For a brief period of time in his UFC Fight Night 149 headlining bout against Alexey Oleynik, Alister Overeem was in danger. A single knee to the face changed everything.
Overeem (45-17) was pressured by “The Boa Constrictor” from the opening bell, when the Moscow native charged at him with a volley of punches to the head and body. Oleynik (57-12-1) appeared to rock the Dutchman with an overhand right to the head, and he never stopped heaving punches from everywhere. But even with Oleynik’s relentless charges, Overeem never worried.
“He was pressuring me,” Overeem said at the post-fight press conference.