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Alistair Overeem

Oh, Alistair Overeem. The Demolition Man is simultaneously one of the most incredible examples of MMA success there has ever been and one of the most polarizing figures in the sport, as notable for his massive accomplishments as his controversies. It's time for fade cuts, empty syringes and sledgehammers. Given that he's been fighting since 1999 and doesn't appear to be slowing down--his next fight will be his 75th--we'll spare the step-by-step of his career. It's easier to split it him into two fighters: Alistair Overeem and The Reem.

Alistair Overeem was a talented but cursed 205-pound standout. A living wrecking machine as comfortable with his kickboxing as his grappling, only nine of his first 34 matches made it out of the first round--and therein lay the curse. Alistair Overeem was a nightmare matchup for anyone on the planet, a fighter talented enough to nearly knock out a prime Chuck Liddell and trade grapples with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira--but that nightmare, more often than not, lasted about five minutes. If his opening salvo and first attempt didn't dispatch his opponent--if his opponent put him in danger--he wilted. He famously battered and nearly submitted Shogun Rua in the semifinals of the 2005 MWGP--and the moment Shogun popped out of his guillotine Overeem deflated completely, and a couple minutes later, he was TKOed. That was the patch on Overeem: He was a monster on a time limit.

So he decided to just become a monster instead.

And thus: The Reem. Fifty pounds of muscle heavier, The Reem was a crushing presence at heavyweight. He beat former UFC titlist Paul Buentello in 2007 and wouldn't lose an MMA fight for six years, knocking out or submitting almost everyone he fought. He was the simultaneous Strikeforce and Dream heavyweight champion. He won in the first round of the Strikeforce HWGP, knocked out Brock Lesnar and won the last real K-1 Grand Prix. And then he was gone for a year and a half, and then he got knocked out by Bigfoot Silva, Travis Browne and Ben Rothwell.

And that's where we get to the controversy. Overeem objectively improved as a fighter in the later period of his career. He learned from his mistakes and cultivated a better style. But he also, unmistakably, took steroids. Like, a lot of steroids. A big ol' mess of steroids. He denied these allegations for years, but then, as mentioned, he was gone for a year and a half--because he failed a drug test for steroids. His weight and musculature fluctuated as he found his new equilibrium and/or regimen, but he wound up benefitting from it, evolving into a lighter, more agile heavyweight.

But it begs the question of how much the drugs aided in his transformation. When he won the K-1 WGP--a brief period where he was fighting only in K-1, which had essentially no drug testing--he looked more like a comic book character than a human being.

None of this should take away from his accomplishments. He's a K-1, Dream and Strikeforce champion and he's nearly been the UFC champion--and very likely still will be, one day. He's an incredible fighter and well worth his legend.

He just also really loves steroids.

Moveset, stats, logic and four attires (UFC 141 vs Lesnar / Pride 24 vs Atajev / RINGS Holland vs Watts / K-1 WGP 2010 vs Aerts).