Alistair Overeem is done waiting around and wants all the smoke with Rico Verhoeven. The former UFC heavyweight title challenger wants to throw hands with the Dutch kickboxing superstar in a boxing match on the upcoming Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua card, hoping to finally settle their long-running beef once and for all. And he’s making it pretty clear that he thinks Verhoeven has been dodging him.

“Stop hiding,” Overeem wrote on his Instagram story. “Let’s make history.”

Fury vs. Joshua is scheduled for December 11 at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, with the event streaming live on Netflix. ‘The Demolition Man’ has been eyeing a move to boxing lately and clearly sees this blockbuster card as the perfect stage to finally settle things with Verhoeven.

These two have been linked to a fight several times over the years, but nothing has ever come together. Speaking to Bloody Elbow recently, Alistair Overeem explained why he thinks boxing is their best shot at finally making it happen, arguing that Verhoeven would actually have a better chance against him under boxing rules than in MMA or kickboxing.

“In boxing he has the most chance,” he said.

But ‘The Demolition Man’ has even bigger plans in mind. The former Strikeforce champion wants to take this grudge match to Amsterdam Arena in 2027, giving the Dutch crowd a massive homegrown combat sports showdown.

According to the 46-year-old, promoters have also been discussing a potentially lucrative offer to get both veterans in the ring. As for why the fight still hasn’t happened, ‘The Demolition Man’ believes Verhoeven is the one standing in the way.

“He is avoiding me, I guess, which can only mean one thing—he doesn’t want to fight,” Overeem said. “So it’s up to me because this is what everybody wants to see, so if you’re going to avoid me, then it doesn’t matter to me. It does because I want to fight him, but if he walks away, it’s on him, and the whole world will know.”

Overeem isn’t exactly keeping his feelings to himself, either. He wants Verhoeven to step up and give the Dutch fans the fight they’ve been waiting for.

“Rico, the fans want this, the Netherlands want this and I want this. We still have a score to settle,” he said. “Let’s settle the score once and for all and decide who is the number one of the Netherlands. Let’s do it in the Amsterdam Arena in 2027, and I am here waiting for you, so let’s go.”

For now, Alistair Overeem is throwing down the challenge, but whether Verhoeven finally bites remains to be seen.

Alistair Overeem and Rico Verhoeven have failed to secure a fight before

Alistair Overeem and Rico Verhoeven have been teasing fans with the possibility of a showdown for years, but somehow, these two Dutch heavyweights have never actually thrown down. They came closest in late 2021, when they were booked to face each other under the GLORY kickboxing banner.

Unfortunately, an injury forced ‘The Demolition Man’ out of the fight, and the matchup went straight back into the pile of fights fans never got to see.

Verhoeven, meanwhile, spent more than a decade ruling the kickboxing heavyweight division. After dominating as GLORY heavyweight champion, he began exploring a move into professional boxing.

The 37-year-old recently made his boxing debut against Oleksandr Usyk at a major event near Egypt’s Pyramids of Giza, suffering a controversial 11th-round stoppage loss. Alistair Overeem was reportedly sitting ringside for the contest, giving him a front-row seat to Verhoeven’s latest venture.

‘The Demolition Man’ has quite the combat sports resume himself. The former UFC heavyweight title challenger won four of his final six UFC fights between 2018 and 2021, all by knockout, including a first-round finish of Sergei Pavlovich. His list of big-name victims also includes former and future UFC champions Fabricio Werdum, Frank Mir, Brock Lesnar, Junior dos Santos, and Andrei Arlovski.

The Dutch veteran returned to kickboxing in 2022 and picked up a decision win over Badr Hari, only for the result to be overturned later following a doping violation. Since then, the 46-year-old has been exploring his options in boxing, and Verhoeven appears to be the guy he wants most.

Rico Verhoeven isn’t exactly short on potential opponents, though. He’s also been linked to a possible clash with Francis Ngannou under the revamped MVP MMA banner in 2027. For now, however, there’s no official agreement for either a fight with Overeem or a spot on the Fury-Joshua card.

Alistair Overeem is still pushing hard to make both happen. He wants to get on the Fury-Joshua undercard before bringing the rivalry home to Amsterdam in 2027. After years of cancelled plans and missed opportunities, he’s ready to finally settle the score. Now, the big question is whether Rico Verhoeven will give him the fight he’s been chasing all along.