Alistair Overeem avoided 'a Travis Browne situation,' eyes Junior Dos Santos next

Roy Nelson and Alistair Overeem

If his decision to play it safe in the waning minutes of his UFC 185 decision victory over Roy Nelson is any indication, Alistair Overeem has learned from some of his past mistakes.

The hulking Overeem (39-14 MMA, 4-3 UFC) had been considered by many to be a disappointment in the UFC after suffering three knockout losses – despite being the favorite every time he has stepped foot in the octagon.

Against fellow heavyweight Nelson(20-11 MMA, 7-7 UFC), he used his striking to batter his opponent, especially to his body. It was a measured, disciplined pay-per-view performance that also managed to elicit boos from Saturday’s crowd at American Airlines Center in Dallas.

Overeem explained the low-risk approach by referencing his UFC Fight Night 26 bout with Travis Browne. In that fight, Overeem appeared to be in control of the action only to get caught and knocked out late in the first round.

“It’s never nice to get booed, but I’m getting booed a little bit often lately,” Overeem said after the event. “You know what? Sometimes you’ve just got to go through it. You’ve got to stick to the gameplan. I actually wanted to be a little bit more aggressive, but my corner was like, ‘He’s very dangerous. Stay calm. Do your gameplan.’ Because otherwise you might have like a Travis Browne situation. You’re like kicking the sh-t out of somebody, and then he comes back, and then it’s like a loss. So focus and execute the gameplan.”

Overeem took the unanimous decision, getting the 30-27 nod on all three cards for the bout, during the pay-per-view portion of the event.

UFC President Dana White called Nelson “a zombie with a mullet” for continuing to move forward in hopes of landing a haymaker despite the punishment he’d taken. It was a sentiment Overeem echoed.

“Every time I hit him, I could see in his eyes that he wanted to hit my head off. Every time I hit him, he got more angry,” Overeem said. “Kind of like ‘The Hulk’ or something.”

The win was Overeem’s second in a row, marking the first time he’s been able to win consecutive UFC bouts. In a heavyweight division that’s anything but loaded with title contenders, Overeem is attempting to position himself as a viable option to challenge for the belt.

A bout with former champion Junior dos Santos (17-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC) seems like a good option to both White and Overeem.

“Obviously, (Cain Velasquez and Fabricio Werdum) are going to fight first, and I’ll have some work to do before that happens,” Overeem said. “We’re going to have some time off, and I hope to fight again soon.”

For complete coverage of UFC 185, check out the UFC Events section of the site.