3 storylines to watch at UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Sakai

Heavyweight contenders Alistair Overeem and Augusto Sakai will meet Saturday in the UFC Fight Night headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Here are three key storylines heading into the event.

Can Overeem make another title run?

No matter how many times he loses, Overeem always finds a way back into the title conversation.

But at 40 years old, Overeem must avoid another setback. He's even been hinting at this being his last shot to make a run to the top. Overeem has fought as a professional since 1999 and has won several major championships throughout 64 pro bouts, missing only a UFC title.

Many thought Overeem should have retired when Ben Rothwell beat him with a first-round knockout in 2014 - his chin struggled to hold up, and he just wasn't the same guy. But "The Demolition Man" followed that fight with a four-fight winning streak, earning a shot against UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic.

Overeem came up short, but that loss wouldn't mark the end of his career either - he's 5-3 since facing Miocic in 2016.

In a shallow heavyweight division - dropping off drastically after Francis Ngannou and Curtis Blaydes - Overeem can realistically get another title shot. He's coming off an impressive win over Walt Harris in May, and had it not been for a last-second finish from Jairzinho Rozenstruik in 2019, Overeem would have won four contests in a row.

But most importantly, he needs to get past Sakai this weekend. Overeem is ranked No. 6 in the weight class, and Sakai, though listed at No. 9, is a relative unknown. Overeem is the betting favorite, and losing would be catastrophic to his career potential. Ultimately, the Dutchman's time is running out, and he'll need to make some major moves - including on Saturday - if he wants to have the chance of wearing UFC gold.

Will Saint Preux vs. Menifield happen this time?

It's fair to wonder whether the upcoming co-main event between Ovince Saint Preux and Alonzo Menifield will even happen.

The two light heavyweights were supposed to meet at UFC Fight Night on Aug. 22, but a positive coronavirus test from Saint Preux postponed the bout. Saint Preux recorded a negative result earlier in the week, but was positive on the day of the event.

We saw a similar scenario play out last weekend, with Ion Cutelaba being forced out of his rematch against Magomed Ankalaev due to a second positive COVID-19 test. Cutelaba previously tested positive for the virus two weeks before, and his team has yet to give an explanation surrounding his second positive test.

Since the UFC resumed operations amid the pandemic, we've seen several fighters fall off cards at the last minute after testing positive for COVID-19 - at this point, it's a reasonable expectation. But now we're starting to see repeat cancellations. The promotion should've played it safe and probably shouldn't have booked Cutelaba to fight only two weeks after his first positive test. UFC also should've learned from Cutelaba's second positive and pushed Saint Preux versus Menifield back at least a month.

Instead, Saint Preux is getting ready to fight less than two weeks after testing positive for the coronavirus, and I can't help but wonder if he'll make it to the Octagon.

What's at stake for Pereira?

Michel Pereira was one of the most talked-about UFC fighters after his 2019 debut.

The Brazilian welterweight prospect danced his way to the Octagon, then attempted kicks off the fence, a superman punch, and a rolling thunder in the opening seconds of his bout against Danny Roberts. It wasn't all show, though - less than two minutes in, Pereira ended Roberts' night with a flying knee and a devastating right hand.

But Pereira has struggled in the promotion since then. Tristan Connelly - a lightweight who stepped up on short notice at UFC Vancouver last September - exposed his lack of ground defense. And earlier this year, Pereira was winning against Diego Sanchez before receiving a third-round disqualification due to an illegal knee.

The 26-year-old is athletically gifted and is clearly a talented fighter, but so far, he hasn't lived up to his hype. And at 1-2 in the UFC, he'll likely need a victory over Zelim Imadaev on Saturday to keep his job.

Imadaev is winless in the promotion after two contests, so this appears to be somewhat of a layup for Pereira. "Demolidor" is a marketable fighter and likely someone the UFC wants to see win and have on its roster. But if he fools around too much against Imadaev, or hasn't been rounding out his game since the last time he was in the Octagon, Pereira could find himself having to work his way back to the UFC sooner rather than later.