LEDYARD, Conn. – Alistair Overeem never actually weighed just 210 pounds, but he’s clearly amused that people thought he was.

Overeem (37-13 MMA, 2-2 UFC) meets fellow heavyweight Ben Rothwell (33-9 MMA, 3-3 UFC) tonight at UFC Fight Night 50. Their co-headliner airs on FOX Sports 1 from Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard, Conn.

Overeem, fighting for the first time since a February win over Frank Mir and a subsequent elbow injury, sparked some chatter this past week when he nonchalantly replied to a tweet and said he weighed just 210 pounds, 47 pounds less than what he weighed for the Mir fight.

On Wednesday Overeem spoke to reporters and admitted he was just kidding about his weight. However, he did shed some pounds (he weighed 248 pounds at Thursday’s UFC Fight Night 50 weigh-ins) and credited it to a cleaner diet.

“I think I lost some fat,” Overeem said. “My fat percentage was very low. I credit that to the diet – a very clean diet and very clean food.”

Overeem, who’s more than two years removed from a failed drug test due to an elevated testosterone-to-epitestosterone ratio, said he was simply following the recent lead of other heave heavyweights, including former foe and current No. 1 contender Fabricio Werdum.

“That’s actually something where I was looking at other fighters,” he said. “Werdum, I fought him twice. I beat him once, and lost to him once. He came in for his last fight very light, 236, for heavyweight. That’s actually light heavyweight weight.”

Check out the above video as Overeem discusses his weight, his recent elbow surgery, his new camp at Team Jackson-Winkeljohn, his career goals, criticism from past teammates, a potential fight with Anthony Johnson, and more.

For more on UFC Fight Night 50, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.