3 takeaways from UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Sakai

Heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem beat Augusto Sakai via fifth-round TKO in the UFC Fight Night main event Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Here are three takeaways from the event.

Overeem's still got it

Even at the ripe age of 40, Overeem continues to show up and show out.

The former title challenger had to rally to beat Sakai, but his veteran savvy came into play midway through the fight. After struggling in the stand-up department during the first two rounds, Overeem resorted to his takedowns in the third and dominated the rest of the contest.

There have been questions over the past six years about how much Overeem has left in the tank. "The Demolition Man" started fighting as a professional in 1999, so it only makes sense that he's shown signs of a decline. His chin in particular has failed him several times in recent years.

That decline will eventually happen, but it simply hasn't yet. This isn't to say Overeem is as good as he used to be. He's not. But he's absolutely still one of the best at heavyweight, and he backed that up by taking out one of the division's top prospects Saturday.

Sakai isn't the biggest name in the heavyweight division, but this win absolutely says something about where Overeem is at in his career. Sakai was undefeated in the UFC and 15-1-1 overall heading in to his first headlining bout in the promotion. He's a rising prospect and someone many people consider a future contender. Sakai did well in the first 10 minutes, but Overeem ultimately showed that he's not done.

It remains to be seen whether Overeem will climb his way to another title shot. Let's not kid ourselves: At 40 years old, his time is running out. Overeem can't afford to suffer another setback this late into his career. But if he continues to perform as he did against Sakai, maybe, just maybe, he'll find himself getting one final shot at UFC gold.

OSP superior at 205 pounds

After suffering a lackluster decision loss to Ben Rothwell as a heavyweight earlier this year, former interim title challenger Ovince Saint Preux looked much better in his return to light heavyweight Saturday, taking out Alonzo Menifield with a brutal left hand.

Saint Preux is a veteran, so there weren't any drastic improvements in his game. That's not to be expected at this point in his career. But, in general, Saint Preux seems much better suited for the light heavyweight division. He appeared to be in better shape for this contest - which makes sense, as "OSP" weighed in 40 pounds heavier for the Rothwell fight than he did Friday. His movement was superior Saturday, his cardiovascular endurance seemed better, and his knockout power translated well.

So, at the end of the day, Saint Preux needs to stay put. I don't blame him for mixing things up and trying his hand at heavyweight. But it didn't work out. Some thought after the Rothwell fight that Saint Preux might've been done, but that's clearly not the case: He's just not a heavyweight.

UFC needs to get out of Las Vegas, ASAP

For the third week in a row, at least one bout was canceled on fight day due to a positive COVID-19 test. The virus crushed Saturday's event, leaving seven fights once it was all said and done, the fewest on a UFC card since 2005.

The coronavirus has been wreaking havoc on UFC events for months, and it only seems to be getting worse. Interestingly - and perhaps predictably - almost all of the positive tests have happened in Las Vegas, where there's no true bubble. Everyone was in a "safe zone" during the promotion's four-card stint in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates in July, and essentially no shows were affected.

Dana White and Co. should be grateful that the UFC is headed back to Fight Island at the end of September. Unfortunately, there are still two more events scheduled for Las Vegas over the next two weeks, and who knows how many fights will be canceled. No amount would be surprising at this point.

It's important to note that there hasn't been a major COVID-19 outbreak surrounding the Las Vegas events, so the promotion's protocols have seemingly been effective overall. But for one reason or another, the protocols aren't preventing positive tests, and the recent events have felt the effects.

The UFC desperately needs to get through these next two events and go back to Abu Dhabi, where fizzled fights don't outnumber the ones that actually happen.