- Overeem to Make Boxing Debut Against Manuwa on Jake Paul’s Dubai Card
Alistair Overeem will make his professional boxing debut against fellow former UFC fighter Jimi Manuwa in a six-round heavyweight bout on December 24 in Dubai.
The matchup has been added to the card headlined by Jake Paul and Cédric Doumbé at Coca-Cola Arena. Overeem, a former Strikeforce heavyweight champion and 2010 K-1 World Grand Prix winner, will face Manuwa, a former UFC light-heavyweight contender who has already won once under professional boxing rules.
The fight brings together two experienced strikers whose reputations were built largely in mixed martial arts and kickboxing. Overeem’s debut marks a new chapter after a career across several combat sports. Manuwa, meanwhile, will aim to extend his unbeaten start in boxing.
The Dutchman enters the bout with a 47-19 record in MMA, including 42 stoppage victories, according to the promotion. He last competed in kickboxing in October 2022. His career included a run through PRIDE, Strikeforce, DREAM and the UFC, where he challenged Stipe Miocic for the heavyweight title in 2016.
Manuwa retired from MMA in 2019 with a 17-6 record. Fifteen of those victories came by knockout or technical knockout. He returned to competition in August, stopping former UFC heavyweight Chase Sherman in the second round of his professional boxing debut
Overeem said he was “starting a new chapter in boxing” and insisted he was “not here to make up the numbers.” He described Manuwa as a dangerous opponent with “serious knockout power” and said he had built his career by accepting difficult challenges.
Manuwa also welcomed the challenge. “After my win in Orlando, I wasn’t looking for an easy opponent,” he said. “On Christmas Eve, one of us is going to sleep, and it’s not going to be me.”
The six-round format gives both fighters a defined window to make their mark in a different discipline. Overeem brings a long record of heavyweight competition and striking experience, but boxing requires its own adjustments in distance, defence and pacing.
Manuwa has the advantage of having already fought under professional boxing rules, though his record in the sport remains limited to one contest.
The bout also adds a separate draw to an event built around Paul’s return to the ring against Doumbé. For promoters, placing recognised MMA names on a boxing card broadens its appeal to audiences who follow combat sports across disciplines.
For the fighters, the crossover creates a fresh test and leaves the result to be settled under boxing rules.
The fight is scheduled for Christmas Eve at Coca-Cola Arena, where Overeem will attempt to turn decades of combat-sports experience into a successful boxing debut.
