Overeem confident he’ll be licensed to fight ‘Bigfoot’

That’s where Overeem, 32, will appear before the Nevada Athletic Commission hoping to secure a license to fight Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva at UFC 156 on Feb. 2 at Mandalay Bay.

A win in that fight would likely secure Overeem the title shot he had originally earned last year. He lost that opportunity when an out-of-competition drug test conducted after a news conference promoting his fight against then-champion Junior dos Santos revealed significantly elevated levels of testosterone.

Overeem was forced out of that fight and suspended nine months by the commission. He still denies ever taking anything to enhance his performance and told the NAC at an April hearing that the positive test result stemmed from an anti-inflammatory prescription from a shady doctor in Texas.

Having served his suspension, Overeem once again has applied for a license to fight in Nevada. It will not be done administratively, however. He must appear at today’s meeting to answer any questions the commissioners may have.

“I’m sure they will have some questions for him,” NAC executive director Keith Kizer said.

“I’m looking forward to meeting with the commission, and I’m hoping for a positive outcome so I can fight ‘Bigfoot’ Silva as planned,” Overeem said Monday night. “If tomorrow goes well, from here on out, I am focused on what’s ahead in my fighting future with the UFC.”

Overeem indicated to the Review-Journal last month he feels he has cooperated fully with the commission since his hearing and has no concerns about being granted his license.

The UFC doesn’t appear to have any worries, either. The organization has already been promoting his fight with Silva for months.

The burden of proof falls on Overeem to show he is worthy of a license, which could be granted, denied or granted conditionally.

■ ALVAREZ UPDATE – Perhaps this is what UFC president Dana White meant last week when he said the Eddie Alvarez contract situation would “get ugly.”

Alvarez appeared on “The MMA Hour” radio show Monday and said he has been sued by Bellator Fighting Championships.

He has competed in the organization since 2009, but his contract has expired. Bellator, however, has the right to match any offers Alvarez receives. That’s where the problem lies.

Alvarez presented Bellator with an offer he received from the UFC, and Bellator decided to match it. However, he claims Bellator hasn’t matched the precise offer.

“We don’t believe it was matched at all,” Alvarez said, avoiding specific details because of the litigation. “All I can say is, if I wanted to go to dinner with one guy and another guy asked me to dinner and the intentions of guy No. 1 were to take me to a fine dining restaurant to eat lobster and the intentions of the second guy is to take me to McDonald’s, then guy No. 2 just believes that dinner is dinner. And dinner isn’t dinner.”

And soup is not a meal.

■ NO DIET FOR DC – Daniel Cormier’s rumored drop to light heavyweight is apparently on hold. The Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix champion hinted he might drop to 205 pounds for his entry into the UFC, particularly after his teammate and friend Cain Velasquez won the heavyweight belt last month.

He told FightHubTV.com this week the move won’t happen immediately.

“I am going to stay at heavyweight, and I really want to fight Frank Mir. That is the fight I want. I would love for it to be on the (UFC on Fox 7 card) here in San Jose on April 20,” Cormier said. “That will help expose me and get more fans behind me who may not know me. I think it would be a great fight.”

Cormier has one Strikeforce bout left, against Dion Staring on the organization’s final card in Oklahoma City on Saturday. He and the rest of the fighters under contract in the organization will then be folded into the UFC.

Also on the Strikeforce card, which airs on Showtime, is a welterweight title bout between champion Nate Marquardt and Tarec Saffiedine.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj.