Can Alistair Overeem beat Jairzinho Rozenstruik in a rematch?

Alistair Overeem put up yet another impressive victory against Augusto Sakai to pick up his second straight stoppage victory inside the octagon after registering a blistering TKO win over Walt Harris back in May of 2020.

Overeem has made his intention clear and is set for one last run for the gold. He has been absolutely riveting despite being way past his prime, with four victories in his last five outings. Overeem is looking at a career resurgence before finally resting his gloves, and with a big win over August Sakai this past weekend, Overeem could be looking at a title opportunity with a win over any top-ranked opponent next.

pic.twitter.com/NeyK8IVVbZ

— Alistair Overeem (@Alistairovereem) September 6, 2020

Overeem is currently ranked #5 in the UFC Heavyweight rankings, just behind Ngannou, Blaydes, Lewis, and Rozenstruik. While Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis are expected to lock horns later this year, Overeem could be looking at getting his hands at a rematch against Jairzinho Rozenstruik.

What's next for Alistair Overeem?

UFC 252: Dos Santos v Rozenstruik

Jairzinho Rozenstruik put up an impressive performance against former Champion Junior dos Santos after suffering a brutal KO loss against Francis Ngannou at UFC 249. Jarizinho bounced back with a big win and has now won 5 fights in the 6 times he has competed inside the octagon with other notable victories over Alistair Overeem and Andrei Arlovski.

Jairzinho is currently at #3 in the UFC Heavyweight rankings and is one big win away from getting a title shot. Soon after the victory over Augusto Sakai, Overeem expressed his interest in a rematch while also stating that he beat him the first time they met inside the octagon.

“Well Rozenstruik, I destroyed that man. I schooled him. In my opinion, it was a very bad decision by the ref waving it off with zero seconds left. I have no problem running that back. In my mind, I already beat him. It’s only on paper that he kind of got it, and he knows it, too. But no problem running it back,” Overeem said.

Alistair Overeem put up a dominant display of grappling against Jairzinho Rozenstruik when the faced each other the first time around at UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs Rozenstruik back in December of 2019. However, Overeem fell prey to a brutal right hand in the closng seconds of the final round which dropped him on the ground and left a brutal cut on his upper lip. The referee stopped the fight as soon as the punch landed, with Overeem showing his displeasure with the decision in the post-fight interview.

We’re not done yet https://t.co/K24xVL3kju

— Alistair Overeem (@Alistairovereem) September 3, 2020

Alistair Overeem vs Jairzinho Rozenstruik is an exciting match-up and one that would cement the next title contender between the top-5 heavyweights currently fighting for the UFC gold. However, the question is, can Alistair Overeem beat Jairzinho Rozenstruik in a rematch?

Alistair Overeem can upset Jairzinho Rozenstruik

UFC Fight Night: Overeem v Harris

It's hard not to agree with Alistair Overeem. The UFC veteran put up an incredible display of mixed martial arts and dominated Rozenstruik throught the five rounds of the fight.

Over the years, Alistair Overeem has transended into a seasoned grappler. It's hard to imagine the former kickbxoing sensation relying on his ground and pound to finish his opponents. However, that's exactly what we have witnessed from Overeem's past few fights. If we look at his recent performances, Overeem has four victories in his last five outings inside the octagon.

If Alistair Overeem can maintain the same gameplan against Rozenstruik like he did against Walt Harris and Augusto Sakai, there's a reason to believe that he could upset Jairzinho Rozenstruik in the rematch.