UFC: Alistair Overeem vs Jairzinho Rozenstruik stoppage too early, says Curtis Blaydes

UFC heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes was watching last weekend’s Alistair Overeem vs Jairzinho Rozenstruik main event with a little more interest than the average fight fan.

He’s recently served as one of Overeem’s main training partners, and played a big part in the Dutchman’s preparation for Rozenstruik’s challenge.

While Overeem performed well in this fight, winning the first four rounds and most of the fifth, things took a disastrous turn for him in the waning seconds of the bout, as he was sent crashing to the canvas by a rocket-fuelled Rozenstruik punch.

Rozenstruik, evidently satisfied with his handiwork, then turned his back on his dazed foe and walked away, leaving referee Dan Miragliotta to wave off the action. According to Blaydes, however, Miragliotta shouldn’t have been so quick to call a stop to the affair.

“Big Dan, he allowed Rozenstruik’s body language and how he walked off to control the outcome of that fight, as opposed to him being the referee and him being the one in control,” Blaydes told the Post. “I think he allowed Rozenstruik to tell him the fight was over.

“I mean, it’s in the moment,” Blaydes added. “It’s a five-round fight, and these are big dudes. I’m not going to condemn Big Dan, because that’s a hard job. It’s a job I don’t envy, and I’m not going to condemn him for [his decision]. But do I think it was premature stoppage? Yeah.”

UFC: Rozenstruik KOs Overeem with four seconds left

Despite the way the fight ended, Blaydes is proud of the performance Overeem put forth – particularly in the grappling department.

“He had a great game plan,” Blaydes, a decorated wrestler, said proudly of his teammate. “He landed, I think, nine of 10 takedowns. He’s been using his wrestling a lot more. In sparring, he took me down a few times.

“I knew he’d be a better grappler [than Rozenstruik]. I was hoping he’d use his veteran IQ to set up some decent takedowns, which he did, I just expected him to be able to get more effective ground-and-pound. But honestly I think until he got dropped, he won the fight.”

With this loss, it’s difficult to say what the future holds for the 39-year-old Overeem, who previously held the Dream, Strikeforce, and K-1 heavyweight titles.

Whatever the case, Blaydes is confident his training partner can still compete at the highest level.

“He still has the skills to compete, and they’re still paying him a good purse,” Blaydes said. “So if he wants to continue to put his body through the rigours of camps, I wouldn’t argue with him. He’s still got the skills.”