The Best Cage Fighter

The Best Cage Fighter Rating: 6,5/10 6960 votes

Meet current Cage Warriors champion Jake Hadley, who like UFC welterweight Leon Edwards hails from Birmingham, and is one of the hottest UK prospects to keep an eye on in 2021. The highly-touted. The emergence of Fallon Fox into the limelight brought so notable backlash against her. Recently recruited UFC fighter Paul Costa blasted Fallon for her roll in the controversy. The middleweight has taken issue with transgender fighter and has offered to settle their dispute inside the cage.

Meet current Cage Warriors champion Jake Hadley, who like UFC welterweight Leon Edwards hails from Birmingham, and is one of the hottest UK prospects to keep an eye on in 2021.

The highly-touted flyweight, who is sponsored by Santini 7 Sport, is somebody every fight fan should know about. At 24-years-old, 'White Kong' is already 7-0-0 in his professional career and has built a reputation for himself on the regional MMA circuit.

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Hadley has still yet to defend his brand-new belt but the fighter has already set his sights on some of the UFC's up-and-coming talents, with his hitlist including the likes of Jimmy Flick and Francisco Figueiredo, the brother of flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo.

When asked how he would fare against the likes of Flick and Figueiredo, Hadley exclusively told GIVEMESPORT:

'Flick's just a jiu-jitsu guy, isn't he? He's a long, lanky guy who triangles people. The guy is terrible. I don't even think he'd get out of the first round.

'I'd like to smash Figueiredo just to p--- off his brother. I don't even give him a round either. He won't get out of the first.

'I'm well-rounded, I can knock you out, or take you down and smash you, no problem. I'm the true definition of a mixed martial artist. I'm the new breed of fighter with a high fight IQ and nobody's got a chance of touching me here in Europe.'

Hadley captured the Cage Warriors 125-pound title in just his seventh career fight after he largely dominated Luke Shanks from start to finish to pick up a shutout win at CW 117 in London last year.

However, unlike the likes of Cage Warriors alumni Arnold Allen and Mason Jones, he has spent his entire career learning the tips and tricks of the trade at his local gym Team Fearless MMA.

'Rocky [Edwards] has proven that you don't need to go to train abroad to become the top five fighter in the world. There was all this belief at one stage that you've got to go to America to become the best in the UFC.

'Obviously Birmingham is making waves at the moment, we've got the Edwards brothers, Jai Herbert, Tom Breese and Nathias Frederick, you know, multiple guys, guys from all over the country as well who come down to spar with me. We have fighters who travel from all over the country to come and train down in Birmingham.

'I've got an EFC world title, I've got a Cage Warriors world title, and I beat another world champion in a non-title fight. I've beaten all of these geezers and hardly any of them has landed a glove on me. That comes down to my team in Birmingham, my hard work and my high fight IQ.

'I haven't heard anything yet but I'm always in the gym and I'm ready to go. I'm ready to go now. So if the UFC come with an opportunity, say in a week's time, two weeks, then no problem. I'll jump in. I'm a company man. I'm ready for the UFC.'

Like Edwards, Hadley himself is no stranger to a bit of adversity, having travelled halfway across the world to dominate Nkazimulo Zulu and capture the EFC flyweight title in enemy territory.

With two titles from two different promotions to his name, you'd imagine it will not be too long before the UFC come calling.

Best Cage Fighter Of All Time

Hadley is currently managed by Paradigm Sports Management which represents a roster of over 60 clients including the likes of Conor McGregor and Manny Pacquiao, so it's no surprise he has attracted attention from a number of sponsors, including Santini 7 Sport.

'Santini reached out to me through the socials and we started working together about a year ago. I use all of their supplements and their whey protein, Angry Dog, and it tastes the best out of every brand I've tried before.

'I've bought protein my whole entire life but it's easy to mix and it really helps with my recovery. Like I say, I've used protein companies my entire life. There's no bad s--- in it, it's all good stuff. I like the raspberry ripple flavour, that's my favourite one.

'You should try it yourself. That's what I say to people - try it yourself, if you don't believe me, just try it. It's one of the top brands you can get and it's a local company. Support your people, support your local businesses, you know what I mean.'

While the UFC's flyweight division is fairly stacked at the moment, Hadley's addition would definitely make things a lot more interesting.

Of course, Deiveson Figueiredo currently reigns supreme right now, but we wouldn't be surprised to see Hadley make the jump before too long.

This exclusive interview with Jake Hadley is in conjunction with Santini 7 Sports, check them out now on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!

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The Best Cage Fighter

Fighter Details

  • Given Name:Alistair Cees Overeem
  • Pro MMA Record:47-19-0, 1 NC (Win-Loss-Draw)
  • Nickname:The Demolition Man
  • Current Streak:1 Loss
  • Age:40 Date of Birth:1980.05.17
  • Last Fight:February 06, 2021inUFC
  • Weight Class:Heavyweight Last Weigh-In:255.5 lbs
  • Affiliation:Elevation Fight Team
  • Height:6'4' (193cm) Reach:80.0' (203cm)
  • Career Disclosed Earnings:$4,539,999 USD
  • Born:Hounslow, England
  • Fighting out of:Amsterdam, Netherlands
  • Fighter Links:
  • Personal Links:

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Fighting for a major organization has made Alistair Overeem ineligible for regional rankings.

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Wiki

Alistair 'Demolition Man' Overeem is one of the world’s most accomplished martial artists, and one of the few men to simultaneously maintain successful careers in the top echelons of both mixed martial arts and international K-1 style kickboxing. Overeem has fought many of the best fighters MMA has to offer, including memorable scraps with “The Iceman” Chuck Liddell, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (twice), Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (twice), Vitor Belfort (twice), and others. However, he tends to get lazy on defense, as he was knocked out by Rua (twice), Nogueira (once), Liddell, Ricardo Arona, and Sergei Kharitonov, as well as submitted by Fabricio Werdum. The Liddell and Khaitonov losses were especially showing as Overeem was winning early before leaving himselft open to unnecessary punches.


Overeem is particularly dangerous in the early goings of a bout, where his extraordinary power, 6’5” frame and world-class technical striking ability make him difficult to engage. An aggressive fighter, Overeem is comfortable moving in and striking first in exchanges, and has won many fights in the early goings with heavy combinations. He is also a skilled grappler with a particularly dangerous Guillotine Choke. His brother Valentijn 'The Python' Overeem is also a notable fighter, who was a Rings: King of Kings finalist and submitted UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture.


Overeem’s weakness in his career in Pride was his tendency to gas in the later stages of a fight, and some believe he could be made to wilt mentally under heavy pressure brought by a fighter with a high pace, like “Shogun” Rua. However, Overeem typically fought in Pride’s 205 lb. division, which may not have been his optimal weight class. Since his move up to heavyweight in California’s Strikeforce promotion, Overeem has gained substantial size and muscle, which helped him seize the heavyweight title in 2007. However, it is questioned by many how he gained so much mass, as he now weighs in close to the 265 limit, and most of his fights took place outside of the United States.


Overeem’s outing against Brett “The Grim” Rogers in Strikeforce in May 2010 was a particularly impressive display by “The Demolition Man,” as Overeem outpaced Rogers a shocking 44-1 in landed blows en route to a first-round TKO victory. He was then place in a rematch with Fabricio Werdum, which he won in a mildly controversial decision, as he slowed his pace after a dominant first round. Werdum's punching output was actually higher the next two rounds, but the judges favored Overeem.


After dispatching of Werdum in the 2011 Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, Overeem was suddenly removed from the tournament after making a self determination that he would not be ready for his September match up. He was then subsequently released from the organization and stripped of his title. On December 30th, 2011, at UFC 141, Overeem made his debut with the UFC. He faced off against former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, whom had been battling his way back to the octagon following a life threatening bout with diverticulitis. Overeem defeated Lesnar via 1st round TKO.


Following his win at UFC 146, Overeem was declared the number one contender to the heavyweight title owned by Junior Dos Santos. Unfortunately, the bout, scheduled for UFC 146, never came to fruition as Overeem was suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for elevated testosterone levels. He was replaced in the fight by perennial contender and former heavyweight champion Frank Mir.


Following his suspension Overeem would face off against Antonio Silva at UFC 156. Overeem was favored in this fight and was expected to get a title shot if he could pull off the win. However Silva would pull off another upset and knocked out Overeem in the 3rd round of the fight. Overeem again had a great first round, but stood in front of 'Big Foot' not expecting to be punched back. The 'Demolition Man' probably won the second round two, but this time was caught by several punches. Early in the third round, Overeem ducked without his hands in front of his face, and was uppercutted out of his championship bout.


Overeem is articulate and soft-spoken outside the cage, though certainly not lacking in confidence. He lives and trains out of Holland. He was next scheduled to face Junior dos Santos, but pulled out of the bout citing a quad injury. He would look to get back in the win column when he faced Travis Browne as the Co-Main Event of UFC on FOX Sports 1. He almost accomplished it landing multiple shots on Browne and it looked like the fight would be stopped. However Browne was able to weather the storm and get back to his feet to eventually land a front kick that would drop The Reem. He would play it safe in his next fight and cruise to a unanimous decision victory over Frank Mir at UFC 169.

The Best Cage Fighter Walt Harris


On 5 September, 2014, Overeem fought Ben Rothwell at UFC Fight Night 50: Jacare vs. Mousasi 2. Overeem was coming in as a heavy favourite, with Vegas odds closing at -550 Overeem and +425 Rothwell. However Rothwell pulled off the upset by knocking out Overeem in the first round at 2:19. This earned Rothwell the $50, 000 Performance of the Night bonus.


Following yet another knockout upset loss, Overeem was given one last shot against the returning Stefan Struve at UFC on Fox 13. Overeem would go on to dominate the fight knocking Struve out, standing in his guard with ground and pound in the first round. He would make it two in a row when he got the unanimous decision over Roy Nelson at UFC 185, and a third straight victory over perennial contender Andrei Arlovski has earned Overeem a long-awaited shot at the UFC heavyweight title against nascient champion Stipe Miocic at UFC 203.

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Videos & Highlights

The

    Documentary The Reem Episode 11: Ready for the K1 Finalreport dead link

    The complete, acclaimed multi-part series featuring the life and training of Alistair Overeem, 'The Reem.'

    Documentary The Reem Episode 10: Big In Japanreport dead link

    The complete, acclaimed multi-part series featuring the life and training of Alistair Overeem, 'The Reem.'

    Documentary The Reem Episode 9: Business As Usualreport dead link

    The complete, acclaimed multi-part series featuring the life and training of Alistair Overeem, 'The Reem.'

    Documentary The Reem Episodes 7&8: Enter the K1 Tournamentreport dead link

    The complete, acclaimed multi-part series featuring the life and training of Alistair Overeem, 'The Reem.'

    Documentary The Reem Episode 6: Training Campreport dead link

    The complete, acclaimed multi-part series featuring the life and training of Alistair Overeem, 'The Reem.'

    Documentary The Reem Episode 5: Change of Plansreport dead link

    The complete, acclaimed multi-part series featuring the life and training of Alistair Overeem, 'The Reem.'

    Documentary The Reem Episode 4: Back Homereport dead link

    The complete, acclaimed multi-part series featuring the life and training of Alistair Overeem, 'The Reem.'

    Documentary The Reem Episode 3: Fight Nightreport dead link

    The complete, acclaimed multi-part series featuring the life and training of Alistair Overeem, 'The Reem.'

    Documentary The Reem Episode 2: Final Trainingreport dead link

    The complete, acclaimed multi-part series featuring the life and training of Alistair Overeem, 'The Reem.'

    Documentary The Reem Episode 1: Prologuereport dead link

    The complete, acclaimed multi-part series featuring the life and training of Alistair Overeem, 'The Reem.'

    Documentary The Reem Episode 12: The Finalreport dead link

    The complete, acclaimed multi-part series featuring the life and training of Alistair Overeem, 'The Reem.'

    Documentary The Career of Alistair Overeem Videoreport dead link

    Stylishly produced video telling the story of where Alistair Overeem came from, with voice-over narration from Overeem, and classic video footage of some of his early fights.

    Highlight 'The Demolition Man - Alistair Overeem' HL Vid by KahL-One report dead link

    A short and stylish Alistair Overeem highlights video by KahL-One, aka KahL1One, one of today's brightest MMA highlight video makers.