UFC Fight Night: Overeem Vs. Sakai Quotes & Scorecards

Last Update: Sunday, September 6, 2020 : 10:33 (+4GMT)

• UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: OVEREEM vs. SAKAI took place Saturday, September 6 at UFC APEX

• Heavyweight contenders met when former title challenger and No. 6 ranked Alistair Overeem faces No. 9 Augusto Sakai

• Former interim light heavyweight title challenger Ovince Saint Preux took on KO artist Alonzo Menifield in the co-main event

• The event was closed to the public

United Arab Emirates, September 06, 2020:

Performances of the Night:

Brian Kelleher, Andre Muniz, Michel Pereira, Ovince Saint Preux

Alistair Overeem defeated Augusto Sakai via fifth-round TKO

Alistair Overeem:

I had a feeling this would take me a few rounds and it took me five. All respect to my coaches. They’ve guided me perfectly and camp was perfect. That’s why we were able to make the successful adjustments during the fight. I went for successful takedowns and finished him on the ground. I had a feeling I would finish him on the ground, because his background is striking.

He’s durable. I kind of knew that going in. He was a little bit more durable than I thought. He’s an up-and-comer, hungry, tough and punches hard. He punches a little bit harder than I thought he would. He has dangerous legs—loose and fluid. We had to drag it out to the later rounds and then get the finish.

A first-round finish would be ideal—10 seconds would be ideal—but this is the UFC. Everybody’s got a plan, cardio and strategy to win. Sometimes you’ve got to be a little bit patient.

This is absolutely the very best I’ve ever been. I continue to grow with the team. The team is awesome.

I’m going to spend some time with my girls. I’ve missed them tremendously, because for camp I separate myself from them. I really want to spend time with them. They’re growing up to be lovely young ladies. We’ll see what the future brings. I see myself in action again in December or January. For now, it’s family time.

Ovince Saint Preux defeated Alonzo Menifield via second-round KO

Ovince Saint Preux:

This feels really good. People usually think I don’t have power. I went up to heavyweight and knocked down one of the most durable heavyweights. So coming back to light heavyweight, people were saying Ovince doesn’t have power. People were saying Menifield has power and he does, but mine comes with precision. I have power.

He started off well, staying at bay and trying to choose his shot. I knew that eventually he was going to have to commit. Coming in that's what we were ready for—him committing, me stepping off and catching him with a check-hook.

2020’s been a crazy year. I want to put it behind me, but we still have a quarter left. If I can get one more fight in before the year’s over., I’ll be perfectly fine with that.

Michel Pereira defeated Zelim Imadaev via third-round submission

Michel Pereira:

I remember all the three months of hard work I put into the fight. So to put on a performance like that is really gratifying.

I was really pissed at my opponent, because you don’t slap men in the face. I proved that I can fight amongst the best, that I deserve to be among the best and that Dana White and Sean Shelby can call me tomorrow and I’ll be ready. I walk with the best, I train with the best, I train with world champions and if you train with world champions, you’ll be a world champion.

I train kind of isolated, so I’m going to move to Vegas so that when the UFC calls me I will be ready.

Andre Muniz defeated Bartosz Fabinski via first-round submission

Andre Muniz:

I’m very happy to be here, get this great victory and show my background with my Jiu-Jitsu and team during this pandemic. I gave everything I could to put on a good fight today and I’m very happy to have this great fight tonight.

I think the guillotine was very tight. I tried to adjust it hand-to-hand, but the guy had good defense and escaped from this position, so I changed my attack. I work for the UFC. Whoever the UFC wants to give me, I am going to fight. But I want to compete against Omari [Akhmedov]. He fought against Chris Weidman and I think it will be an interesting fight.

Brian Kelleher defeated Ray Rodriguez via first-round submission

Brian Kelleher:

There were a lot of nerves built up for this fight, with the unknown circumstances and everything. Just happy that Ray stepped up and I got the chance to fight and get a good victory. I feel amazing right now.

They only remember you for your last fight. I’m back to my winning ways again. It feels good after that last fight with Cody. I did well, but came up short. Now I’ve got three out of four this year.

It’s about getting finishes and leaving it out there. I think fans appreciate that. I have a lot of knockouts and submissions. I’m willing to fight anybody. I had Ricky Simon, then Kevin and on a day’s notice I get a new guy I knew nothing about. It’s about being that guy who’s willing to step up and fight.

I’m trying to make my way up the rankings. If Pedro Munhoz wants to do a guillotine battle, I think that would be fun.

Viviane Araujo defeated Montana De La Rosa via unanimous decision

Viviane Araujo:

The strategy was to win each round. When I was fighting in the stand-up game with her I felt great. Everything was going the way it was supposed to on the feet and I knew if it went to the ground I’d win. I knew she would be strong and confident in her game.

I don’t have a name in mind to fight next. I want to go continue working on my game and be ready in November or December for a new opponent and challenge.

Hunter Azure defeated Cole Smith via unanimous decision

Hunter Azure:

This was very important for me. My only focus coming into this fight camp was to get back into the win column. I didn’t care how I got it. All I was focused on was getting my hand raised.

You’re only as good as your last fight. Everyone saw me coming off that loss. This was a big step for me, to come back and get this win. I want to keep growing and grinding after this.

He threw everything at me that I was pretty much expecting. He was long, but I have a great team behind me. They prepped me super well for this fight.

I feel more comfortable the more I’m out there. Tonight, I felt way more relaxed. I felt like I was supposed to be there. Once I got in the Octagon, everything was calm and relaxed. I was just feeling great in the moment.

Posted by: GoDubai PR Dept
Viewed: 3055 times
PR Category: Events & Entertainment
Posted on: 6 Sep 2020 10:33:00 AM (GMT+4)

Previous Article Four Different Nations in Badminton Semis of Dubai Sports Communi... Next Article 5 Sports You Should Watch While You're In Dubai