UFC heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem issued a statement following his TKO loss on Saturday night to Alexander Volkov at UFC Vegas 18.
Overeem suffered a brutal second-round TKO defeat at the hands of Volkov, who had arguably the best performance of his career to date as he systematically decimated Overeem with pin-point accurate striking and unbelievable power. For Overeem, this loss snapped a two-fight winning streak for the veteran, and it puts into question whether or not “one final run” at the UFC heavyweight title is even possible at this point. Had Overeem won this fight, another run for the belt would have been realistic. But after suffering such a brutal loss at age 40, you have to wonder about his future.
Taking to his Instagram following the knockout loss to Volkov, Overeem issued a statement about the loss. Check out what Overeem wrote on his social media below.
You’re a true warrior @volkov_alex Congrats on the win!
Yesterday wasn’t my night. I could not recover from that punch in the first round after I broke my nose.
My highest priority right now is to heal up and spend some well deserved time with the family. I’ll be back in the gym soon though.
Thank you all for your support! I see the comments, you guys are the best.
Overeem (47-19, 1 NC) is one of the most experienced heavyweights in MMA. The Dutchman entered the UFC back in 2011 against Brock Lesnar and in the decade since then, he has racked up a 12-8 record in 20 fights in the Octagon. While Overeem has nine wins by knockout to his credit in the UFC, he also has eight knockout losses inside the Octagon, and overall in his MMA career, he has been knocked out 15 times. There is no question Overeem is offensively one of the most talented strikers we’ve ever seen in heavyweight MMA. But his chin has proven to be his downfall on his path to the title.
It’s not clear yet what is next for Overeem following this fight. He will likely take some take off with his family to regroup and decide what’s next. At this point, he could make the decision to remain part of the UFC roster or to hang up his gloves. Regardless of what decision he makes, Overeem is a future UFC Hall of Famer through and through.
What do you think Alistair Overeem will do next after losing to Alexander Volkov?