Alistair Overeem is back in action in the main event of UFC Fight Night St. Petersburg, facing Aleksei Oleinik in a heavyweight division attraction.
The heavyweight contender made his promotional debut at UFC 141 in December of 2011, a moment that Overeem calls “crazy.”
“So, first UFC fight, it was crazy. It was big! It was just like, two big guys, two big gentlemen facing off. It was a huge fight,” Overeem said on UFC Legends Lookback (via Jeremy Thomas of 411 Mania).
Overeem has since compiled a 9-6-0 record under the UFC banner and that includes a failed bid for the UFC Heavyweight Title at UFC 203.
A victorious Overeem fought and defeated former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar at UFC 141, but remembers that Lesnar couldn’t take body shots well in that encounter.
“Brock’s a strong wrestler, but I was never really impressed by him. I knew his body was weak. His head is kinda tough, he can take a shot. But his body can’t. And I just aimed for his body and he went,” says Overeem.
UFC Fight Night St. Petersburg takes place on Saturday, April 20 from the Gazprom Arena in St. Petersburg, Russia with Alistair Overeem and Aleksei Oleinik headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, which streams live on ESPN+.
