Alistair Overeem’s team denies PED use after GLORY issues 12-month drug suspension

Members of Alistair Overeem’s team are speaking out regarding a failed drug test, claiming “Demolition Man” did not use performance enhancing drugs.

Overeem left UFC after a second round technical knockout loss to Alexander Volkov in UFC Vegas 18’s main event back in Feb. 2021 (watch highlights). In Oct. 2022, he competed for GLORY Kickboxing, defeating Badr Hari in their third fight via unanimous decision. Unfortunately for Overeem, that win will now be changed to a “No Contest” after GLORY issued sanctions for a failed fight night drug test.

“Alistair Overeem has been removed from the GLORY rankings and his fight again Badr Hari is ruled a ‘No Contest’ due to a violation of GLORY’s anti-doping rules,” a statement from the kickboxing promotion read. “His suspension is for 12 months, starting at his last fight – COLLISION 4. And he must return a percentage of his wages.”

GLORY did not disclose what drug had turned up in Overeem’s A and B samples taken on fight night. According to Overeem’s trainer Nick Hemmers, however, it was an anti-inflammatory medicine used to treat a back injury.

“A non-performance-enhancing drug,” Hemmers told Dutch outlet AD, calling the situation an “inflated story.”

“Apparently a minimal amount of it was found in his blood…. He has not used any means to be stronger in the ring,” Hemmers said. “I think it’s nonsense that his victory was taken away. We simply won that match against Badr, and I will always say that.”

“We have taken note of the removal of Alistair from the ranking,” Overeem’s management team wrote in a statement. “After the B-sample was also positive, it was to be expected that his fight against Badr Hari would be converted to ‘No Contest’. We are talking about trace amounts of a supplement that Alistair has used for recovery from an injury, which is not performance-enhancing.

“This injury occurred during the preparations for his fight with Rico [Verhoeven]. It surprised Alistair that after eight months traces were still found in his system. For now, we will rest and wait and see what comes next.”

Overeem was supposed to fight Verhoeven in GLORY back in Oct. 2021, but was forced to pull out with a back injury. Overeem vs. Verhoeven was looking like the big must-see fight for the kickboxing promotion in 2023, but now this suspension will delay it once again for at least another 12 months.

As for Overeem, this isn’t his first failed drug test.

On the contrary, “The Reem” tested positive for elevated testosterone back in 2012, which resulted in him being pulled from a title fight against Junior dos Santos at UFC 146. Despite endless speculation regarding his size and shape, Overeem made it through seven years and more than 45 tests under the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) drug testing regime without a positive result.