The best and worst from UFC Fight Night 141: Blaydes vs. Ngannou II

#2 Best: The Reem is back, baby

Alistair Overeem staved off any talk of retirement by destroying newcomer Sergei Pavlovich

2018 has been a pretty bad year thus far for veteran fighters. We’ve seen the likes of Carlos Condit, Thiago Alves and Jim Miller all beaten badly by younger, fresher opponents, proving that for the most part, the Octagon is no place for old men. Simply put, in MMA, time waits for no man.

Plenty of people figured the same fate awaited veteran Heavyweight Alistair Overeem today. The Dutchman had lost his previous two fights in violent fashion – to Francis Ngannou and Curtis Blaydes – and he was faced with an undefeated wrecking ball in UFC newcomer Sergei Pavlovich.

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Despite being unproven at the top level, Pavlovich actually came into the fight as the betting favourite – probably due to his concussive power, and Overeem’s apparently compromised chin.

In what was somewhat of a relief for his fans though – myself included – Overeem managed to stem Father Time for another day.

He didn’t look quite as sharp as he’d done before on the feet, but Pavlovich never hurt him standing, and once ‘The Reem’ got the Russian to the ground, the fight looked like a redux of Overeem’s beatdowns of Brett Rogers and Stefan Struve.

The fight proved that while Overeem might not challenge for the UFC Heavyweight title again, he’s still a very relevant contender in the UFC’s biggest division, and now he’s training with Team Elevation, we might just see some more new wrinkles from him yet.

At 38 he didn’t look like his previous two losses had affected him at all – meaning we’ll hopefully see more of him in the future. Leave retirement for another day – or year!

About the author

Scott is a veteran MMA writer with over two decades of experience, including his ongoing tenure in Sportskeeda, which began seven years ago. He has written over 3000 pieces for the organization, while also covering football. Before joining Sportskeeda, Scott wrote articles for websites like The Oratory and Inside Pulse MMA.

Scott has a degree in history, which drives his research skills and helps him compile accurate information. His long stint in the field helps Scott provide a clear take on important topics, such as the criticism of promotions regarding fighter pay. While he feels fighters deserve a bigger revenue share, he doesn’t want MMA to suffer with purse-split issues.

Scott’s work has been previously reshared by the former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman. He uses credible sources, such as the UFC’s official website, during the writing process.

His dedication to MMA writing won him the Feature Writer of the Month award for Sportskeeda in November 2021.

Outside of work, Scott likes to go to the gym, walk his dog, and travel.

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Edited by Alan John