Alistair Overeem was not the man to pry the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title out of Stipe Miocic’s hands.
Miocic knocked out the Dutchman with crushing first-round ground-and-pound to retain his championship in the UFC 203 (online betting) main event on Saturday at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, as the Euclid, Ohio, native sent his fellow Buckeyes home with smiles on their faces. Overeem succumbed to punches 4:27 into round one.
The successful title defense was not without adversity for Miocic, who was felled by a left hand and forced to defend against a subsequent guillotine choke.