Alistair Overeem to Clash with Jimi Manuwa in Boxing Match on Jake Paul Undercard

Two former UFC stalwarts will face off on the undercard of Jake Paul vs Cedric Doumbe.

Taking place on Christmas Eve in Abu Dhabi, former UFC heavyweight title challenger Alistair Overeem and former long-time contender Jimi Manuwa will meet inside the squared circle. The fight will go down at heavyweight across six rounds.

Alistair Overeem vs Jimi Manuwa

'The Demolition Man'

Overeem has been out of action since an October 2022 kickboxing fight with Badr Hari. He won the fight via unanimous decision, but it was overturned as a result of a failed drug test, leading to a no contest.

The Dutchman is one of the most recognisable faces in the world of combat sports. Debuting in MMA in 1999, 'The Demolition Man' has faced a who's who of names from his Pride days as well as his time in Strikeforce. He was the inaugural Strikeforce heavyweight champion before making his UFC debut in a headline slot against Brock Lesnar. 

A UFC mainstay for 10 years, Overeem realised a world title shot in 2016 against Stipe Miocic. Unfortunately for him, on the day, Miocic wasn't going to be beaten in Ohio. He fought in another title eliminator and was on the end of one of the most viral knockouts in UFC history when he lost to Francis Ngannou.

His UFC tenure ended with a loss to Alexander Volkov, but he can boast five straight fight night main events on the bounce to finish out his career, not something everyone can say.

Posterboy

London's own, Jimi Manuwa, departed the UFC in 2019 but returned to combat sports with a second-round knockout over fellow UFC alumni Chase Sherman earlier this year. The 46-year-old held an MMA record of 17-6 after coming into the sport later in life.

He began his career with a 14-0 record with 14 finishes, including three in the UFC. That winning run was snapped by Alexander Gustafsson in 2014.

The heavy-hitter was on the brink of a UFC title shot after devastating knockout victories over Ovince Saint Preux and Corey Anderson (in a London main event) but fell short to Volkan Oezdemir.

He ended his UFC tenure with four straight losses, but that can't take away from his talent.

Who do you think enters Christmas Day with a win on their record?