Alistair Overeem releases statement following TKO win over Augusto Sakai

UFC heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem has released a statement following his fifth-round TKO win over Augusto Sakai at UFC on ESPN+ 34.

Despite being 40 years old, Overeem continues to defy Father Time and defeat younger opponents. After a competitive first three rounds to the fight against Sakai, Overeem really began to take charge in the fourth round where he scored a 10-8 round on all three judges scorecards, before finishing the fight via ground-and-pound TKO early in the fifth.

The win marked Overeem’s second straight TKO victory after knocking out Walt Harris in his last fight and overall he has won four of his last five fights by knockout. Taking to his social media following the fight, Overeem released a statement to his fans. Take a look at what the legend wrote on his Instagram.

What a night! Huge shoutout to my team @elevationfightteamco for all the hard work and a big thank you to my fans, family and friends for the support. See you again soon #onefinalrun #ufcvegas9

The win over Sakai will keep Overeem in the top-10 of the UFC heavyweight division, where he is knocking on the door of a top-five spot in the rankings. Overeem has said that he hopes to still become the UFC heavyweight champion and that’s what motivates him at this point in his career. Although he is 40 years old now, Overeem continues to show improvements in all facets of his game, especially in the wrestling department.

As for what’s next for Overeem, he said that right now all he’s thinking about is being with his family. But when he does return to the Octagon, he has already been connected to potential fights against Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Derrick Lewis, and even Jon Jones.

Who do you think Alistair Overeem should fight next after defeating Augusto Sakai?