Brad Pickett Recalls The Day He Took Down Alistair Overeem
Brad Pickett Recalls The Day He Took Down Alistair Overeem
UFC veteran Brad Pickett reflects on the time he took down former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem.
The popular meme wondering "Who would win: 10 Brad Picketts or 1 Ubereem?" has been floating around the Internet for weeks now. And while it's all just a bit of fun, it actually goes a little deeper than most people think.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BOjGD3fhVkL/" hide_caption="0"]
Talking about it on his podcast this week, Pickett revealed there was actually an incident that occurred back in a gym in Sweden years ago, where the two fighters did square off.
"I got in to Sweden to train with Akira Corassani and Sirwan Kaki back in those days, and I was helping them out get ready for their fights," Pickett recalled. "It was GBG in Gothenburg, and obviously that was where Overeem was kinda doing his training because he's always bounced around to be honest.
"Anyway, I was there and I knew he was coming into town, and obviously he was good friends with Akira and Sirwan and obviously they chatted about me--he knew me anyway. He knew I liked a laugh and to mess around and have a bit fun and that, but he thought it would be funny for him to hide in a cupboard, and then me find him in the cupboard, and him pounce on me and maul me a little bit. Of course, that will be a laugh, that would be funny."
Unfortunately, that's not how it went down. Pickett filled in the details.
"This happened: I opened the cupboard and he jumps out and jumps on me, and it's all funny, but then we were rolling about a bit on the floor, and he started to try tap me out--I ain't tapping. What you on about? I ain't going to tap.
"So he starts trying to like do stuff, and then he was like, 'Go on, tap out. Go on, tap out.' I was like, 'No...at least have something for me to tap out [to].' So then because he couldn't quite get me a little bit, what I would say is 'mean' and he was like trying to one-finger manipulate s*it and just being a little nasty and using his weight to his advantage.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BO1zb96DDCw/" hide_caption="0"]
"So I just started fighting back a little harder, and we started going at it a little bit, just kinda wrestling. He then started to gas and get up a little bit, so I shot a double against the cage, and I was in deep trying to take him down. He was like, 'Oh yeah, yeah I'm done,' and was tapping me on the back kinda thing like giving up."
Pickett wasn't done there though. Astonishingly, the flyweight-come-bantamweight wasn't just content with attempting a takedown.
"I got the takedown," Pickett said. "Yeah, I took him down. He had no wrestling background. I took him down against the cage. He was friggin' big. I wasn't even in camp. I must've been like 155 pounds, but, yeah, you know, that happened.
"So there's the answer. It takes one Brad Pickett to take down an Overeem because I wouldn't give up. He can beat the crap out of me all he can, but I'm still going to keep coming. That's the thing, you need to put my lights out cold."
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BOjGD3fhVkL/" hide_caption="0"]
Talking about it on his podcast this week, Pickett revealed there was actually an incident that occurred back in a gym in Sweden years ago, where the two fighters did square off.
"I got in to Sweden to train with Akira Corassani and Sirwan Kaki back in those days, and I was helping them out get ready for their fights," Pickett recalled. "It was GBG in Gothenburg, and obviously that was where Overeem was kinda doing his training because he's always bounced around to be honest.
"Anyway, I was there and I knew he was coming into town, and obviously he was good friends with Akira and Sirwan and obviously they chatted about me--he knew me anyway. He knew I liked a laugh and to mess around and have a bit fun and that, but he thought it would be funny for him to hide in a cupboard, and then me find him in the cupboard, and him pounce on me and maul me a little bit. Of course, that will be a laugh, that would be funny."
Unfortunately, that's not how it went down. Pickett filled in the details.
"This happened: I opened the cupboard and he jumps out and jumps on me, and it's all funny, but then we were rolling about a bit on the floor, and he started to try tap me out--I ain't tapping. What you on about? I ain't going to tap.
"So he starts trying to like do stuff, and then he was like, 'Go on, tap out. Go on, tap out.' I was like, 'No...at least have something for me to tap out [to].' So then because he couldn't quite get me a little bit, what I would say is 'mean' and he was like trying to one-finger manipulate s*it and just being a little nasty and using his weight to his advantage.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BO1zb96DDCw/" hide_caption="0"]
"So I just started fighting back a little harder, and we started going at it a little bit, just kinda wrestling. He then started to gas and get up a little bit, so I shot a double against the cage, and I was in deep trying to take him down. He was like, 'Oh yeah, yeah I'm done,' and was tapping me on the back kinda thing like giving up."
Pickett wasn't done there though. Astonishingly, the flyweight-come-bantamweight wasn't just content with attempting a takedown.
"I got the takedown," Pickett said. "Yeah, I took him down. He had no wrestling background. I took him down against the cage. He was friggin' big. I wasn't even in camp. I must've been like 155 pounds, but, yeah, you know, that happened.
"So there's the answer. It takes one Brad Pickett to take down an Overeem because I wouldn't give up. He can beat the crap out of me all he can, but I'm still going to keep coming. That's the thing, you need to put my lights out cold."