For those of you wondering what the future holds for “The Reem,” this may give you some answers.
Alistair Overeem’s final push for a UFC heavyweight title seemingly ended on Saturday night when Alexander Volkov dismantled the Dutch kickboxer and left him a bloody pile on the canvas (watch the highlights here).
For two rounds, Volkov deflected Overeem’s overhand punches and shrugged off his plum, cutting through Alistair’s defense with growing ease and slicing his face up in the process. By the second round, “The Reem” was a mess. Two minutes later, and he was done. If you’re thinking Overeem was looking strangely tentative in there, maybe it was because he broke his nose at some point in the first.
Through a statement released via his Instagram, he details the disappointing loss.
“You’re a true warrior Alexander Volkov. Congrats on the win!” Overeem wrote. “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.”
Leading up this bout, much was made of Alistair’s big push for a final title run. He went so far as to say if he won the belt he would retire the same night with everything in his career finally accomplished. But what happens now that any title hopes are seemingly dashed? Overeem doesn’t sound done from the tone of his statement.
Perhaps he doesn’t want to go out like this. Perhaps he’s looking for a few more fights to pad bank account. Maybe a retirement bout in Europe whenever the UFC is allowed to hold events in front of crowds again?
We’re sure there’ll be more clarity soon, but for those of you worried (or hoping) that was the last we’d see of Alistair Overeem in the cage, the man doesn’t sound done just yet. What’s next remains a mystery.