After halting a rough 1-3 skid that included three knockout losses, Alistair Overeem plans to celebrate his UFC on FOX 13 victory was a break of sorts. Following Saturday’s FOX-televised main-card bout at Phoenix’s U.S. Airways Center, Overeem (38-14 MMA, 3-3 UFC), who scored a knockout victory over fellow heavyweight Stefan Struve (25-7 MMA, 9-5 UFC), suggested he’s going to enjoy some time away from the cage.
After scoring a takedown and halting Struve’s attempts to get to his feet, Overeem found his openings late in the opening round. He landed some clean shots to the face and forced the referee to halt the bout (watch the Overeem vs. Struve video highlights).
The 34-year-old Dutchman, who faced uncertain job security if unsuccessful in Saturday’s event, was satisfied with the victory.
“We had a couple slip-ups, I guess,” he said of his recent setbacks, which included knockout losses to Antonio Silva, Travis Browne and Ben Rothwell. “A lot has happened. My life has been in high gear for the last six years. A lot has happened – a lot of good and a lot of bad – but here we are tonight with a very nice victory.
“It’s an accumulation of a lot of years of hard work.”
Overeem, the first and final Strikeforce champion, entered the UFC in 2011 and scored a TKO win over Brock Lesnar, which ultimately forced the former UFC titleholder into retirement. It also ran Overeem’s unbeaten streak to 13 fights.However, following a drug-test failure and a 13-month layoff, he returned to the cage in 2013, and the 1-3 skid began.
His latest victory came just four months after the TKO loss to Rothwell, and it marked his third fight of the year. Overeem, who’s ranked No. 9 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA heavyweight rankings, said it’s now time for a break. “Tonight went very well, I’m going to rest up, and I’m going to sit down with my coaches,” he said. “I’m not going to take too long off, but I am going to take some time off.“After the Rothwell fight, I didn’t take time off, and now I feel it’s time to go easy, go slow on the talk – not talk too much.”
After UFC on FOX 13 win, Alistair Overeem plans to take some time off
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