Saturday's UFC main-event saw Alistair Overeem add yet another KO/TKO win to his record, after finishing Augusto Sakai in the fifth round. In a calculated, measured and controlled performance, "The Demolition Man" looked absolutely fantastic, and has posed a question. Can he still compete at the very best level, and, can he finally add a UFC belt to top off his star-studded MMA career?
Now, by no means was this performance flawless. For the first two rounds, Overeem was unable to mount any meaningful offence and looked as though he was struggling to work out his Brazilian opponent. However, after the second round, the former K1 world-champion poured on the pressure and dictated where the fight took place.
Sakai was clearly out-classed when it came to the ground game, and the veteran Dutch kick-boxer was able to avoid the laboured strikes of Augusto and get the fight to the mat. It became very clear what Reem's game-plan was for this bout, especially heading into the later rounds. The 40-year-old dominated the last three rounds, taking down his opponent seemingly with ease before finishing the fight with some vicious ground and pound.
So, with Alistair defying his age once again and now registering back-to-back wins against top 10 contenders, can he end his illustrious career with a UFC title on his mantle?
Let's take a look at his recent fights, firstly. Apart from falling to a last-second KO at the hands of Jairzinho Rozenstruik, The Reem has been fantastic in his last five fights (and he was definitely winning the Rozenstruik fight). Knocking off contenders such as Walt Harris and Aleksei Oleynik, Overeem has shown no signs of slowing down and still looks as dangerous as he ever was.
The Elevation Fight Team product is showing no signs of slowing down and currently holds the joint best five-fight form in the heavyweight division. Last month we wrote an article detailing that the 265lb weight class is some-what stale at the present time. This means that if you are in top 10, you're never more than one or two wins away from a crack at the title. Alistair is now four for five, but he could be a perfect five to five if he hadn't of fallen late to Jairzinho.
Back to the main question, can he still compete at the top level? Definitely. There have been no signs (well, apart from those we are already aware of) that Overeem is over the hill. As far as pure martial artists go, Alistair has to be at the top end of the list. Despite not winning a fight via submission since 2009, he does hold 17 submission victories. Add that to his 25 KO/TKO stoppages, and it's clear to see the UFC veteran is comfortable wherever the fight takes place.
Now, is he able win a UFC title, and cement himself as one of the greatest to ever do it? This one I'm unsure about. Stipe Miocic is currently the reigning champion, and Reem lost via KO to him back in 2016. There was always been the question of whether his chin could hold up after all these years of punishment, and it remains to be seen. His last 11 losses have all come by way of KO/TKO, and in a division where the top fighters are known for their knock-outs, this isn't a good stat.
As far as flat-out ability goes, I don't feel like there is many, if any, fighters in the division that match up to the 40-year-old. However, as has been shown in bouts against Francis Ngannou and Jairzinho Rozenstruik, it's not always the more skilled fighter who takes home the dub. It seems as though the UFC is looking at the possibility of Ngannou taking on Stipe for the belt next, but if Overeem is able to get one more big win under his belt, we could see him have one last final go for the belt.
This last bit is strictly opinion-based, but I would love to see Alistair Overeem finally get the UFC belt. He has been an incredible servant to the UFC and has given us so many great memories which will live on forever in MMA history. Whether or not he eventually claims the strap is irrelevant in my eyes. He will go down as one of the best to ever do it, and an undeniable legend.
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