Alistair Overeem interview: I'll finish Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Jon Jones could also be on my horizon

Fuelled by bad blood and a strong sense of unfinished business, Alistair Overeem is promising to “finish” Jairzinho Rozenstruik in a potential rematch, before concluding an already stellar career with a heavyweight title shot.

The Dutchman, in Dubai having last month reeled off a second successive UFC victory, is targeting another meeting with Rozenstruik following their clash in Las Vegas in December. Overeem lost via knockout with only four seconds of the five-round fight remaining, with all three judges having him up on the scorecards.

Currently the division’s No 5-ranked contender, Overeem said a second scrap with the No 3 challenger is the only bout that motivates him.

"I'm going to have, I think, a rematch with Rozenstruik - that would seem to me the most logical next fight," Overeem told The National on Tuesday, at a promotional event for UAE-based fitness brand Gym Clothing Co. "He's not booked, I'm not booked. There's still some bad blood there, still some scores to settle.

“I’m going to finish him the next fight - he knows it too. And if not, he’ll know fairly soon. Then I’m thinking a title shot after that. And when I win that I’m going to retire immediately.”

Having turned 40 in May, Overeem conceded he has noticed age catching up a little during this past year, although he believes he is still honing his talent.

The defeat to Rozenstruik was his only reverse in his past five fights, while he has won twice since the eve of his birthday. Last month, Overeem dispatched Augusto Sakai by fifth-round TKO in Las Vegas.

“I love being healthy, I love the lifestyle, I love being fit, I love improving,” he said. “I’m still improving: even at 40 I think you can clearly see that in my fights, there’s still improvement. I’m still executing new techniques, finishing much young fighters. I’m still winning. I’m still on a learning curve.

“But I have to be realistic. I’m going to have a couple more fights and then I’m going to hang up the gloves. I’m already saying if I win the belt I retire. Then the mission is completed. It’s over.”

Alistair Overeem at the Marina Plaza tower in Dubai Marina. Pawan Singh / The National

A former heavyweight champion in both Strikeforce and Dream, and a K-1 World Grand Prix champion, Overeem fought for the UFC title in 2016, but was beaten by Stipe Miocic. With Miocic having regained the belt two months ago, and set to take on No 1 contender Francis Ngannou next, there is plenty elsewhere to play for in the heavyweight division.

Add in Jon Jones, the former light heavyweight champion who recently vacated his crown to move up, and heavyweight picture is an intriguing one. Jones is widely considered the greatest UFC athlete of all time.

“Jon Jones is a little bit the dark horse, because he’s coming up and it’s a little bit unclear what’s going to happen there,” Overeem said. “Is he going to fight for the title straight away or a contender? It’s a little bit difficult to predict. But I’m just focused on my own journey, my own trajectory, which is one more fight, might be two more fights.

“Looking at Rozenstruik’s ranking, and looking at my past performances, I’m definitely eligible to fight for a title.”

While Overeem (46-18, 11-7 UFC) says Jones “definitely deserves” a title shot given his pedigree and past record, he would be open to fight his former training partner should the UFC decide to make it happen.

“I’ve trained with him, so I do have some inside information,” Overeem said. “I do like him; we’ve never had any bad blood. But it could be a match-up also in the horizon.

“I don’t necessarily have a want to fight Jon Jones, but I never say no to a fight. That’s been one of the things throughout my career: I’ll fight anybody anywhere, any time, any rules. It is what it is. If it comes across it’ll come across, if it doesn’t it doesn’t.”

Jon Jones, top, has indicated his next fight will be at heavyweight, but the American has been embroiled in a Twitter feud with middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. AP Photo

Overeem has kept an eye on the feud simmering between Jones and Israel Adesanya on social media, with the American and the current middleweight champion trading yet more insults on Tuesday.

Last week, the unbeaten Adesanya defended his crown emphatically against Paulo Costa at UFC253 on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, with many observers of the sport calling for him to face Jones.

“Very interesting,” Overeem said. “Adesanya is a star; Jon is a star, of course. I’m very intrigued by that bad blood between them. But is Adesanya willing to move up? And then does Jon Jones want to linger around light heavyweight?

“Because that’s a fight actually where he has something to lose. He’s going to be defending his belt against a dangerous fighter, because Adesanya has previously been underestimated, time and time again. And he’s withstood the test every time.

“I don’t really think - and I think everyone would agree with me - that Jon Jones is really willing to get that fight. He’s set his sights on heavyweight, because that’s a new challenge and there’s a lot to gain for him there. And Adesanya can actually take away his star power, his fame.

“The funny thing is, you would immediately underestimate [Adesanya in a higher weight class] because you think he’s a striker, he’s got no skills. But why is nobody taking him to the ground? Obviously he’s marketable. When he talks he captivates you. So he’s definitely an intriguing character. That’s what’s making that beef very interesting too. I hope I see that fight.”

Asked if that’s a match-up to make immediately, Overeem said: “Because it’s hot right now. And if you don’t act when the iron is hot it can cool off and dissipate. I don’t know; we’ll have to see. But the bad blood is real; they really do not like each other. Which makes the fight more interesting.”

________________________

Israel Adesanya beats Paulo Costa at UFC 253

Starring: Jamie Foxx, Angela Bassett, Tina Fey

Directed by: Pete Doctor

Rating: 4 stars

Visit Abu Dhabi culinary team's top Emirati restaurants in Abu Dhabi

Yadoo’s House Restaurant & Cafe

For the karak and Yoodo's house platter with includes eggs, balaleet, khamir and chebab bread.

Golden Dallah

For the cappuccino, luqaimat and aseeda.

Al Mrzab Restaurant

For the shrimp murabian and Kuwaiti options including Kuwaiti machboos with kebab and spicy sauce.

Al Derwaza

For the fish hubul, regag bread, biryani and special seafood soup.

Indian origin executives leading top technology firms

Sundar Pichai

Chief executive, Google and Alphabet

Satya Nadella

Chief executive, Microsoft

Ajaypal Singh Banga

President and chief executive, Mastercard

Shantanu Narayen

Chief executive, chairman, and president, Adobe

Indra Nooyi

Board of directors, Amazon and former chief executive, PepsiCo

On Women's Day

Dr Nawal Al-Hosany: Why more women should be on the frontlines of climate action

Shelina Janmohamed: Why shouldn't a spouse be compensated fairly for housework?

Justin Thomas: Challenge the notion that 'men are from Mars, women are from Venus'

The National Editorial: Is there much to celebrate on International Women's Day 2021?

Community Shield info

Where, when and at what time Wembley Stadium in London on Sunday at 5pm (UAE time)

Arsenal line up (3-4-2-1) Petr Cech; Rob Holding, Per Mertesacker, Nacho Monreal; Hector Bellerin, Mohamed Elneny, Granit Xhaka, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain; Alex Iwobi, Danny Welbeck; Alexandre Lacazette

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger

Chelsea line up (3-4-2-1) Thibaut Courtois; Cesar Azpilicueta, David Luiz, Gary Cahill; Victor Moses, Cesc Fabregas, N'Golo Kante, Marcos Alonso; Willian, Pedro; Michy Batshuayi

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte

Referee Bobby Madley

House-hunting

Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove

Edinburgh, Scotland
Westminster, London
Camden, London
Glasgow, Scotland
Islington, London
Kensington and Chelsea, London
Highlands, Scotland
Argyll and Bute, Scotland
Fife, Scotland
Tower Hamlets, London

Killing of Qassem Suleimani

National Editorial: Suleimani has been killed, now we must de-escalate

Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead

Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble

Matthew Levitt: Iran retains its ability to launch terror attacks

Hussein Ibish: Trump's order on solid constitutional ground

Simon Waldman: Cautious Israel keeping a low profile

Traits of Chinese zodiac animals

Tiger:independent, successful, volatile
Rat:witty, creative, charming
Ox:diligent, perseverent, conservative
Rabbit:gracious, considerate, sensitive
Dragon:prosperous, brave, rash
Snake:calm, thoughtful, stubborn
Horse:faithful, energetic, carefree
Sheep:easy-going, peacemaker, curious
Monkey:family-orientated, clever, playful
Rooster:honest, confident, pompous
Dog:loyal, kind, perfectionist
Boar:loving, tolerant, indulgent

Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

How Tesla’s price correction has hit fund managers

Investing in disruptive technology can be a bumpy ride, as investors in Tesla were reminded on Friday, when its stock dropped 7.5 per cent in early trading to $575.

It recovered slightly but still ended the week 15 per cent lower and is down a third from its all-time high of $883 on January 26. The electric car maker’s market cap fell from $834 billion to about $567bn in that time, a drop of an astonishing $267bn, and a blow for those who bought Tesla stock late.

The collapse also hit fund managers that have gone big on Tesla, notably the UK-based Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust and Cathie Wood’s ARK Innovation ETF.

Tesla is the top holding in both funds, making up a hefty 10 per cent of total assets under management. Both funds have fallen by a quarter in the past month.

Matt Weller, global head of market research at GAIN Capital, recently warned that Tesla founder Elon Musk had “flown a bit too close to the sun”, after getting carried away by investing $1.5bn of the company’s money in Bitcoin.

He also predicted Tesla’s sales could struggle as traditional auto manufacturers ramp up electric car production, destroying its first mover advantage.

AJ Bell’s Russ Mould warns that many investors buy tech stocks when earnings forecasts are rising, almost regardless of valuation. “When it works, it really works. But when it goes wrong, elevated valuations leave little or no downside protection.”

A Tesla correction was probably baked in after last year’s astonishing share price surge, and many investors will see this as an opportunity to load up at a reduced price.

Dramatic swings are to be expected when investing in disruptive technology, as Ms Wood at ARK makes clear.

Every week, she sends subscribers a commentary listing “stocks in our strategies that have appreciated or dropped more than 15 per cent in a day” during the week.

Her latest commentary, issued on Friday, showed seven stocks displaying extreme volatility, led by ExOne, a leader in binder jetting 3D printing technology. It jumped 24 per cent, boosted by news that fellow 3D printing specialist Stratasys had beaten fourth-quarter revenues and earnings expectations, seen as good news for the sector.

By contrast, computational drug and material discovery company Schrödinger fell 27 per cent after quarterly and full-year results showed its core software sales and drug development pipeline slowing.

Despite that setback, Ms Wood remains positive, arguing that its “medicinal chemistry platform offers a powerful and unique view into chemical space”.

In her weekly video view, she remains bullish, stating that: “We are on the right side of change, and disruptive innovation is going to deliver exponential growth trajectories for many of our companies, in fact, most of them.”

Ms Wood remains committed to Tesla as she expects global electric car sales to compound at an average annual rate of 82 per cent for the next five years.

She said these are so “enormous that some people find them unbelievable”, and argues that this scepticism, especially among institutional investors, “festers” and creates a great opportunity for ARK.

Only you can decide whether you are a believer or a festering sceptic. If it’s the former, then buckle up.

While you're here

National Editorial: Why is a Muslim Brotherhood-linked app still on Apple and Google Play?

Damien McElroy: Europe's response to Islamist extremism is encouraging but not enough

Con Coughlin: How extremists are using Zoom and other tools to exploit this pandemic

Opening day UAE Premiership fixtures, Friday, September 22:

Dubai Sports City Eagles v Dubai Exiles
Dubai Hurricanes v Abu Dhabi Saracens
Jebel Ali Dragons v Abu Dhabi Harlequins

Key findings of Jenkins report

Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."

Mobile phone packages comparison

The%20pillars%20of%20the%20Dubai%20Metaverse%20Strategy

%3Cp%3EEncourage%20innovation%20in%20the%20metaverse%20field%20and%20boost%20economic%20contribution%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EDevelop%20outstanding%20talents%20through%20education%20and%20training%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EDevelop%20applications%20and%20the%20way%20they%20are%20used%20in%20Dubai's%20government%20institutions%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAdopt%2C%20expand%20and%20promote%20secure%20platforms%20globally%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EDevelop%20the%20infrastructure%20and%20regulations%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

The specs

Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo

Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed

Power: 271 and 409 horsepower

Torque: 385 and 650Nm

Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000

Non-oil%20trade

%3Cp%3ENon-oil%20trade%20between%20the%20UAE%20and%20Japan%20grew%20by%2034%20per%20cent%20over%20the%20past%20two%20years%2C%20according%20to%20data%20from%20the%20Federal%20Competitiveness%20and%20Statistics%20Centre.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIn%2010%20years%2C%20it%20has%20reached%20a%20total%20of%20Dh524.4%20billion.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ECars%20topped%20the%20list%20of%20the%20top%20five%20commodities%20re-exported%20to%20Japan%20in%202022%2C%20with%20a%20value%20of%20Dh1.3%20billion.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EJewellery%20and%20ornaments%20amounted%20to%20Dh150%20million%20while%20precious%20metal%20scraps%20amounted%20to%20Dh105%20million.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERaw%20aluminium%20was%20ranked%20first%20among%20the%20top%20five%20commodities%20exported%20to%20Japan.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ETop%20of%20the%20list%20of%20commodities%20imported%20from%20Japan%20in%202022%20was%20cars%2C%20with%20a%20value%20of%20Dh20.08%20billion.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A