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UFC veteran Alistair Overeem, ranked No.5, took on the No.8 ranked up-and-comer Augusto Sakai in the main event of UFC Vegas 9. The fight saw Alistair Overeem overcome Sakai in a hard-fought battle that went right until the start of the fifth round.
Alistair Overeem went charging forward exactly a minute into the first round. Augusto Sakai slid right out of range to cleverly avoid Alistair Overeem. Augusto Sakai landed a few solid shirts early on, countering with some hard knees to the body.
With two minutes left in round one, Alistair Overeem landed a shot which resulted in Augusto Sakai smiling - a clear indicator of the pain felt. Augusto Sakai found some late success in the round and it was halted momentarily after Sakai's cup fell off.
Both Alistair Overeem and Augusto Sakai clashed with their legs early into round two. Augusto Sakai landed a good combination but Alistair Overeem's defensive work was enough to save him from a knockout. Augusto Sakai got a kick that was blocked and Alistair Overeem reversed the positions.
Alistair Overeem found himself on the receiving end of some tough body shots, but his high guard prevented him from taking too much damage. Augusto Sakai was throwing more, but Alistair Overeem's accuracy was north of 70% at that point, which allowed him to open Sakai up.
Augusto Sakai had a small burst to start Round three and both men landed simultaneously. Augusto Sakai landed a good combination. Alistair Overeem started to eat a flurry of shots and Augusto Sakai was landing clean. Sakai landed a leg kick and he pressed Overeem against the fence.
Overeem unexpectedly landed a takedown and attempted the ground-and-pound, Overeem did everything to prevent the stand-up and he finally entered the guard and ended the round in side control position.
Augusto Sakai pressed forward in the fourth round and a similar story seemed to repeat. Overeem was sliced open with an elbow and the fight was halted due to a misplaced cup for Sakai.
Overeem landed another takedown and started getting hammerfists while getting busted open. The fight began to change directions as we head into the last fight.
Unsurprisingly, Alistair Overeem went right for the takedown and landed it. Sakai turned around and started eating multiple elbows. Herb Dean screamed at Sakai to fight back and he didn't - so the fight was stopped.
An incredible comeback for Alistair Overeem
The legend Alistair Overeem made a massive comeback after arguably losing two rounds and winning two more. It was the second fight in a row where Alistair Overeem used ground-and-pound to win.
It was a truly incredible performance from the Dutchman, whose experience paid off in the end. It was his 47th career MMA victory.
Result: Alistair Overeem def. Augusto Sakai by TKO (Rd. 5, 0:26)
