Back Through the Ropes at 46: Alistair Overeem Will Make His Pro Boxing Debut Against Jimi Manuwa on Jake Paul's Christmas Eve Card in Dubai

One of the most decorated heavyweights of his generation is lacing up the gloves one more time, and this time there will be no kicks allowed.

Alistair Overeem will make his professional boxing debut against fellow UFC veteran Jimi Manuwa on Dec. 24 in Dubai, Most Valuable Promotions announced on Thursday. The six-round heavyweight bout will be part of the undercard for Jake Paul's fight with Cedric Doumbe at Coca-Cola Arena.

Overeem built his name across nearly every major combat sports stage. He is a former Strikeforce heavyweight champion and won the K-1 World Grand Prix in 2010, and he compiled a 47-19 record in mixed martial arts, according to Sherdog. He now lives in Dubai, which makes the Christmas Eve card something close to a home fight.

He has also been away for a long time. Overeem, 46, has not competed in combat sports since October 2022, when he faced Badr Hari in a GLORY kickboxing bout. That result was later overturned to a no-contest after Overeem failed a drug test, theScore reported.

That last fact belongs in the story, and it is fair for fans to weigh it. Overeem now steps into a new sport in his late 40s, and he will have to prove that he can still compete at a high level under the rules and the testing of a sanctioned boxing match.

Jimi Manuwa is a former UFC light heavyweight contender who has already made the jump to the ring. He made his professional boxing debut in August, stopping former UFC heavyweight Chase Sherman in the second round. That win leaves him at 1-0 as a pro boxer.

Some outlets that covered the announcement pointed out the obvious matchup questions: Manuwa has the edge in boxing experience, while Overeem is expected to be the bigger man in the ring.

The card's headliner is Jake Paul, who will be returning to the boxing ring for the first time in a year to face Cedric Doumbe, a former kickboxing champion who has also competed in the PFL. Paul has built much of his boxing career around crossover fights against men who made their names in other combat sports, going back to his 2021 knockout of former MMA champion Ben Askren.

Adding Overeem and Manuwa fits that formula. The promotion is counting on fans who remember both men from their UFC days will tune in to see how they handle the rules of a different sport.

I have a soft spot for fighters who refuse to let somebody else write their final chapter. Overeem has been one of the most feared strikers in the world in more than one sport, and at 46 he is choosing to put himself back in front of a crowd and take the risk that comes with it. That takes courage, whatever else you think of his career.

At the same time, the honest record matters. His last bout ended in a failed drug test and a no-contest, and that is part of his story. A clean, hard-fought six rounds on Christmas Eve would be the best way for him to add a better closing paragraph.

Manuwa is the more interesting test than some fans may realize. He has already been through a pro boxing camp, he already knows what it feels like to wear the smaller gloves for real, and he already has a stoppage win on his record. Experience in a new sport is a real advantage, even against a bigger man.

I will also say this: putting a fight card on Christmas Eve is an odd choice for a lot of American families, who will be at church services, around the dinner table or tucking kids into bed. Fight fans will find a way to watch, but the real celebration that night is not happening in a ring. For the men on the card, I hope they come out of it healthy, and I hope they get home to their families for Christmas morning.