Overeem recently gave his thoughts ahead of Saki’s first bout under the promotion’s banner at this weekend’s UFC Japan
Having made a name for himself in Japan during his PRIDE days, Overeem is a man who is in touch with the culture of the Asian country and their love for MMA.
“The Reem” also found success in his K1 days. Back in 2010, the Dutchman fought a Turkish competitor by the name of Gokhan Saki, beating him by way of stoppage (due to Saki suffering a broken arm). Overeem, clearly a big fan of the UFC debutant, discussed this weekend’s event and had a lot of praise for his former opponent ahead of his bout with Henrique da Silva:
“I love coming [to Japan]. There’s a lot of memories. A lot of different promotions, a lot of fighters, coaches, a lot of experiences here. So, we continue now here with the UFC, yet another new promotion. I’m very curious about the show, very curious about the fans, how the energy will be. If we can capture the same energy as the previous shows, Pride and the K-1. Of course this is a little bit of a different audience than the American audience or the Brazilian audience. But I’m sure, they have a great fight card and my friend Gokhan Saki is always good for action. So, it’s going to be a great event I’m sure.
“[Gokhan] Saki is a very intelligent fighter. At the time of the K-1, was very, very ahead of the game with a lot of technical aspects. I would say that he is the most technical K-1 heavyweight and light heavyweight, for that matter. His speed, his combinations He’s actually a light heavyweight, but he was fighting heavyweight, he was fighting with the big guys. So, I have full confidence in him and his team that he will do great in analyzing the game and analyzing what he needs to get the victory this Saturday.”
