“The Reem” is back…maybe.

According to officials, UFC heavyweight Alistair Overeem applied today for his license to fight in Nevada in 2013. Overeem (36-11 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is already scheduled to do battle against Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva (17-4 MMA, 1-1 UFC) at UFC 156, which takes place February 2nd at the Mandalay Bay Event Center in Las Vegas.

However, before that fight can take place Overeem will need to appear in front of the state’s athletic commission and they will ultimately decide if they want to grant him his license and allow him to fight or not.

So far Overeem has done all that the commission has asked him to do, or at least all that he says he’s known about. In 2007 he was licensed to fight Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in a losing effort at PRIDE 33…at light heavyweight! He then received a conditional license four years later to fight Brock Lesnar at UFC 141 in one of the “BIGGEST” fights in MMA history, featuring two of the biggest heavyweights to ever grace the octagon.

However, it was his most recent dealing with the commission that has sent his career flying frantically off the tracks.

In the wake of last May’s UFC 146, one month before Overeem’s scheduled title fight against UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos, the NSAC denied him a license when his pre-fight drug test turned up with extremely elevated levels of testosterone. Overeem stated that he unknowingly took a supplement that contained the hormone while attempting to recover from an injury. The athletic commission was not moved by his excuse, denied his license, and barred him from reapplying until today.

This only raised more questions about whether Overeem was a dirty fighter or not. Many members of the media, other fighters, and fans of the sport have questioned his use of PEDs and his denied license before he UFC 146 and elevated testosterone levels have only made the cloud hanging over his career darker.
Even before that, prior to the Lesnar fight at UFC 141, he missed a pre-fight drug test and said he was unaware of it and had to leave the country to care for his sick mother. The commission still granted him a conditional license that required him to undergo a total of four drug tests to fulfill its terms. It is very possible at the upcoming January 8th hearing the commission could similarly request additional testing in order for Overeem to be granted his license.

Overeem has repeatedly denied any use of performance-enhancing drugs while fighting in the sport of MMA. The commission is surely not naïve to the fact that Overeem is a gigantic human being with unrealistic bulging muscles, but how long can they keep him from fighting in Las Vegas? What will he have to do to prove he is clean and is worthy of being licensed? We’ll find out more after his hearing on January 8th. For more follow up on this story and news regarding UFC 156 be sure to stay glued to BJPenn.com

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