According to the Dutch veteran, one of Volkov’s powerful punches broke his nose in the opening stanza of the heavyweight bout. All told, Volkov outlanded Overeem by a 54-to-10 count in significant strikes – including 47-to-3 in head strikes.
“You’re a true warrior, [Alexander Volkov]. Congrats on the win!” Overeem wrote on Instagram. “Yesterday wasn’t my night. I could not recover from that punch in the first round after I broke my nose.”
The 40-year-old former Strikeforce and K-1 champion entered the matchup with Volkov having won four of his previous five Octagon appearances. Another win could have once again propelled “The Demolition Man” into the championship discussion at heavyweight. Instead, it appears that Overeem’s UFC title dreams may have been extinguished for good.
Still, Overeem sounds as though he’ll be ready to keep moving forward with his career after some much-needed time off.
“My highest priority right now is to heal up and spend some well-deserved time with the family. I’ll be back in the gym soon though,” Overeem wrote. “Thank you all for your support! I see the comments, you guys are the best.”