7 Reasons Alistair Overeem Will Demolish Junior Dos Santos

Since committing himself to the heavyweight division in 2007, Alistair Overeem has grown both in size and star power, having become one of the more popular fighters to recently enter the UFC.

The Dutchman recently made a successful debut inside the Octagon, when he finished off former champion Brock Lesnar with a deftly applied array of strikes, wilting the big man with a kick to the body and subsequent blows, which yielded the first-round TKO. 

The win helped propel Overeem to the top of the division, where he now meets current UFC champ Junior dos Santos later this year. The experienced and well-traveled fighter stands a good chance at defeating the Brazilian. 

Experience

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The former Strikeforce heavyweight champion has been in this sport for over 11 years, and during that time, Alistair Overeem has competed and defeated some of the best fighters in the world, both in the light heavyweight and heavyweight classes. 

His experience will serve him well against Junior dos Santos, who holds only 15 fights under his belt, which pales in comparison to Overeem's 48. 

Strength

Alistair Overeem, since moving to the heavyweight division, has proven to be one of the biggest and strongest men in the weight class by far.

The Hounslow native regularly uses strongman-esque training regimens to keep his strength up to par. 

Underrated Jiu-Jitsu

We don't see it very often, but Alistair Overeem does have a vastly underrated ground game, which is evident in his 2005 ADCC European Trials run, where he submitted all three of his opponents via guillotine choke.

Igor Vovchanchyn and former UFC champion Vitor Belfort have also succumbed to the crushing power of an Overeem guillotine. 

Knees

Displaying the full gauntlet of striking skills, Alistair Overeem has often utilized his deadly knees to finish off even the most talented of opponents.

During his run in the K-1 circuit, "The Reem" defeated touted Karate specialist Ewerton Teixeira with a single knee to the jaw, which recorded the knockout in just 66 seconds. 

Kicks

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After bludgeoning the body of Brock Lesnar with close-quartered knees, Alistair Overeem ended the action with a well-placed kick to the body, which wilted the behemoth to the canvas in a heap.

His kicks to the legs are equally effective and if utilized will definitely be able to take away some of the steam from aggressive Junior dos Santos. 

Knockout Power

Since adding on some muscle, Alistair Overeem has been able to show his crippling one-punch knockout power. However, no man is perhaps more accustomed to the heavy-handed blows of the former Golden Glory product than Ben Edwards.

The tough-as-nails Aussie was leveled twice from vicious right hands from the Dutch fighter before a final hook sent Edwards crashing to the mat from the mounting blows, proving the knockout power that Overeem wields. 

Confidence

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Alistair Overeem entered the UFC with a prestigious run that has not been replicated by any other man to date.

While holding the Strikeforce heavyweight crown, Overeem earned the Dream belt with a 19-second knockout of former UFC prospect Todd Duffee, which preceded his run through the K-1 circuit, where Overeem earned the World Grand Prix title, defeating a field of 16 of the best kickboxers on the planet. 

Needless to say, his confidence is at an all-time high, which will serve him well now that Overeem is taking on the kingpin of the heavyweight class, Junior dos Santos.