UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs Sakai is in the books now. And though the fight card was heavily damaged after two fights were scrapped due to COVID-19 it ended up being a great night for the fans. Alistair Overeem wrapped the night with a massive victory over Augusto Sakai.
Alistair Overeem is looking to have one final run in his long illustrious MMA career. He is at the final stage of his career and he is aiming for one more shot at the UFC heavyweight title. And if he continues this winning streak and gets a couple of wins over top 5 heavyweights then he is right in the mix for a title shot.
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The fight was action-packed from start to finish with Augusto Sakai putting the pressure on Overeem in the early rounds. Sakai had huge success in the first two rounds and arguably won those rounds. He even landed a flurry of strikes at the beginning of the third round. However, Overeem made a masterful adjustment and took the fight to the ground in the third round.
The Demolition Man Alistair Overeem putting in some serious ground and pound! đź’Ł#UFCVegas9 pic.twitter.com/fFpFxkgKgp
— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) September 6, 2020
FOUR DECADES IN THE GAME.@AlistairOvereem isn't afraid of some deep water 🌊 #UFCVegas9 pic.twitter.com/Nk0uRnqKsm
— UFC (@ufc) September 6, 2020
This changed the entire complexion of the fight as Overeem landed some vicious ground and pound to end the third round. He stayed on his gameplan and took Sakai down in the fourth and fifth rounds. Alistair Overeem punished Sakai on the ground before the referee had enough and stopped the fight in just 26 seconds of the final round.
Alistair Overeem breaks down his win over Augusto Sakai
Looking back at his performance, Overeem stated:Â “I kinda had a feeling this would take a couple of rounds, it took me five. All respect to the coaches. They’ve guided me perfect, camp was perfect and that’s why we were able to make successful adjustments during the fight. Went for takedown, successful takedowns. We finished him on the ground. I had a feeling I would finish him on the ground cause his background is striking. He’s durable and I kinda knew that going in, little bit more durable than I thought. Up and comer, hungry, tough, punches hard, a little harder than I thought he would. So we have to drag it out to the later rounds.”
With this win, Alistair Overeem is now on a two-fight win streak as he is looking to get a top 5 UFC heavyweight. A fight against Derrick Lewis will make the most sense for The Reem as Lewis is coming off a massive win. Besides that, the rematch against Jarizinhio Rozenstruik should also be on the card as Overeem was winning the first fight comfortably until the knockout and controversial stoppage.Â
