Alistair Overeem’s final push for the UFC heavyweight title apparently ended on Saturday night when Alexander Volkov disassembled the Dutch kickboxer and left him a pile of blood on the screen (see highlights here).
For two rounds, Volkov deflected Overeem’s overhand punches and shrugged, cutting off Alistair’s defense with increasing ease and cutting his face in the process. In the second round, “The Reem” was a mess. Two minutes later, he finished. If you’re thinking Overeem was looking strangely hesitant over there, maybe it’s because he broke his nose at some point in the beginning.
In a statement posted on his Instagram, he details the disappointing loss.
“You are a true Alexander Volkov warrior. Congratulations for the victory! ”Overeem wrote. “Yesterday was not my night. I couldn’t recover from that punch in the first round after I broke my nose. My top priority now is to heal myself and spend some well-deserved time with the family. I will be back at the gym soon. Thank you all for the support! I see the comments, you are the best. “
Leading this fight, much was said about Alistair’s great effort to dispute the final title. He even said that if he won the belt he would retire the same night with everything in his career finally accomplished. But what happens now that any hope for a title is apparently dashed? Overeem does not seem to be done by the tone of his statement.
Maybe he doesn’t want to leave like that. Maybe he’s looking for some more struggles to fill his bank account. Perhaps a retirement fight in Europe whenever the UFC can host events for the public again?
We are sure there will be more clarity soon, but for those of you worried (or hoping) that it would be the last time that we would see Alistair Overeem in the cage, the man doesn’t look finished yet. What comes next remains a mystery.