'Parasites' made me do it - The story of horse meat-eating Alistair Overeem taking a U-turn on his diet

Alistair Overeem is one of the most decorated heavyweights in MMA history, but it’s fair to say that the last couple of years have not been kind to him.

The Dutch striker was cut from the UFC in 2021 following a TKO loss to Alexander Volkov, and has not fought in MMA since.

Overeem did move back into the world of kickboxing, where he was once the K-1 2010 World Grand Prix champion, in 2022. However, despite beating old rival Badr Hari, the result was then overturned when he tested positive for PEDs.

More recently, though, fans were alarmed when ‘The Demolition Man’ appeared in a Twitter post looking markedly smaller from his prime days in the UFC and K-1. Some were even worried for his health.

Recently, though, Overeem made an appearance on the talk show Lovin Dubai to explain his new physique.

The Dutchman detailed that he’s dramatically changed his diet, and explained in detail how he’s been working with a new nutritionist who believed that eating meat was leading to parasites growing in Overeem’s body. He stated the following:

“I would usually eat steak at eight o’clock in the morning. That was like a standard thing, and then I’m like, I’m full, I don’t want to eat this anymore. So then the next day, it was one food less. One food of steak I ate that day and then the day after that I didn’t want to eat it anymore. When I spoke to [the nutritionist] I asked him what’s happening....he said, ‘You had parasites in your body. We gave you the supplements, you start detoxing your body,’ and these supplements are just simple seaweed. Everybody could take it and this creates an alkaline environment which these parasites do not like.”

Watch Alistair Overeem discuss this below.

Later in the interview, Overeem revealed that he’s now completely vegetarian, which would go some way to explaining the change in his physique.

Remarkably, ‘The Demolition Man’ later announced his retirement from fighting in low-key fashion, stating that he instead plans to “promote health.” He claimed that fighting was “just not my thing anymore.”

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Alistair Overeem horse meat: did ‘The Demolition Man’ use the meat to gain muscle?

In the late 2000’s and early 2010’s, Alistair Overeem’s massive muscle gains were the talk of the MMA world, with many fans wondering how he was able to bulk to such incredible proportions after starting his career as a 205lber.

One theory was that Overeem gained so much weight due to his hefty diet, which also involved eating horse meat. In a famous interview that made its way onto the internet, the Dutchman stated the following about his diet:

“I eat 6, 7, maybe 8 times a day. I like beef, beef is good for strength. Cow beef, horse beef, I like fish. Horse is a very good protein, better than beef.”

Watch Overeem discuss this below.

Alistair Overeem was given the nickname ‘Ubereem’ due to his huge physique at this point, although many observers, including Joe Rogan, suggested that chemical agents may have also been involved in his muscle gain.