Alistair Overeem declares a win over Jairzinho Rozenstruik, says he’s ‘pretty again’ after lip injury

Fans of “The Reem” needn’t worry too much about the heavyweight champion following his latest knockout loss.

Alistair Overeem looks much better after losing in ugly fashion to Jairzinho Rozenstruik less than two weeks ago at UFC on ESPN 7. After winning the majority of the contest, Overeem was stopped in the closing seconds by a hard punch that opened up a gruesome cut on the former Strikeforce champion’s mouth.

The injury didn’t dampen Overeem’s spirit. Later that evening, he was already cracking jokes about his injury, and on Thursday at a media day ahead of UFC Busan, he shared an image of his face, which was in much better condition.

“Tossing out interviews here - like nothing ever happened,” Overeem wrote.

Here’s one media scrum from his trip to South Korea.

“To me, I’m almost pretty again,” Overeem said. “Actually, I am pretty again compared to last week. Because what was it, 10 days ago? And I think it’s looking great.”

“I did have any pain at all. I did not feel any pain,” he added, when asked how he reacted to the cut.

Not only is Overeem already moving past the injury, he’s shrugging off the result as well. The 39-year-old was likely on his way to winning a decision, and he’s refusing to let his last-second mistake define his overall performance.

“To me, it was a win, because we beat him every round,” Overeem said. “The referee should not have jumped in. I was not KO’d. I stand back up, it was two seconds left, three seconds left, one second left – to me it was a win. And I always fight for myself. Of course, you have fans, it’s great, of course the money is great, but I fight for me, and I see it as a win.

“I beat him very easy all around. Okay, I got hit in the last five seconds. My lip is damaged. Who cares?”

Overeem said he’d like to fight again in March or April, though he does not have any preference as far as his potential opponent.

For those who need a reminder, here is what Overeem looked like immediately after the Rozenstruik fight:

Esther Lin, MMA Fighting