A more mature Alistair Overeem eyes the UFC heavyweight belt

By his own count, Alistair Overeem has stepped into the ring 86 times as a professional fighter.

That’s included many trips around the world, which is why Overeem insists he has seen it all. He’s walked into arenas where seemingly everyone is looking at him sideways. He’s sensed biased officiating. He’s even seen a referee pick up a knocked-out opponent and resume a round.

So when Overeem was asked if he’s nervous about fighting in opponent Stipe Miocic’s hometown of Cleveland, the 36-year-old Dutchman responded accordingly.

“Cleveland?” Overeem said, smiling, in Los Angeles on Monday. “Cleveland is nice. It’s nice people, it’s America. It’s calm. It’s nice.”

He will challenge Miocic (15-2) for the heavyweight belt in the headline fight of UFC 203 at Quicken Loans Arena on Sept. 10. Miocic won the belt from Fabricio Werdum in May, and Overeem (41-14) rides four straight victories into the bout.

Overeem’s confidence doesn’t just stem from ability and experience but from the lack of distractions in his life. He’s four years removed from a positive drug test that temporarily derailed his career. He also won’t have the prefight obligations that come with defending a title on home turf.

Miocic, in Overeem’s eyes, is caught up in the moment. Meanwhile, Overeem’s preparing for it.

“What I’ve learned is that it’s all about staying grounded, you need to stay in that fight mode,” he said. “You need to stay in that hungry mode, and that’s a little bit of a challenge I’d say.”

Overeem’s UFC potential seemed limitless when he knocked out Brock Lesnar on Dec. 30, 2011.

But reports soon surfaced of a drug test revealing elevated levels of testosterone. He withdrew from his upcoming fight that May and said, in a public apology, he wasn’t aware the anti-inflammatory medicine he was using contained testosterone.

Either way, Overeem didn’t fight again until February 2013 and lost two straight bouts. After splitting his next two fights, he got his career back on track.

“I’m very competitive by nature, and I just don’t give up,” Overeem said.

And then there’s his legacy, which he pondered in an introspective moment Monday.

Overeem was quick to point out all the strides he has made. He has treated this training camp as strictly business. He’s not interested in money and cars and parties like he was at a younger age. While Miocic stayed at a pool party at UFC 202 in Las Vegas earlier this month, Overeem retreated to his hotel room and went to sleep.

But where he ranks among the sport’s best heavyweight is a more complicated question, and one he thinks he could clear up in Cleveland. A UFC belt is the void on his resume, and he’s not letting anything distract him from filling it.

“The last belt,” Overeem said. “Sept. 10 I’m going to get it and we’re going to write history.”

jesse.dougherty@latimes.com

@dougherty_jesse