Heading into Saturday’s UFC Vegas 18 main event, I focused Alistair Overeem on getting his third straight win and continuing his run toward one final shot at the UFC heavyweight title. Overeem’s winning streak ended before the mid-point of the second round of his matchup against Alexander Volkov when referee Jason Herzog jumped in and saved a bloody Overeem from additional punishment.
Overeem has fought with much more patience in the past few years. He has used a high defensive guard and waited for openings against his opponents. That style did not serve him well against Volkov, who blasted straight punches through the guard of Overeem, bloodying his nose in the process.