UFC Vegas 18: Alexander Volkov battles Alistair Overeem in second-round TKO

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - FEBRUARY 06: (R-L) Alexander Volkov of Russia punches Alistair Overeem of the Netherlands in their heavyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on February 06, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) — LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – FEBRUARY 06: (R-L) Alexander Volkov of Russia punches Alistair Overeem of the Netherlands in their heavyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on February 06, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Alexander Volkov may have ended Alistair Overeem’s final UFC title run.

The striking of Alexander Volkov was on full display, and Alistair Overeem seemed to have no answer as Volkov finished him in the second round to claim victory in the heavyweight main event of UFC Vegas 18.

Alexander Volkov KOs Alistair Overeem, solidifies top contender status

Volkov brought pressure to Overeem early on, trying to walk him down and throw punches in bunches. Overeem would land inside a couple of times, but Volkov continued his pressure, landing a knee during that first round, and later taking advantage of an Overeem slip by landing some hard ground-and-pound that could have stopped the fight.

Volkov continued to land in the second round, as Overeem, while occasionally getting the battle into the clinch, was unable to land any takedowns. Volkov split Overeem’s guard a number of times before dropping the former Strikeforce champ down for good with a straight.