Dana White liked Alistair Overeem’s performance against Roy Nelson for the most part. He just wishes he finished “Big Country.”
The UFC president told Ariel Helwani on FOX Sports 1 after UFC 185 on Saturday night that he wanted to see Overeem go for it more in his dominant, unanimous decision win over Roy Nelson in Dallas.
“Alistair looked better than he’s ever looked, I just wish he had more killer instinct,” White said. “He had Roy hurt at one point. He doesn’t like to take risks, but he looked good tonight.”
Overeem (39-14, 1 NC) was measured against Nelson, picking his shots and really taking “Big Country” apart with hard knees from distance and kicks to the body and legs. In the past, Overeem has gone in for the kill and either gotten knocked out himself or tired and then finished. He stuck to a more technical strategy Saturday night.
Nelson (20-11) was sporting welts all over his sides and midsection as well as his legs. He took a serious beating, but could not be put away.
“How tough is Roy Nelson?” White said. “Roy Nelson is not human. The shots that guy took tonight. The kicks to the body were unbelievable.”
Overeem, 34, has now won two straight and three of four after a disappointing start to his UFC run. “The Reem” had Travis Browne and Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva beat in fights before getting tired and then knocked out.
The former Strikeforce and K-1 champion has always been one of the most promising and fearsome heavyweights in the sport with people always wondering when he would be able to put it all together. Maybe now he has. Overeem credited his change in camps to Jackson-Winkeljohn MMA as the main reason.
“I felt very confident going into the fight,” Overeem said. “At Jackson’s there’s a lot of chemistry, we work together and everyone is there to help their teammates out. The environment over there gives me confidence, everyone is very friendly. Switching to that camp has really been the recipe to my success.”
The one fight people have always wanted to see for Overeem is against former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos, another technical striker and heavy hitter. Dos Santos is coming off a win over Stipe Miocic at UFC on FOX 13 in December. White said he’s down for that one if Overeem is.
“I like it,” White said. “Does Overeem like it?”