"The Reem" is back!
After nine months of inactivity while the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight division passed him by, former Strikeforce 265-pound kingpin Alistair Overeem is officially licensed to fight, today getting his papers rubber stamped by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC).
MMA Fighting brought word of the reinstatement earlier today.
Overeem was initially denied a license to compete in "Sin City" when a surprise drug test ahead of UFC 146 returned a testosterone-to-epitestosterone (T/E) level of 14:1, forcing his removal from the event's headliner opposite then-champion Junior dos Santos.
The commission's T/E limit is 6:1.
"Demolition Man" subsequently blamed the results on his failure to understand the contents in the injections of anti-inflammatory medication (mixed with testosterone) he was receiving -- and injecting himself with -- to help expedite the healing process for an injured rib.
He reapplied for his license on Dec. 27.
As part of his reinstatement, Overeem was required to pass five self-administered drug tests during his time away from the Octagon, which he did, in addition to a pair of screenings through the NSAC as recently as Nov. 16 and Dec. 21.
There's nothing left to do now except fight.
The Dutchman will next fight Antonio Silva as part of the UFC 156 pay-per-view (PPV) extravaganza on Feb. 2 in Las Vegas and could find himself in title contention if he's able to step on "Bigfoot." While "Reem" was out of action, Cain Velasquez reclaimed his division title by defeating "Cigano."
The UFC heavyweight division just got interesting again.