7. Alistair Overeem: 6 T(KO)s In 16 UFC Fights
Overeem’s losses to strikes in the UFC are troubling enough. But they’re even more so when you consider that over the entirety of his career, the Dutchman has been KO’d or TKO’d 13 times. That’s not to mention a further three times in kickboxing as well.
We’re homing in on his UFC career here, though. After a big debut win over Brock Lesnar, ‘The Reem’s’ 12-fight unbeaten run at the time came tumbling down in a knockout loss to Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva. In his next fight, Overeem dominated Travis Browne early only to be caught by a front kick to the face in the first round. After a win over Frank Mir, Overeem sustained a first-round TKO loss against Ben Rothwell. But he then managed to rally again with four wins in a row to earn a title shot.
However, Stipe Miocic successfully defended his belt by putting Overeem to sleep with punches on the mat. Again Overeem returned to winning ways. But he then fell victim to one of the most devastating knockouts in UFC history as ‘The Predator’ Francis Ngannou unleashed an uppercut from hell in the opening round. Some believed that single punch was a career-ender. But “The Reem” returned the following year, only to be TKO’d by Curtis Blaydes.
For the first time, the 39-year-old Overeem pondered retirement. But for now, he’s back to winning ways with two more victories.
