Alistair Overeem and Jairzinho Rozenstruik faced off in a high-stakes heavyweight clash at UFC on ESPN 7 on December 7, 2019. This fight was supposed to be another stepping stone for Overeem, the seasoned veteran, to continue his path back to title contention. And for most of the fight, he fought like it was.
Overeem dominated nearly every aspect of the bout. His striking was sharp, his grappling was effective, and his cage control was masterful. For almost five full rounds, he dictated the pace, avoiding Rozenstruik’s devastating power shots and chipping away with calculated strikes and clinch work.
The scorecards were heavily in his favor, and victory seemed all but guaranteed as the clock ticked down to the final moments of the fifth round.
But this is MMA, where the fight isn’t over until the final horn sounds. With only four seconds remaining, Rozenstruik unleashed a vicious right hand that landed flush on Overeem’s face.
The impact was immediate and brutal, leaving Overeem’s lip horrifically split wide open. As Overeem stumbled backward and hit the canvas, the referee stepped in and called off the fight.
Overeem, understandably, was frustrated by the stoppage. In his eyes, he was still in the fight. He had survived the punch, even as blood poured from his mutilated lip. The referee, however, saw something different—a fighter too compromised to continue and in need of immediate medical attention.
Years later, Overeem has taken to Instagram to share his thoughts on the fight, revealing how the experience shaped his perspective.
“This fight taught me acceptance,” he said, reflecting on the mental aspect of such a devastating loss.
“I dominated all the 5 rounds, but in the last few seconds I suffered a brutal knockdown…I had to accept the result even though I did not agree. You cannot control everything.”, the former Strikeforce heavyweight champion said.
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What made it worse was that he didn’t even need to try and exchange big blows with Rozenstruik in the dying minutes of the fight. It was so close. he was at the one-yard line and then fumbled it for Rozenstruik to get a home run at the other end.
In the end, what cost him a lack of clock awareness. And mistakes were why, to this day, Overeem remains one of the biggest what-ifs in UFC history.
The Dutch MMA fighter broke into the UFC with very high expectations. Just his physique and mean mug had fans thinking he would be the next champion.
He would then begin with an incredible success in the octagon with a win against former heavyweight champion, Brock Lesnar, on debut in 2011. During his time in the UFC, he would also go on to defeat Frank Mir, Junior Dos Santos, and Fabricio Werdum but would never be able to stitch these wins together.
This is why he would only fight for the title once, against Stipe Miococ at UFC 203 in 2016. Unfortunately, it would be an unsuccessful attempt at a coup, and Miocic would keep his crown after a first-round KO win.
As disappointing as that may have been, looking back, Overeem doesn’t see these losses as failures.
Overeem shares the true meaning of success
While he would never live up to the hype and potential attached to him in the UFC, Overeem remains wildly popular in the MMA community. In soccer, there’s a very popular saying, often attached to players who might or might not have won trophies but were absolute ballers.
“The streets won’t forget.” These athletes represent the layman watching at home, they play for the galleries, and their reward is the roar of the arena. And that is exactly what Overeem has achieved.
Well, that and multiple world titles across different MMA promotions across the globe. Please do note that the UFC is not the only measure of success in mixed martial arts.
Besides, Overeem himself has a rather philosophical take on the subject.
“Success is not just about victories or titles. Success is about the journey and ultimately about the legacy, about what you leave behind for others.”, he says.
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And this journey is far from over for the former mixed martial artist. He will continue to be a part of MMA folklore for generations to come.
