Former Strikeforce and Dream heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem came into his UFC on FOX 13 bout with Stefan Struve in major need of a victory. Overeem, after all, had been knocked out in three out of his past four fights.
He got the job done Saturday night in Phoenix. Overeem (28-14, 1 NC) neutralized the 7-foot-tall Struve’s reach by taking the fight to the ground, then earned the TKO at 4:19 of the opening round.
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“I was prepared for anything,” said Overeem. “I thought it would be clever to take him to the ground.”
Overeem closed the distance early and scored a takedown, setting the tone for the round. Later, standing while Struve was grounded, Overeem landed a big left hand to the jaw. That led to a series of vicious punches, which eventually caused referee John McCarthy to wave off the bout.
“I saw he he was hurt, I saw his eyes were rolling away,” Overeem said. “That’s when I said yeah, I’m going to finish him.”
Struve (25-6) lost in what was his first fight since March, 2013. Struve was diagnosed with a heart condition, and later pulled from a July fight with Matt Mitrione after a late health scare in his first attempt at a comeback.