“With age comes wisdom” perfectly describes UFC heavyweight legend Alistair Overeem, who doesn’t want fellow UFC veteran Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson to face the same fate he once did. The 45-year-old former UFC title challenger retired after his final kickboxing stint in 2022 and now enjoys life away from the fight business. Since hanging up his gloves in 2023, Overeem has completely transformed his lifestyle.

As a result, his body transformation has sparked conversations everywhere. Currently building a career in the field of wellness and longevity, he met former light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson. Jackson, despite being 47, still wants to fight, but Overeem had some valuable advice for him.

Alistair Overeem warns Rampage Jackson

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson retired from MMA in 2019 after his last fight, a loss to Russian legend Fedor Emelianenko under the Bellator banner. Since then, ‘Rampage’ has stayed retired, though he has attempted multiple comebacks. Earlier this year, he even came close to facing fellow UFC veteran Rashad Evans under ICS, but with bouts being canceled, Rampage still aims to return at 47.

When Alistair Overeem randomly bumped into Quinton Jackson, the exchange went like this.

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“You don’t feel like getting back in there?” Jackson asked ‘The Demolition Man’.

“Nooo. Do you?” Alistair Overeem replied.

“Oh, yes. I want to box. I want to box one last time,” Rampage Jackson responded.

Overeem then asked Rampage his age. After hearing it, Alistair Overeem warned the former UFC champion.

“Why would you? … If you fight now, you are taking 10 to 15 years off your life,” said Alistair Overeem.

Despite being younger than Rampage, Alistair Overeem endured more throughout his fight career. For example, he suffered broken ribs and cartilage injuries in 2011 and severe lip damage, experiencing some of the most serious trauma inside the cage. After UFC 203, the medical commission required neurological scans before he could return, and at times, they suspended him indefinitely.

Rampage Jackson, on the other hand, avoided major neurological issues but sustained knee injuries, particularly from dangerous oblique kicks delivered by Jon Jones, which affected the latter part of his career.

Overall, comparing the two, Alistair Overeem shows a higher documented brutal damage over decades in MMA and kickboxing, compounded by late-career injuries and repeated medical suspensions.

Overeem opens up on how he transformed his life

Alistair Overeem is no longer the fighter fans once knew, the massive, bigger-framed athlete with one of the most defined physiques in MMA history. Since retiring, ‘The Demolition Man’ has remarried and is now living in Dubai, leveraging his fight experience to build a presence in new business ventures.

Yet the body that carried him through a storied career in kickboxing and MMA had taken a significant toll. Across all disciplines, his body could no longer keep up. Where others might have struggled, Overeem found a solution in adopting a vegan lifestyle.

“It was a very nasty injury. After my last fight, I tried to get back into a fight camp, but my body just didn’t want to do it anymore,” Alistair Overeem told Sun. As a last resort, I turned to veganism — no more animal protein — and something good happened.”

“I tried it for a year and a half, and my body healed and the muscle mass went. That did take me out of fighting. After that, there was no desire to go back into fighting, but it did heal me.”

Despite Alistair Overeem’s claim, critics remained skeptical. Many argued that his health problems were not the result of an animal-based diet, and the discussion reignited questions about his past PED use, which has long been a point of controversy among fans.