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Alistair Overeem ‘had to Google’ UFC Beijing opponent Sergei Pavlovich

Alistair Overeem admits he didn’t know anything about Sergei Pavlovich when the matchup was offered to him for UFC Fight Night 141, but that didn’t stop him from immediately accepting it.

Overeem (43-17 MMA, 8-6 UFC) has fought nothing but the biggest names the UFC has to offer over the course of his octagon tenure. He gets promotional newcomer Pavlovich (12-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 141, though, and it’s noteworthy shift away from the competition he’s been facing over the past several years.

That doesn’t bother Overeem, though, he said. He’s willing to fight all comers; the only difference in this situation is he had to do a little more research on his opponent, who is a former Fight Nights Global heavyweight champion.

“It’s his debut fight in the UFC and he’s an unknown, unfamiliar name to me, so I kind of had to Google and see what that was all about,” Overeem said in a pre-fight interview for UFC.com. “He’s undefeated, so his motivation is going to be there. He’s a young stud. But against those type of guys I always say, ‘Yes.’ The fans can look forward to a very action-packed fight.”

UFC Fight Night 141 takes place Saturday at Cadillac Arena in Beijing. Overeem vs. Pavlovich co-headlines the card, which streams entirely on UFC Fight Pass.

Overeem, No. 8 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA heavyweight rankings, enters the matchup with Pavlovich at an interesting stage of his career. The 38-year-old is on a two-fight losing skid against Curtis Blaydes and Francis Ngannou (who coincidentally headline UFC Fight Night 141), and it would seem his title hopes are ever-fading as time goes on.

The belt is not a talking point coming from Overeem at the moment, though. He said he’s looking to appreciate each fight as it comes, and while the results don’t always go his way, he said he knows what he’s capable of.

“I’m one of the veterans now and I think my resume is kind of special,” Overeem said. “I’ve been fighting forever, it seems. 88 fights all together with the K-1 and PRIDE and the different organizations. It’s make it or break it for me. Either I annihilate or I get annihilated. Mostly I’m the one doing the annihilating. But we’re back to annihilate some more.”

Overeem’s fight against Pavlovich came together on somewhat short notice when the UFC needed a suitable co-headliner for the card. The Dutchman had zero hesitation agreeing to the date, he said, and is delighted for the opportunity to compete on the UFC’s first card in Beijing, where he intends to score an impressive victory.

“I will finish this,” Overeem said. “It’s not going to go the distance. It’s going to be a finish.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 141, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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