This past weekend at UFC Vegas 18, Alistair Overeem (47-19, 1 NC) took on Alexander Volkov (33-8) in the main event of the evening. Overeem was looking to pickup his third straight win on his final run towards the UFC heavyweight title.
However, Saturday night proved to be a rude awakening for The Demolition Man. Pretty much from the opening bell, Overeem couldn’t get any space from Volkov. Volkov was in his face constantly throwing big shots and Overeem could never get his offense off.
There were a couple of times where Overeem landed some solid lefts, but those shots were few and far between. In the second round, Volkov really started to pour it on Alistair Overeem. Volkov hurt Overeem bad with stinging 1-2’s down the pipe.
Just over two minutes into the round, a combination sent Overeem to the ground and the referee called a stop to the action at UFC Vegas 18. A rough night at the office for the 40 year old Overeem.
What’s next after UFC Vegas 18?
Many have wondered if Overeem would retire after UFC Vegas 18. Overeem has made it clear that he wants the UFC heavyweight title and if he gets that, he would retire immediately. However, he’s also hinted at walking away if there’s no path to the title.
This loss to Volkov made his steep climb to a title shot even steeper. In theory, there is still a path for Overeem to get another title shot in the UFC, however, it’s not going to be easy. There are now four contenders in front of him who have knocked him out.
That said, Overeem posted on Twitter that he’s planning on getting back into the gym soon. Thus, it appears that Overeem isn’t done just yet. So, with that in mind, what should the UFC do with Overeem next?
I think the perfect opponent for Overeem would be the loser of the 2/27 main event between Ciryl Gane and Jairzinho Rozenstruik. If Rozenstruik were to lose, him and Overeem already have history.
Overeem was seconds away from a decision win over Rozenstruik before getting knocked out. Meanwhile if Gane were to lose, the UFC would get their top heavyweight prospect back in there with a big name like Overeem. Look for the loser of this matchup to be Overeem’s next fight.