After a lot of speculation whether Overeem will retire, it seems he made it clear that he is still willing to fight. He plans to take time and recover but still plans to get back in the gym. In the past interview he has said that if he wins the UFC belt, he will retire on that same night, unfortunately another setback loss for Overeem.
Alexander Volkov was simply the better fighter that night and just outstriked a highly accomplished striker. Props to Volkov for knowing that Overeem was done after knockdown and also giving respect to one of the veterans of the sport. Volkov is also called by Joe Rogan as the dark horse of division since he could pose a threat with the heavyweight contenders.
Volkov may be the biggest fighter in the UFC roster and uses his physical advantage pretty well. He has knocked out Fabricio Werdum and Overeem who were both legends in their own rights. His last loss was against Curtis Blaydes where he just taken down easily in the first half but also had his moments in the later rounds because Blaydes may have gassed in the fight.
What is next for Volkov might be difficult for the UFC to give since most top fighters are booked right now. Miocic vs Ngannou 2 is booked and Jones will likely fight the winner. Derrick Lewis vs Curtis Balydes may also be booked. Rozenstruik vs Gane is also rebooked to a later date. The heavyweight contenders indeed have a lot of talented roster but no one could argue that Ngannou deserves to fight the heavyweight king, Stipe Miocic.
As for Overeem, he still won’t give up in pursuing the UFC belt. He posted prior to his fight that it is the only belt that he lacks in his already fantastic career. Does Overeem still have what it takes to beat young hungry lions in the biggest division?
