Pair of UFC Knockout Legends Added To Christmas Eve Jake Paul Fight Card
Two former UFC knockout artists are heading to the boxing ring on Christmas Eve. Most Valuable Promotions announced on Thursday that Alistair Overeem will make his professional boxing debut against Jimi Manuwa in a six-round heavyweight bout on December 24 at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai. The fight was announced during a press conference in Dubai and joins a card headlined by Jake Paul facing former kickboxing champion Cedric Doumbe.
Few heavyweights have collected hardware across as many combat sports as Overeem. By the end of 2010, the Dutchman held the Strikeforce heavyweight title, the interim DREAM heavyweight belt and the K-1 World Grand Prix crown at once. He finished his MMA career with a 47-19 record and one no contest, with wins over Brock Lesnar, Junior dos Santos, Fabricio Werdum and Andrei Arlovski. He also challenged Stipe Miocic for the UFC heavyweight championship in 2016.
The 46-year-old, who lives in Dubai, last competed against Badr Hari at GLORY Collision 4 in October 2022, a win that was later changed to a no contest after he failed a drug test. He said in 2023 that he was stepping away from fighting, and this bout ends that break. He made it clear he is not entering boxing just for one fight.
Overeem and Verhoeven were set to meet for the GLORY heavyweight championship at Collision 3 in October 2021, but Overeem withdrew with an injury, and the fight never took place.
Manuwa, also 46, was one of the UFC’s most feared strikers at light heavyweight. He opened his pro MMA career 14-0 and walked away from the sport in 2019 at 17-6, with all but two of those wins coming by knockout. The defining moment came in March 2017, when he stopped Corey Anderson in the first round while headlining UFC Fight Night 107 in London. He also owns wins over Ovince Saint Preux and Jan Blachowicz, who later won the UFC light heavyweight title.
He returned on August 29, stopping former UFC heavyweight Chase Sherman in the second round of his pro boxing debut in Orlando.
The main event will be Paul’s first fight since losing to Anthony Joshua in December 2025, a bout in which he suffered a broken jaw. Doumbé, a former kickboxing world champion with a 75-7-1 record who also competed in MMA for the PFL and Bellator, is returning to boxing for the first time in 11 years. Tickets go on sale November 15, with a presale beginning November 14.
Overeem vs. Manuwa Is a Smart Addition for MVP
This is the kind of fight that works on a Jake Paul card. Both men are well-known names to MMA fans, both built their reputations on knockouts, and the bout is unlikely to need all six rounds. It gives the undercard a matchup fans will want to watch instead of filler before the main event.
Manuwa has the edge in boxing experience, even if it is only one fight. He has already adjusted to the gloves and the pace of a boxing match, while Overeem has spent his career mixing kicks, knees and clinch work into his striking. Overeem should be the bigger man after spending most of his career at heavyweight, though Manuwa weighed 230.4 pounds for Sherman. Either way, Overeem will need to show he can win with his hands alone.
Overeem calling out Verhoeven also gives the fight more weight. Their GLORY matchup never happened, and a boxing match between them would be a big draw in the Netherlands. A win over Manuwa would give Overeem the momentum to make it happen, while a loss would likely end the idea before it starts.
Related Headlines