Just hours after his suspension expired, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem has already applied for licensure in the state of Nevada for his announced UFC 156 bout against Antonio Silva on Feb. 2, 2013, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Applying for a fighting license in just the first step in Overeem's journey back to the Octagon, now "The Demolition Man" must appear before the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) on Jan. 8, 2013, to plead his case on why he deserves a license after being suspended for nine-months retroactive to March 27, 2012.

Heidi Fang of MMA Fight Corner first reported news of Overeem's application on Thursday morning.

Overeem was serving a suspension handed down from the NSAC stemming from a random drug test that showed elevated testosterone-to-epitestosterone levels in Overeem's system prior to his scheduled UFC 146 title bout against current heavyweight champ Junior dos Santos.

During the course of Overeem's suspension, the 32-year-old claims to have taken a number of self-imposed random drug tests; although the results of those tests have not been released to a public forum.

The Dutchman has not competed since a Dec. 2011 win over Brock Lesnar in his debut with the organization.

UFC 156: "Aldo vs. Edgar" goes down Feb. 2, 2013 from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event headliner will see Jose Aldo put his featherweight strap on the line against former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar. Also on the card will be a light heavyweight affair between Rashad Evans and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.