How did Alistair Overeem get his lip destroyed in a UFC heavyweight bout?

UFC heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem suffered one of the more horrific-looking injuries in the promotion's history in a fight against Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC on ESPN 7.

The heavyweight bout was close to the end when Rozenstruik knocked Overeem out with only four seconds left on the clock. A powerful right-hand punch from Rozenstruik tore Overeem's lip in half before sending him to the canvas.

Overeem would have probably beat Rozenstruik on points if not for that last punch thrown to his face. That would have been "The Demolition Man's" third straight win in what was his latest win streak.

Following the blow, medical officers rushed to the octagon to assist Overeem with his injury. Even though his lip was immediately stitched up, it still displayed gruesome scarring.

Hydration specialist taking care of Alistair Overeem's lip last night #AthleticTrainers pic.twitter.com/ul4M2AFo2t

— 𝙉𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙈𝙖𝙮𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙙 (@ncmaynardATC) December 8, 2019

It was hard to believe that Overeem would not keep visible marks from the heavy strike. However, thanks to modern medicine, Overeem's lip was entirely reconstructed after undergoing plastic surgery. The No. 5 heavyweight contender only sustains a minor scar nowadays.

Photo: Alistair Overeem’s lip healed up two weeks after KO loss at UFC on ESPN 7 https://t.co/Q94NGjkVWY pic.twitter.com/45I4yHVWLH

— MMA Noob (@mmanoob_) December 19, 2019

Overeem will return to the octagon on tonight's UFC Fight Night main event against No. 6 ranked Alexander Volkov. The event can be watched live on ESPN+.

When is Alistair Overeem retiring?

UFC heavyweight announces that he will hang up his gloves after "one final run" towards the division's championship. With wins spanning throughout four different decades, Overeem is one of the most successful heavyweights to have competed in the UFC.

A win on tonight's main event at UFC Vegas 18 over Alexander Volkov could catapult the 40-year-old to a fight against a top-3 opponent and subsequently a title fight.

"I'm still improving: even at 40 I think you can clearly see that in my fights. I'm still on a learning curve. But I have to be realistic. I'm going to have a couple more fights, then I'm going to hang up the gloves. If I win the belt, then the mission is completed."

I’m still improving: even at 40 I think you can clearly see that in my fights. I’m still on a learning curve. But I have to be realistic. I’m going to have a couple more fights, then I’m going to hang up the gloves. If I win the belt, then the mission is completed #onefinalrun pic.twitter.com/gxQrZrrhhc

— Alistair Overeem (@Alistairovereem) November 24, 2020

Would you like to see Overeem competing for the UFC heavyweight title once more? Sound off in the comments.