Alistair Overeem praises Alexander Volkov after UFC Vegas 18 loss, says nose was broken in first round

Alistair Overeem | Zuffa LLC Alistair Overeem had nothing but good things to say about his opponent following his latest loss.
The 67-fight veteran fell to Alexander Volkov in the second round of Saturday’s UFC Vegas 18 main event, succumbing to series of strikes that left him in a daze on his knees with referee Jason Herzog alertly jumping in to save him. It was the eighth knockout loss of Overeem’s UFC career.
On Sunday, Overeem issued a statement via Instagram in which he called Volkov “a true warrior” and revealed that his nose was broken by a punch in the opening round.
“Yesterday wasn’t my night,” Overeem wrote. “I could not recover from that punch in the first round after I broke my nose.”
Overeem saw a two-fight win streak snapped with the loss to Volkov. Much of the pre-fight build revolved around Overeem potentially being on his last run towards a UFC title, which he previously fought for at UFC 203 in a losing effort against Stipe Miocic. He has previously held titles for the Strikeforce and DREAM promotions, and won a K-1 World Grand Prix tournament in 2010.
With his 41st birthday coming up this May, Overeem did not make any mention of any immediate plans for his career in his statement, only adding that he plans to rest and recover.
“My highest priority right now is to heal up and spend some well-deserved time with the family,” Overeem wrote. “I’ll be back in the gym soon though.”

Overeem’s UFC record fell to 12-8 with the loss.
See his full statement below:

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