UFC Fight Night 87 results: Alistair Overeem finishes Andrei Arlovski

Alistair Overeem waited six-and-a-half years to make his MMA return to the Netherlands. And he needed just over six minutes to become a winner in his homeland.

Overeem used a ferocious finishing flurry to defeat Jackson’s MMA teammate Andrei Arlovski in the main event of UFC Fight Night 87 in the UFC’s debut in Rotterdam on Sunday. He won the heavyweight bout via TKO at 1:12 of the second round.

While Arlovski, the former UFC heavyweight champion, had his moments in the opening round, particularly in a fast start, Overeem got his bearings and turned the fight in his favor.

But it was early in the second round that he finished things off. A wicked kick to the jaw was followed with a left to the jaw that dropped Arlovski. A follow-up onslaught of ground strikes led to the fight getting waved off.

Overeem appeared to break the big toe on his kicking foot with the fight-changing face kick, but the doctor popped it back into place after the fight.

“My toe was on a 45-degree angle,” said Overeem (41-14, 1 NC). “I was like ‘no, I didn’t hurt myself,’ the medic put it back in. it might have been falling off, I don’t know.”

Overeem has won four straight fights with three finishes in that stretch. He wants the winner of the UFC 198 heavyweight title fight between Fabricio Werdum and Stipe Miocic and he wants it at Madison Square Garden.

“We’re going to get that belt in Nov, Nov 12 at Madison Square Garden, said Overeem, who fought in his homeland for the first time since a submission win over Tony Sylvster on Oct. 17, 2009 in Amsterdam. “Then next year im going to defend the belt in Amsterdam Arena.”

Arlovski (25-11, 1 NC) has been TKOd in each of his past two fights.

In the co-feature bout, Stefan Struve’s return to his homeland was a memorable affair. The 28-year old from Beverwijk, Netherlands needed just 15 second to finish former Elite XC heavyweight champion Antonio Silva via TKO.

Struve landed an uppercut, then a shot to the body in the clinch which dropped Silva to the mat. A series of elbows to the side of the head of the downed Silva caused referee Leon Roberts to step in and wave off the bout.

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