Overeem’s New Coach Blasts Friendly Fighters: ‘We come to fight’

“We can say ‘hi’ but I don’t want to your friend because then I can’t fight against you. And if I can’t fight against you then it costs money. And if I don’t bring money home I can’t feed my children and that’s a problem. Because a man is supposed to feed his children and support his family.

And if you are too friendly to each other you cannot give a good fight.

Most of the time its ‘Oh I don’t want to fight him. He’s my friend, I talk to him on Facebook, I was playing with his children’, you know? Don’t get soft man. Stay on point. Just give the audience what they deserve, a good fight. Its not about one friend saving another friend’s life.

This is strictly business. That’s what it is. I am friendly with other coaches but the bottom line is ‘no emotions’. We are not some ‘black and yellow mafia’, we just are who we are. We are one of the few gyms in the world who comes to fight every fight.

There is not one fighter on my team who can say ‘I don’t feel like fighting, I will just show up and get the money’. I would say ‘OK, well shake my hand and good luck because you will do it without me. You don’t fight for me anymore’. Because I don’t think its fair.

If you’re a man who goes out to work and you have to buy a ticket for your sons, daughters, then you have to get to the arena, drive 100 miles, buy drinks, food – you have had to stand up every day and work, maybe a full week, just for this one evening.

And then if the fighters don’t produce, that is shame. Because they make five or six times more than this guy who is supporting them and paying to see them. Its like they are f—ing him in the ass. Its no good. So that is why we don’t slack off. We are there to fight.”

For his upcoming fight against Frank Mir, Alistair Overeem has enlisted the help of world-renowned striking coach, Mike Passenier.

In this interview with Fighters Only, Passenier shares the ingredients for success he has found with the likes of Paul Daley, Badr Hari, Gokhan Saki and more.