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If Alistair Overeem doesn't wait for a title shot when he's able to be licensed this December, who should the UFC book him against first?
RICH HANSEN, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
You don't want to pair Overeem with a legitimate contender, because there are so few legitimate contenders in the heavyweight division. But you don't want to pair him with a chump either, because what's the point. So you've got to find someone who is perceived to be a legitimate contender, but actually isn't at that level. Mr. Bigfoot Silva, The Price is Right, come on down! This fight was supposed to happen in the middle of 2011 in the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix semifinals, but the UFC came a calling, and that was all she wrote to that one. And if it was good enough for Strikeforce, it's good enough for the UFC. Wait. What?
JASON AMADI, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
I'd like to see Alistair Overeem thrown a "gimme" fight upon returning to the Octagon. He's coming off a long layoff and it would be best for all parties if he got a bit of a soft touch. It would remind fans of that he's a real threat to the heavyweight champion and provide the UFC with a good highlight reel to sell his title fight with.
I think Overeem vs. Cheick Kongo or another mid level heavyweight of that caliber would be idea.
BRAD WALKER, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
Bigfoot Silva put his name in the ring, so why not let that fight happen? There's not exactly an abundance of legitimate challenges out there for Overeem in the UFC right now outside of Velasquez and Dos Santos. Overeem absolutely crushed Brock Lesnar and that without question put him in the upper echelon of fighters until he takes a loss. Werdum could be a viable option but the last bout between those two is probably one of the worst fights in MMA history with Werdum spending most of the time laying in the middle of the cage like an idiot waiting for Overeem to take his bait. I wouldn't mind seeing him fight Frank Mir, but I think it's more likely if he rushes his return that we see him face a Bigfoot Silva or Stefan Struve type of guy.
FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
I think the best opponent is Antonio Silva. Either Overeem beats Silva to earn a title shot or Silva beats Overeem and knocks him out of the spotlight. I think Overeem beats Silva and gets next in line for a title shot against Junior dos Santos.
ERIC HOBAUGH, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Bigfoot Silva makes the most sense to me. He is a big name and the fight will sell. Silva is also coming off a big win against Travis Brown at UFC on Fox. Overeem is in a weird spot. He is one of the best in the world and he recently tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone. Before the positive test I was of the opinion that he would become the next UFC heavyweight champion. He has a target on his back now because of the of that and it will be interesting to see how he performs with no performance enhancers. If he can beat Silva he should and will be given the next shot at the strap.
DAN MOORE, MMATORCH UK CONTRIBUTOR
I would have gone for Werdum before they announced his TUF Brazil coaching spot with Big Nog. It's far too early to set up an all Dutch match up with Stefan Struve, so it's down to Frank Mir, Antonio Silva or the winner of Nelson vs. Carwin. With timing a potential issue for the TUF coaches, it's down to Mir or Silva. I'm not particularly excited to see Overeem fight Mir; so I'll pick him for an easy win over Silva, before moving on to a title shot against JDS or Velasquez next year.
MATT PELKEY, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
As always, there's not a ton of great options at heavyweight. Throwing Nog to him makes sense cache-wise, but from a sporting perspective it seems cruel and unusual. The Carwin-Nelson winner would make sense, but their fight isn't til the middle of December, so if Reem was gonna wait to fight, he'd of course just wait for the title shot and the payday. Cormier would be fantastic, but who knows when the whole "Strikeforce thing" will be resolved. Nobody wants a Werdum rematch just yet (still trying to get that taste out of my mouth), plus he's supposedly coaching the next Brazilian season of TUF opposite Nog so he's out anyway. So it basically boils down to Frank Mir if he's healthy, or Stefan Struve if he's not. Like I said, not a ton of options.
[Alistair Overeem art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
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STAFF COLUMNISTS: Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
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