Yesterday (Sun., May 8, 2016), Alistair Overeem and Andrei Arlovski scrapped at UFC Fight Night 87 inside Ahoy Rotterdam in Rotterdam, Netherlands. In another smart fight, Overeem knocked his opponent out. Find out how below!

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight greats Alistair Overeem and Andrei Arlovski clashed yesterday (May 8, 2016) at UFC Fight Night 87 inside Ahoy Rotterdam in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

After lots of inconsistency and several harsh knockout losses, Overeem seems to have found the recipe for success inside the Octagon. If he could extend his win streak to four opposite Arlovski, “Demolition Man” would have a strong case for a title shot.

Arlovski may have entered this bout off a loss, but his win streak prior shot him into the top five. By taking out Overeem, Arlovski could get back into the immediate title hunt.

To watch Alistair Overeem vs. Andrei Arlovski video highlights from UFC Fight Night 87 right now click here!

Arlovski opened the bout by stalking his opponent and flurrying on him against the fence. However, Overeem survived without eating too many hard shots and clinched with his opponent, where the bout slowed down a bit.

Once the two separated, Overeem began to strike effectively, either quickly closing range for brief clinch knees or kicking from the outside. With one minute remaining, Overeem landed a clinch trip and secured top position in the full guard.

He didn’t land much, but it was enough to shift a close round into his favor.

Overeem struck first in the second round, landing with his first real punching combination of the fight, a left cross followed by a right hook. Arlovski looked to respond in kind, but Overeem managed to avoid the blows.

Suddenly, the finishing sequence began.

Overeem exploded into a jumping switch kick, but throw his leg straight forward like a front kick. Whatever the official name of that kick is, it landed cleanly on his opponent’s jaw and stunned him a bit. As Overeem’s foot came down, he stepped into a long left hook that sent his opponent crumbling to the mat.

Once there, a few follow up shots were all it took.

Overeem looks better than ever. In this fight, he showcased an excellent blend of mixed martial arts skill, as he fluidly kicked from range, transitioned into the clinch to attack with knees, and even landed a takedown.

In this bout, Overeem showed great patience. At no point in the bout besides Arlovski’s early flurry — which Overeem simply chose not to engage in — did Overeem strike from any range except his own. He was either too far for Arlovski to punch effective or so close that Arlovski was more focused on avoiding the knees than landing his own dirty boxing.

It was incredibly effective. Overeem picked his opponent apart while avoiding the vast majority of his opponent’s punches until he found the finish.

Based on his current win streak and this knockout, Overeem should definitely be next in line for a title shot. Regardless of whether it’s a rubber match with Fabricio Werdum or an entirely new match up with Stipe Miocic, it’s certainly an interesting battle.

This is certainly a disappointing result for Arlovski, as it effectively removes him from title contention. Now having lost his last two, Arlovski needs a step back in competition and a whole new win streak in order to get back into the title mix.

That’s a much more difficult proposition than being one win away from the title.

At this point, the odds are far stronger that Arlovski ends up as a gatekeeper to the elite rather than title contender. He’s been in the game for a very long time, so it’s definitely a question of whether he wants to keep grinding and fighting if the title opportunity isn’t on the table.

Yesterday morning, Alistair Overeem knocked out Andrei Arlovski in the second round. Can the powerful Dutchman become a UFC champion?

For complete UFC Fight Night 87: “Overeem vs Arlovski” results and play-by-play, click HERE!