Alistair Overeem isn't going anywhere. The big Dutchman, who last year elected to fight out his UFC contract and test the free agency waters, announced Monday that he has re-signed with the UFC.

Overeem, 35, is currently the No. 3 ranked heavyweight on the UFC's media-generated rankings. "The Reem" overcame a rocky start to his Octagon career to put it all together when it mattered, closing out his original eight-fight deal with a three-fight winning streak over the likes of Stefan Struve, Roy Nelson, and Junior dos Santos.

It was Overeem's victory over dos Santos in December that left the biggest mark. The two heavyweights shared a rivalry stretching back to 2011, when dos Santos was the UFC heavyweight champion and Overeem defeated Brock Lesnar to set up a title shot against the hard-hitting Brazilian.

A failed drug test for elevated levels of testosterone forced Overeem to sidelines, however, and Overeem went on to lose three of his next four bouts, ending up on the receiving end of vicious knockouts at the hands of Antonio Silva, Travis Browne, and Ben Rothwell.

Overeem would reclaim his momentum though, moving his camp to Jackson-Winklejohn in Albuquerque, NM, and finishing out his UFC deal by sweeping through his final three fights. In the process, Overeem became the first person aside from Cain Velasquez to defeat dos Santos inside the Octagon.

A former Strikeforce, K-1, and DREAM champion, Overeem (40-14) counts victories among Fabricio Werdum, Mark Hunt, Frank Mir, Vitor Belfort, and more among his lengthy résumé. He is one of three heavyweights, along with Rothwell and Stipe Miocic, with the strongest case for a UFC title shot against Werdum.