Alistair Overeem has put MMA on hold and is dedicated to K-1 this fall. He wants to be the first to hold both the K-1 GP World Championship and an MMA Heavyweight championship at the same time. He has always stated it as a goal he wants to achieve in his career. He has blocked out his schedule thru December to accomplish that goal. But, there is one problem. Ben Edwards is his first round opponent.

You may not have heard of Ben Edwards. He has been a terror on the Aussie kickboxing scene for a few years now. He is an absolute beast. The 25 year old Edwards hails from Australia. He stands at 6' 3" and weighs 254 pounds. In this year's Oceania GP, Edwards set a new K-1 record for the fastest win in K-1 GP tournament history. It took Edwards a total of 3:28 to complete his win, defeating K-1 veteran, Paul Slowinski, in 56 seconds in the final bout. In the quarterfinals, Edwards displayed incredible power by knocking out Faisal Zakaria in spectacular fashion with a crushing right.  Edwards style displays no fear as he quickly engages and throws hands, heavy hands. We have seen Alistair finish opponents with devastating swiftness, but when he is challenged by a hard hitting fighter his chin has shown weakness.

No doubt Overeem will be the favorite going into this bout and he should be. Edwards is still building his resume in K-1 while Overeem is a star in the field of competitors. Still, watching Edwards fight and witnessing the crushing power he has in his right hand I can easily see this as a quick exit for Overeem. Edwards is exactly the kind of fighter that Overeem has trouble with and he could be looking at an early ticket home and no payday for the rest of the year. Regardless of the outcome it is a great first round bout. This year's World GP should be special.

via www.queanbeyanage.com.au