 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 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
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 66 matches | 32 wins | 34 losses |
| By knockout | 12 | 15 |
| By submission | 19 | 18 |
| By decision | 1 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 32–34 | Ante Delija | TKO (punches) | HOG: House of Gladiators 9 | 3 July 2014 | 1 | 1:24 | Dubrovnik, Croatia | |
| Loss | 32–33 | Konstantin Gluhov | KO (punch) | PFC 6: Pancrase Fighting Championship 6 | 12 April 2014 | 1 | 2:33 | Marseille, France | For the PFC Heavyweight Championship. |
| Loss | 32–32 | Mikhail Mokhnatkin | Submission (strikes) | Fight Nights: Battle of Moscow 14 | 7 December 2013 | 1 | 4:45 | Moscow, Russia | |
| Loss | 32–31 | Konstantin Gluhov | KO (knee) | PFC 5: Clash of the Titans | 27 April 2013 | 1 | 2:48 | Marseille, France | For the PFC Heavyweight Championship. |
| Loss | 32–30 | Michael Knaap | TKO (punches) | Beast of the East | 14 April 2013 | 1 | 3:03 | Zutphen, The Netherlands | |
| Loss | 32–29 | Evgeny Erokhin | TKO (punches) | Pankration: Battle Of Empires 2 | 15 December 2012 | 1 | 4:43 | Khabarovsk, Russia | |
| Loss | 32–28 | Michał Kita | Submission (guillotine choke) | Oktagon Italy | 24 March 2012 | 1 | 4:03 | Assago, Lombardy, Italy | |
| Win | 32–27 | Marcin Rózalski | Submission (toe hold) | KSW 18 | 25 February 2012 | 1 | 2:24 | Plock, Poland | |
| Loss | 31–27 | Chad Griggs | Submission (punches) | Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum | 18 June 2011 | 1 | 2:55 | Dallas, Texas, United States | Strikeforce Heavyweight GP Reserve bout. |
| Win | 31–26 | Ray Sefo | Submission (baseball choke) | Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva | 12 February 2011 | 1 | 1:37 | East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States | Strikeforce Heavyweight GP Reserve bout. |
| Win | 30–26 | Catalin Zmarandescu | KO (knee) | K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 in Bucharest | 21 May 2010 | 1 | 0:50 | Bucharest, Romania | |
| Win | 29–26 | Tengiz Tedoradze | KO (head kick) | Pancrase Fighting Championship 2 | 17 April 2010 | 1 | 0:06 | Marseille, France | |
| Loss | 28–26 | Rafal Dabrowski | Submission (punches) | Beast Of The East | 14 November 2009 | 1 | 1:17 | Gdynia, Poland | |
| Loss | 28–25 | Nikolai Onikienko | TKO (broken nose) | Ultimate Glory 11: A Decade of Fights | 17 October 2009 | 1 | 0:47 | Amsterdam, Netherlands | |
| Win | 28–24 | Kazuo Takahashi | KO (flying knee) | World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 4 | 24 August 2008 | 1 | 2:42 | Japan | |
| Win | 27–24 | Sasa Lazic | Submission (kimura) | LOTR: Schilt vs. Guelmino | 12 January 2008 | 1 | 0:33 | Serbia | |
| Loss | 26–24 | Milco Voorn | Submission (choke) | King of the Ring | 25 March 2006 | 1 | 0:45 | Netherlands | |
| Loss | 26–23 | Gilbert Yvel | Submission (armbar) | It's Showtime Boxing & MMA Event 2005 Amsterdam | 12 June 2005 | 1 | 4:30 | Amsterdam, Netherlands | |
| Loss | 26–22 | Shungo Oyama | Submission (toe hold) | Hero's 1 | 26 March 2005 | 1 | 1:28 | Saitama, Saitama, Japan | |
| Loss | 26–21 | Kresimir Bogdanovic | TKO (injury) | Ultimate Nokaut 1 | 11 March 2005 | 1 | N/A | Croatia | |
| Win | 26–20 | Ross Pointon | TKO (elbows) | Anarchy Fight Night | 20 February 2005 | 1 | 0:59 | England | |
| Loss | 25–20 | Dave Dalgliesh | KO (strikes) | 2 Hot 2 Handle | 10 October 2004 | 2 | N/A | Netherlands | |
| Win | 25–19 | Autimio Antonia | KO (punches) | CFC 1: Cage Carnage | 11 July 2004 | 1 | 0:57 | Essex, England | |
| Win | 24–19 | Roman Savochka | Submission (guillotine choke) | Durata World Grand Prix 3 | 12 December 2003 | 1 | 0:31 | Croatia | |
| Win | 23–19 | Milco Voorn | Submission (smother choke) | Durata World Grand Prix 3 | 12 December 2003 | 1 | 1:21 | Croatia | |
| Win | 22–19 | Andrei Rudakov | Submission (americana) | Durata World Grand Prix 3 | 12 December 2003 | 1 | 0:21 | Croatia | |
| Loss | 21–19 | Dave Vader | TKO (injury) | It's Showtime 2003 Amsterdam | 8 June 2003 | 1 | 3:22 | Amsterdam, Netherlands | |
| Loss | 21–18 | Mikko Rupponen | Decision (split) | Fight Festival 7 | 19 May 2003 | 1 | 15:00 | Finland | |
| Loss | 21–17 | Ibragim Magomedov | TKO (corner stoppage) | M-1 MFC: Russia vs. the World 5 | 6 April 2003 | 1 | 3:20 | Saint Petersburg, Russia | |
| Loss | 21–16 | Ron Waterman | Submission (americana) | PRIDE 24 | 23 December 2002 | 1 | 2:18 | Japan | |
| Loss | 21–15 | Rodney Glunder | Submission (forfeit) | 2H2H 5: Simply the Best 5 | 13 October 2002 | 1 | 3:00 | Amsterdam, Netherlands | |
| Loss | 21–14 | Aaron Brink | TKO (punches) | WFA 2: Level 2 | 5 July 2002 | 1 | 2:24 | Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 21–13 | Marc Emmanuel | TKO (leg kicks) | 2H2H 4: Simply the Best 4 | 17 March 2002 | 1 | 1:12 | Netherlands | |
| Loss | 20–13 | Igor Vovchanchyn | Submission (heel hook) | PRIDE 18 | 23 December 2001 | 1 | 4:35 | Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan | |
| Loss | 20–12 | Assuerio Silva | Submission (heel hook) | PRIDE 15 | 29 July 2001 | 1 | 2:50 | Saitama, Saitama, Japan | |
| Loss | 20–11 | Gary Goodridge | Submission (punches) | PRIDE 14: Clash of the Titans | 27 May 2001 | 1 | 2:39 | Yokohama, Japan | |
| Win | 20–10 | Ian Freeman | Submission (knees) | 2H2H 2: Simply The Best | 18 March 2001 | 1 | 1:42 | Netherlands | |
| Loss | 19–10 | Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | RINGS: King of Kings 2000 Final | 24 February 2001 | 1 | 1:20 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 19–9 | Randy Couture | Submission (guillotine choke) | RINGS: King of Kings 2000 Final | 24 February 2001 | 1 | 0:56 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 18–9 | Yoshihisa Yamamoto | Submission (armbar) | RINGS: King of Kings 2000 Final | 24 February 2001 | 1 | 0:45 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 17–9 | Jerrel Venetiaan | Submission (toe hold) | It's Showtime: Christmas Edition | 12 December 2000 | 1 | 1:27 | Haarlem, Netherlands | |
| Win | 16–9 | Suren Balachinskiy | TKO (knees) | RINGS: King of Kings 2000 Block A | 9 October 2000 | 1 | 2:13 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 15–9 | Renato Sobral | Submission (toe hold) | RINGS: King of Kings 2000 Block A | 9 October 2000 | 1 | 2:19 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 14–9 | Joe Slick | Submission (achilles lock) | RINGS: Millennium Combine 3 | 23 August 2000 | 1 | 0:36 | Osaka, Japan | |
| Win | 13–9 | Tuli Kulihaapai | Technical Submission (armbar) | RINGS USA: Rising Stars Block B | 22 July 2000 | 1 | 2:05 | Hawaii, United States | |
| Loss | 12–9 | Tommy Sauer | TKO (punches) | RINGS USA: Rising Stars Block B | 22 July 2000 | 1 | 0:35 | Hawaii, United States | |
| Win | 12–8 | Brad Kohler | Submission (kneebar) | RINGS: Millennium Combine 2 | 15 June 2000 | 1 | 0:31 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 11–8 | Fatih Kocamis | KO (punch) | RINGS Holland: Di Capo Di Tutti Capi | 4 June 2000 | 2 | 0:47 | Netherlands | |
| Loss | 10–8 | Achmed Labasanov | Submission (achilles lock) | RINGS Russia: Russia vs. The World | 20 May 2000 | 1 | 3:50 | Yekaterinburg, Russia | |
| Win | 10–7 | Dennis Reed | Technical Submission (guillotine choke) | 2 Hot 2 Handle 1 | 5 March 2000 | 1 | 0:28 | Netherlands | |
| Loss | 9–7 | Hiromitsu Kanehara | KO (punch) | RINGS Holland: There Can Only Be One Champion | 6 February 2000 | 1 | 4:14 | Netherlands | |
| Loss | 9–6 | Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira | Technical Submission (americana) | RINGS: King of Kings 1999 Block A | 28 October 1999 | 1 | 1:51 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 9–5 | Hiromitsu Kanehara | TKO (corner stoppage) | RINGS: Rise 3rd | 22 May 1999 | 1 | 4:35 | Japan | |
| Loss | 8–5 | Yoshihisa Yamamoto | Submission (armbar) | RINGS: Rise 1st | 20 March 1999 | 1 | 2:40 | Japan | |
| Loss | 8–4 | Gilbert Yvel | TKO (shoulder injury) | RINGS Holland: Who's the Boss | 7 June 1998 | 1 | 0:38 | Netherlands | |
| Win | 8–3 | Kiyoshi Tamura | Submission (kneebar) | RINGS: Fighting Integration II | 16 April 1998 | 1 | 6:39 | Osaka, Japan | |
| Win | 7–3 | Kenichi Yamamoto | TKO (knee) | RINGS: Fighting Integration | 28 March 1998 | 1 | 6:36 | Japan | |
| Win | 6–3 | Dexter Casey | Submission (guillotine choke) | Night of the Samurai 1 | 7 March 1998 | 1 | 1:50 | England | |
| Win | 5–3 | Chris Haseman | Decision (majority) | RINGS Holland: The King of Rings | 8 February 1998 | 2 | 5:00 | Netherlands | |
| Loss | 4–3 | Wataru Sakata | Submission (toe hold) | RINGS: Extension Fighting 7 | 26 September 1997 | 1 | 2:16 | Sapporo, Japan | |
| Loss | 4–2 | Mitsuya Nagai | Submission | Rings: Fighting Extension III | 23 May 1997 | 1 | 4:58 | Sendai, Japan | |
| Win | 4–1 | Cees Bezems | Submission (heel hook) | RINGs Holland: Utrecht at War | 29 June 1997 | 1 | 0:56 | Netherlands | |
| Win | 3–1 | Masayuki Naruse | TKO (doctor stoppage) | RINGS Holland: The Final Challenge | 2 February 1997 | 1 | 3:58 | Netherlands | |
| Loss | 2–1 | Wataru Sakata | Submission (armbar) | RINGS: Maelstrom V | 16 July 1996 | 1 | 6:24 | Osaka, Japan | |
| Win | 2–0 | Jeroen Waringa | KO (punch) | Fight Gala: Mix Fight Night | 15 June 1996 | 1 | N/A | Netherlands | |
| Win | 1–0 | Tjerk Vermanen | Submission (rear-naked choke) | RINGS Holland: Kings of Martial Arts | 18 February 1996 | 1 | 0:44 | Netherlands |
Kickboxing record
| Date | Result | Opponent | Event | Location | Method | Round | Time | |||||||||||||||||
0 Wins, 1 Losses, 1 NC
Legend: Win Loss Draw/No contest Notes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date | Result | Opponent | Event | Location | Method | Round | Time | |||||||||||||||||
| 2013-02-23 | NC | James Wilson | S-1 Challenge | Miami, USA | NC (Unsafe ring) | N/A | N/A | |||||||||||||||||
| 1997 | Loss | Remy Bonjasky | Vini Vidi Vici | Netherlands | TKO (Corner stoppage) | 2 | N/A | |||||||||||||||||
| 2013-02-23 | NC | James Wilson | S-1 Challenge | Miami, USA | NC (Unsafe ring) | N/A | N/A | |||||||||||||||||
| 1997 | Loss | Remy Bonjasky | Vini Vidi Vici | Netherlands | TKO (Corner stoppage) | 2 | N/A |