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Coming off of his victory over Roy Nelson at UFC 185 last month, Alistair Overeem took some time off to relax and recuperate from the slight damage he sustained in the fight. Overeem spoke with Bleacher Report after his vacation in Puerto Rico:

Bleacher Report: You knew that Roy Nelson had a tough chin going into the fight. What did you do to prepare for that?

Alistair Overeem: To be honest, I was certain I was going to knock him out in the first two rounds. Training was excellent. I finished everyone in sparring. I felt really sharp and fast.

B/R: What was going through your mind when you saw him eat your toughest shots?

AO: I thought he was tough. But I had a little voice that was talking to me before I was walking out to the Octagon. It told me that this is the UFC, everyone in the organization is tough, and that you shouldn't be surprised if the guy survives your barrage.

Everybody comes with a game plan, everybody wants to win. He might not go down. It's the mindset that kept me going through the fight.

B/R: During the fight, did you realize that you broke his ribs or that he broke his hand?

AO: I believe he broke it in the second or third round. There was a moment where he was rushing me and then he stopped punching me after awhile. I got banged up from banging him up.

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I noticed that I hurt him a couple of times. He is a guy that just wants to come forward and establish his dominance. When he was stumbling back a little bit, that's when I knew I had him.

Props to Roy Nelson, because he remained dangerous 'til the very end. He caught me at the end of the third round. Throughout the fight, I felt that he was dangerous. He was waiting to capitalize on a mistake and hit me with those heavy hands.

B/R: Are you happy with your performance?

AO: Yes. Very happy. I won the fight. People can't say I didn't try to knock him out. I destroyed his legs, threw knees to his solar plexus. I'm surprised he survived all of that.

B/R: What do you think you have to improve on before you go after the belt?

AO: I don't want to walk ahead. I still need to get one or two more wins before I can talk about getting a title shot. It's closer than it was six months ago.

B/R: You have bounced back after your loss to Ben Rothwell by finally stringing together two wins in a row. Explain the turnaround.

AO: I felt good leading up to the [Rothwell] fight. I broke his arm with a kick and then I got caught. Bad luck? I would say so. I still see myself beating him nine out of 10 times.

But if you go back to the Frank Mir fight, it was a flawless victory. I had 139 hits to his five hits.

I've bounced back before, and the Rothwell fight was just a slip-up.

B/R: Who do you have in the Cain Velasquez-Fabricio Werdum matchup?

AO: It's hard to say. I think that fight would be 50/50. Before I would root for Cain, but I think Werdum is a tricky fighter. He's good on his feet, on the ground. He hasn't lost a fight since I beat him in 2011. Werdum has made amazing progress.

Cain is an amazing fighter. However, he has not been active for a while, so it's hard to say how he'll come back after everything he's been through. It's going to be an exciting fight for sure.

B/R: How would you prepare yourself for a matchup against either fighter? Do you have a preference on who you'd rather fight?

AO: No preference. I focus more on just getting my next camp in order. Just to keep all the pieces of the puzzle together.

B/R: Junior Dos Santos' name has been thrown out as someone who could be your next opponent. What are your thoughts on that?

AO: I could see that fight happening at this point. We're both not scheduled to fight anyone. I've been cautious in calling out anyone because I want to recover my injuries from the Roy Nelson fight first.

B/R: What injuries do you have to take care of?

AO: The Roy Nelson fight was a tough fight. My ankles are a little bruised. My right foot was damaged, but fortunately, there's nothing broken.

However, I'm in Holland taking care of some dental work, but I feel almost to the point where we can start thinking and talking about the next fight.

I'm aiming to fight again in July or August, but I will wait to talk to the UFC until after my dental work is finished.

B/R: I know you had some animosity toward Anthony "Rumble" Johnson in the past. Do you still have some beef toward him?

AO: I wish him all the luck. He's got a very big fight coming up. His development has been very spectacular.

B/R: Who do you have in the fight between him and Jon Jones?

AO: It can go either way. It's hard to say. I would say if it ends early, it'll go to Rumble. However, if it goes past the second round, I'll go for Jones.

All quotes were obtained firsthand, via interview, unless otherwise noted.