Alistair Overeem’s anticipated return to the cage, which pitted him against rising heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes at UFC 225 last Saturday night, did not go the way he planned. Quite the opposite, in fact.

In the third round of this heavyweight attraction, Overeem was pulverized by a series of Blaydes elbows in a bloody display that looked something like a raspberry being crushed by a hammer. It was, without exaggeration, as violent a stoppage as you’ll see in the perilous sport of MMA.

Showing true championship spirit, however, Overeem seems undeterred. In a post-fight statement issued on social media, the former Dream, Strikeforce and K-1 heavyweight champ and bona fide MMA legend commented on his loss, and congratulated Blaydes on his triumph.

“’The greatest test of courage is to bear defeat without losing heart’” Overeem said in his post-fight statement, quoting author Robert G. Ingersoll. “I would like to thank you all for supporting me through thick and thin. Huge thanks to my team and everyone involved! I will be back, I always come back. Congrats to [Curtis Blaydes] on his big win!”

This was Alistair Overeem’s second consecutive knockout loss, as he was put down by a thunderous Francis Ngannou punch back in December. These tough losses were preceded by back to back victories over Fabricio Werdum and Mark Hunt, and a knockout loss to reigning UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic. Overeem is currently 43-17 overall.

Blaydes, meanwhile, is currently 10-1 in sum. He’s currently on a five-fight streak, having not lost since he experienced a doctor stoppage against Francis Ngannou in his UFC debut. Highlights of Blaydes’ UFC run include impressive defeats of Daniel Omielańczuk, Alexey Oleynik, Mark Hunt and now Overeem.

What do you think the future holds for the heavyweight veteran Alistair Overeem?

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 6/11/2018.