Before UFC 169 we talked about what was at stake for Alistair Overeem and Frank Mir. The word “retirement” and the possibility of being cut was thrown into the mix and this captured the attention of both fans and media.

Overeem managed to grind out a decision win over former UFC heavyweight champ Mir, but his performance was far from impressive. The 33-year-old didn’t take many risks and as a result the fight lacked excitement. However, his job was on the line and to be honest others have have been known to do the same thing when their back is against the wall.

In a post-fight interview UFC president Dana White gave his thoughts on the fight:

“He fought safe. I think he could have finished Mir. He kept his job. Should Frank retire? We don’t make those decisions tonight. Frank is tough. It was a crappy performance by Alistair and then he calls out someone who doesn’t even fight in the UFC. It was not a great night for Overeem.”

Clearly not impressed with “The Demolition Man’s” performance, Dana has always responded negatively to fighters who play it safe or use a “Lay and Pray” style of fighting to get the win.

People like to see the Alistair Overeem who rushes in, throws devastating knees, and uses his explosive striking to get the early finish. However, this style of fighting has not worked well for him in the UFC where the level of competition is arguably a lot tougher than any promotions he has fought in before.

Overeem’s gas tank and chin were exposed when he lost against Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva and Travis Browne, this forced him to return to the drawing board and become a smarter fighter. Although the bout against Mir was not his most entertaining performance, “The Reem” paced himself and controlled the fight. You could even argue that Overeem actually showed some form of improvement and adaptability in this fight.

As for Alistair calling out Brock Lesnar, it’s hard to understand why he did that? He’s already beaten Lesnar, in fact he retired him. Shouldn’t Overeem be more focused on climbing the ladder, rather than calling out someone who isn’t even signed to the UFC. Maybe he thinks that fight would elevate him back into a main event spot, who knows?

I am looking forward to finding out who the UFC will choose to fight Overeem next. There are a few options and a lot of good fights. I personally think a fight against Stipe Miocic, who was successful against Gabriel Gonzaga last week, could be a good fight? We will have to wait and see what happens.

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