Alistair Overeem would welcome the opportunity to fight Jon Jones

Say what you want to about the 40-year-old Amsterdam native, but Alistair Overeem is a legend in combat sports. From kickboxing to MMA, he's laid waste to some of the best the game has ever seen. He's one of the guys that spans generations. That's what happens when you do this for more than two decades.

In an illustrious career, Overeem really has had only one 'slump', and that was back in PRIDE in late 2006 to early 2007. Outside of that stretch, he's been consistent. And the only thing that could seal it up nicely for the future Hall Of Famer is wearing the UFC heavyweight strap.

After his back-to-back losses where Overeem was repectively finished by Francis Ngannou and Curtis Blaydes, the whispers became quite loud on whether he should continue. Of course he should, if he wants to. Overeem isn't falling over himself, he isn't on a 5-6 fight losing streak. As a matter of fact, he's rebounded pretty nicely, going 3-1 in his next four fights.

During the UFC Vegas 9 virtual media day, Overeem even brought up the possibility of fighting the newest member of the division, Jon Jones. And he said he'd be up for it. Of course he would. Jones is a massive money fight in the bigger classes. Overeem said:

"I think it's actually a great addition to the division, I'm actually excited. It's fresh blood. I've trained with him, he's very capable. He's tough, and he's good".

If there's a hole in Jon Jones' game, it's microscopic. And to beat him, let alone finish him, you would need to pitch the perfect game. And let's not forget that despite those last two fights at 205, nobody has quite figured out the Jon Jones riddle decisively.

Right now, there's no one on anyone's mouth more than Jones, or maybe Brock Lesnar. Everyone wants them. It's a bit of a shock at this point that neither Conor McGregor or Henry Cejudo has mentioned them.

Right now, 'The Demolition Man' Alistair Overeem is ranked sixth. But with the arrival of Jones, there's the easy assumption that everyone could slide down one spot. Of course, if Overeem truly wants a final run for the gold, he would need to win, if not finish, impressively against the very tough Brazilian, Augusto Sakai.

Looking ahead, the UFC might have the opportunity now to go back to the past, albeit briefly. With all the top heavyweights just massive in size, fight posters can recapture the UFC 141 poster when Overeem and Brock Lesnar fought. 6' 3", 265 pounds versus 6' 5" 256 pounds; it doesn't get any bigger than this.

Just throw any two heavyweights right now or in the coming months, and it'll work. Stipe Miocic - Francis Ngannou, Jon Jones versus anyone, Brock Lesnar versus anyone if he returns. As they sometimes say, to achieve goals in the future, look back to the past.