![\"LAS](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/430fca20-26f4-11f1-b75f-f3c2f6cb1f6c.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\nAlistair Overeem smiles, and as he does, you can hear the air being released in the hyperbaric chamber he is lying in.<\/p>\n
The former MMA heavyweight star is wearing a nasal cannula that loops over his ears and the pale blue piece of equipment sends oxygen into the 45-year-old\u2019s nostrils.<\/p>\n
Advertisement<\/p>\n
\u201cSo the hyperbaric chamber, there\u2019s more particles here and then more oxygen here,” he says, “so when you\u2019re in this chamber and this nostril [attachment] is pushing oxygen, and then you breathe it in, your body has the ability to kind of hold more oxygen, which has super healing benefits.<\/p>\n
“I mean, obviously I\u2019m not fighting anymore, but there\u2019s sure going to be some fighters who are using this for performance benefits, but I\u2019m just doing it for health.\u201d<\/p>\n
Overeem has become all about health and longevity.<\/p>\n
He dragged his near-240-pound frame around a half-marathon recently, but is now about looking after himself rather than trying to inflict damage on others.<\/p>\n
Advertisement<\/p>\n
The English-born fighter, who went to live with his mother and older brother in Holland when he was 6, now resides in Dubai, and says the structure and discipline of being a top athlete has given him qualities he can still use even though he has left fighting behind.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the sport structured that energy into discipline, into routines, into methods, and you\u2019re doing it for so long, so it kind becomes you, right?” he says. “It became me \u2014 and then the fight stopped all of a sudden. For me, the goal was always fighting and it was always kind of the great financial independence. It kind of transferred now into longevity and well-being \u2014 feel good, live longer, be happy, live healthier.<\/p>\n
“I also wanted to inspire others into this journey. It\u2019s a great journey. Being fit is great. Being on the diet is great. It\u2019s a great discovery, but also it\u2019s also scientifically proven now, what you eat is what you become. How you eat determines your mind, your feelings, not even to mention the ice bath, hot and cold, sauna, breathwork, fasting, detoxing. There\u2019s like so much to do on this new playing field.\u201d<\/p>\n
Overeem has thrown himself into this new life.<\/p>\n
Advertisement<\/p>\n
The half-marathon will be followed by his first Hyrox, which he is training for. He doesn\u2019t miss the fighting. He says he did more than enough of that.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Alistair Overeem was one of the most decorated heavyweight fighters of his era.<\/p>\n
(Mike Roach via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Now, it\u2019s about embracing the lifestyle changes he threads through his daily life.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s worked with world-renowned breathwork specialist Wim Hof. He\u2019s clocked an hour in an ice bath after having too many to count that lasted 20 and 30 minutes.<\/p>\n
\u201cIncreased motivation, clarity,\u201d Overeem says are the upsides.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut also for my injury.\u201d<\/p>\n
Overeem has struggled with lower back pain that he has be unable to shift, but it dissipates when submerged in the cold plunges.<\/p>\n
Advertisement<\/p>\n
He calls that a game-changer. But then everything else plays a part.<\/p>\n
Although he only gets about six or seven hours of sleep a night \u2014 not a lot for an athlete (he might get eight and a half hours after a hard day of training) \u2014 Overeem has said that in his quest for longevity, he could live to be 125.<\/p>\n
He drinks coffee but steers clear of alcohol. He indulges his sweet tooth a couple of times a week but generally \u201cI\u2019ll keep my diet very much on point.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked about general cognitive function and the looming shadow of CTE over someone who had nearly 100 fights and who faced some of the biggest beasts known to heavyweight fighting, Overeem says he hasn\u2019t spoken to any experts about it, although he is going to have discussions with a brain performance center to take some tests \u2014 in part to help create awareness for the center.<\/p>\n
Advertisement<\/p>\n
\u201cBut am I afraid of my own CTE?\u201d he asks, pausing so I can hear the chamber firing out more air.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, no. I\u2019m not afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n
Does he feel like “he\u2019s gotten away with it,” or that it might seek him out later?<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll tell you. I think that our body has a regenerative capability, if your body is in the right state \u2014 and that is what I\u2019m focused on every day.<\/p>\n
“So the ice bath is one of those tools. \u2026 Sauna is one of those tools. My diet is one of those tools. My fasting is one of those tools. I believe very strongly that if you\u2019re so much immersed in all these intermittent lifestyle hacks, your body is very much imbalanced and your regenerative capacity will just increase dramatically. And yeah, CTE can be healed, avoided. That\u2019s what I believe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Advertisement<\/p>\n
Regardless, Overeem is giving himself the best chance in his post-fighting life, and that is one of the reasons he has committed to this wellness routine.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t always like this for Overeem. Yes, he fought and had a physique that looked like a shield of cartoon-like muscles (more on that later), but the clarity in his vision for health has come out of a crisis point. He has no desire to hide the fact that for a long period of his life, he was addicted to his phone. He would reach for it more than 100 times a day. He\u2019d scroll. He\u2019d lose hours. He\u2019d turn it off to go to sleep, but as soon as he woke, he\u2019d be doing the same thing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was addicted without understanding that I was addicted, because phone addiction I would say six, seven, eight years, 10 years ago, nobody knew about it, right? And that\u2019s when I kind of was addicted, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019,” he says. “Only when I broke it in 2021, I felt such a difference, and relief, and clear in my mind. Awareness just went up, after limiting the usage of the device. I just did 30 minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Overeem became so fed up with himself for staring at the screen that he cut his time on the phone to 30 minutes in the morning with another 30-minute slot later in the day.<\/p>\n
The sport structured that energy into discipline, into routines, into methods, and you\u2019re doing it for so long, so it kind becomes you, right? It became me \u2014 and then the fight stopped all of a sudden.<\/p>\n
Alistair Overeem on retirement<\/p>\n
He felt great, and he started studying about his internal reward system, the dopamine receptor and how phone use can knock it off kilter, and he knew that while he was still fighting, it was likely inhibiting his performance.<\/p>\n
Advertisement<\/p>\n
That really frustrated him, as much as it does now when he warns young up-and-comers about the amount of time they spend on their devices.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe phone was definitely messing with me,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd also with my performance, which I know in hindsight. It\u2019s also very interesting, because when I talk to other fighters, I\u2019ve told other fighters, \u2018Hey, you need to quit your phone, it\u2019s going to boost your performance.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cIf somebody told me, \u2018Hey, quit your phone, you\u2019re going to win your fight,\u2019 I would have quit my phone sooner. Absolutely. I know myself, I do everything to win. I sleep on the mountain at 3,200 meters [in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado], I would not see my family for six weeks at a time, I did everything to win fights. If somebody would tell me, \u2018Quit your phone, you will win your fight,\u2019 I would do it. I told other fighters, \u2018Hey, you need to do this, because you\u2019re going to win your fight,\u2019 and it doesn\u2019t really resonate.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"LAS](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/29961260-26f5-11f1-a9ad-db2e51098cd4.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n
Alistair Overeem was a very large man in his heyday.<\/p>\n
(Josh Hedges via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
But Overeem estimates he has inspired a couple hundred people to beat phone addiction. It\u2019s something he talks to his children about, too.<\/p>\n
Advertisement<\/p>\n
It was actually seeing his oldest daughter struggle with her screen-time that kicked Overeem into looking at change. She started to get depressed and didn\u2019t want to go to school.<\/p>\n
With his youngest, he has not allowed her to build up the addiction in the first place by monitoring her access closely.<\/p>\n
\u201cBasically, we are addicted to information, right? And in general, if you look at apps like TikTok, it\u2019s very quick information,” he says. “So very quick, quick scrolling. I mean, if you ask yourself, what did you see today? You wouldn\u2019t even remember.\u201d<\/p>\n
Today, Overeem is a man at peace with his accomplishments. He is one of the rare few happy to build a life away from fighting. He misses the camaraderie, teammates and the other fighters, but \u2014 of course \u2014 he still goes to the gym, even if he\u2019s lowered the intensity. He feels like training with a new purpose has allowed his old injuries and niggles to heal.<\/p>\n
Advertisement<\/p>\n
\u201cMy career was also long, 25 years, 94 fights, and that\u2019s a lot of fights,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt some point you need to step away, you need to walk away. I love to fight, but right now I\u2019m very busy creating a life after fighting, post-fight career, and it\u2019s beautiful. There\u2019s a lot of stuff to do. The world doesn\u2019t only consist of fighting.\u201d<\/p>\n
But for a long time for Overeem, it did.<\/p>\n
Am I afraid of my own CTE? No, no. I\u2019m not afraid.<\/p>\n
Alistair Overeem<\/p>\n
He was also part of a simpler time.<\/p>\n
At present, the UFC is being destabilized by external forces, anti-trust suits<\/a> and almost daily complaints about fighter pay<\/a>.<\/p>\n Overeem is not specifically following Zuffa’s entry into boxing, but has caught \u201can occasional headline.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Does it surprise him that there appears to be a growing disquiet about the amount MMA athletes are getting paid?<\/p>\n At first, Overeem smiles almost sarcastically as he answers.<\/p>\n \u201cUm, boxers are getting paid more than MMA fighters<\/a>, right? That\u2019s like a well-known fact.\u201d<\/p>\n Is he surprised that it\u2019s now being called out?<\/p>\n \u201cNo, not surprised. It\u2019s just a matter of time, right? Like, I knew I was underpaid, but on the other hand, not in a position to change that, to challenge that, which, you know, it is what it is. And considering I was still making sure I got paid a little bit more.\u201d<\/p>\n Is there a way in which MMA athletes could form a union to invoke change?<\/p>\n UFC CEO Dana White and TKO’s Ari Emmanuel have plans to execute a full takeover of combat sports.<\/p>\n (Chris Unger via Getty Images)<\/p>\n \u201cUltimately, it will be resolved,\u201d he replies. \u201cUltimately, it has to be resolved because it is unsustainable. Do I know a way forward? No, I do not. On the one hand, UFC has done a great job elevating the sport to these current heights. Yeah, it gave them a certain power.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, they will not want to relinquish because power equals money. But, yeah, right now it is out of balance and it is unsustainable. So at some point there\u2019ll come a correction.\u201d<\/p>\n Can the TKO Group take over boxing and run it as they do the UFC and WWE?<\/p>\n \u201cUncertain to me. I know that some people would like that, would want that, but is that going to happen? I don\u2019t know. I just think that monopoly positions are unsustainable in the long run. I mean, it\u2019s served its purpose, but it\u2019s just unsustainable.\u201d<\/p>\n Alistair Overeem is not just known in pop culture for the big fights he\u2019s had, but for the way in which he\u2019s been described. On “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast, referring to Overeem\u2019s physique as one of the most-jacked MMA athletes of all time, MMA commentator and comedian Rogan famously embraced the nickname Japanese fans gave the fighter after his eye-opening transition to the heavyweight division: \u201cUbereem.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Rogan described Overeem as \u201csaucy as f***\u201d and has routinely linked Overeem to a period in time before USADA testing came about.<\/p>\n Overeem actually was withdrawn from fighting Junior dos Santos in May 2012 at UFC 146 for a high testosterone-to-epitestosterone ratio, although the fighter claimed it came from medication a doctor had given him for a rib injury.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s your take on PEDs in MMA? Do you think it\u2019s been a big thing?\u201d Overeem is asked.<\/p>\n \u201cRight now, you saw the testing. So, there\u2019s like a testing protocol that cannot, does not allow PEDs. In that sense, again, UFC has done a great job cleaning up the sport.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cIn the beginning of UFC and MMA, I should say, there has been times that [PED use] has been rampant. Yes, absolutely.\u201d<\/p>\n Alistair Overeem was suspended for elevated levels of testosterone in 2012.<\/p>\n (Josh Hedges via Getty Images)<\/p>\n \u201cDid people ask you, ‘have you ever taken the stuff?’\u201d he’s asked.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, not really.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid you ever take the stuff?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou want to hear my honest opinion?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, sure.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t have any comment about myself. Let\u2019s just say that, in my career, I have done what all the fighters at the time were doing. OK? And, it just became very clear that in the time of USADA, then it was like eliminated, which again is UFC going mainstream, taking the necessary steps, adding a USADA into the mix, which eliminates PED usage.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n![\"LAS](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/cd632ac0-3fee-11f0-99af-5e4d25357525.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n![\"LAS](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/0ced6f90-26fb-11f1-bf1f-613ad721e2f6.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n
![\"Dutch](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/34972210-26fc-11f1-ab7f-25ff19b0ebdd.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n