Can Alistair Overeem Fill His Shoes?

The main event of UFC 141 went the way that many believed it would when Alistair Overeem destroyed Brock Lesnar with some unbelievably violent striking that crippled the former UFC champion and led to a quick knockout. But while Overeem may have leaped over Lesnar as the new No. 1 contender for the UFC heavyweight title, is he ready to fill both shoes that Lesnar is leaving behind?

Overeem’s victory was huge for his career, however what came next was a shocking and some would even say disastrous situation for the UFC.

After Joe Rogan spoke to an excited Alistair Overeem who is now set for a future fight against Junior dos Santos, Brock Lesnar broke the fun by announcing his retirement from the UFC.

As would be expected with just about anything Lesnar says, the news shook the MMA community as fans and critics spoke out on both sides of the debate. While some were disheartened to hear the news, others seemed almost jovial to learn that the “overrated” Lesnar was finally gone.

Regardless of which side of that debate you stand on, one thing is for sure—the UFC is not happy about their biggest pay-per-view draw in history suddenly deciding to call it quits.

Despite having only fought a title of seven times in the UFC, Lesnar was the headliner of the majority of the million-buy pay-per-view events in the company’s history.

A former pro wrestling champion in the WWE, Lesnar was the first crossover star from the sports entertainment industry to make a successful transition into being a big star in MMA. The pre-existing star-power that he had led to a tremendous amount of fanfare when he first came to the promotion. Even after he lost his first fight for the UFC against Frank Mir, Lesnar’s popularity continued to rise.

Lesnar’s popularity can be easily seen by the way that the UFC promoted him. Though he was absolutely destroyed in his previous fight against Cain Velasquez and he was coming off of a year-long layoff due to diverticulitis, the company had absolutely no problem placing him in the main event of yet another pay-per-view, this time in a non-title fight against Overeem.

Overeem himself has some popularity, especially internationally, but it is not anywhere near the level of a Brock Lesnar. The truth is that despite him being a Dream and Strikeforce heavyweight champion, Overeem was relatively unknown to many UFC fans coming into UFC 141.

If he wasn’t fighting Brock Lesnar, it could have been a difficult sell to put him in the main event of a pay-per-view even though he absolutely would have deserved it based on his track record.

Overeem is a big, strong, nasty striker who has submission skills on top of that. Though some questioned the quality of many of his recent opponents, after his crushing victory over Lesnar, “The Reem’s” fighting skills are no longer up for debate at this point. He’ll have no problem taking Lesnar’s spot as a perennial top-five heavyweight.

What is up for debate and future analysis is whether or not Overeem will ever have the ability to replace what Brock Lesnar was in terms of being a star.

Despite only having a 4-3 record in the UFC, Lesnar was by far the biggest pay-per-view draw in UFC history. If Overeem ever hopes to become that, he’s going to need to go on an absolutely amazing run that will have to start with a victory over Junior dos Santos in 2012.

If he is able to do that, Overeem will have a chance to start to become a huge star in the sport. But given that he doesn’t have a huge base to begin with, it’s going to be a long, tough road for Overeem to ever replace Brock Lesnar’s superstardom.

Brock Lesnar retires!

Those who were able to catch UFC 141, are those of the lucky ones to witness the last time Brock Lesnar competed in MMA.

In his fight against Alistair Overeem, Lesnar was hurt early and often in the fight by knees and kicks to his body. Lesnar attempted a couple of half-hearted strikes and takedown attempts, but Overeem was able to shrug off any of Lesnar's attempts at offense.

Following his loss, Lesner spoke with Joe Rogan in a televised interview. That's when Lesnar dropped a bombshell on the MMA world when he stated that he will no longer be competing in the sport.

During the interview with Rogan, Lesnar stated that he promised his wife and children that if he won, he would fight current UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos before he retired. However, he also said that if he lost to Overeem, he would walk away from MMA.

The latter happened, so it appears we will never see Lesnar inside the Octagon again.

If this is indeed Lesnar's last MMA bout, He will be leaving the sport with an overall record of 5-3, going 4-3 in the UFC. He will also walk away as a former UFC heavyweight champion, as he won the belt in only his fourth professional bout.

With Lesnar walking away from the UFC, the promotion will be losing their biggest pay-per-view draw. Every card he has headlined, with the exception of Friday's event, has drawn over an estimated one million buys.

If Lesnar's bout against Overeem is indeed his last, at least he can walk out with his head held high. Not many people can say they were a world champion at anything, much less the most competitive sport in the world.

Thanks for the pretty good fights Brock!

UFC 141 Results

Results from UFC 141 held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena

Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem

Overeem defeats Lesnar by technical knockout (body kick and punches) at of the first round.


Nate Diaz vs. Donald Cerrone

Diaz defeats Cerrone by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).



Jon Fitch vs. Johny Hendricks

Hendricks defeats Fitch by knockout (punch) at 0:20 of the first round.


Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Alexander Gustafsson

Gustafsson defeats Matyushenko by technical knockout (punches) at 2:13 of the first round.



Nam Phan vs. Jimy Hettes

Hettes defeats Phan by unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-26).



Ross Pearson vs. Junior Assunção

Pearson defeats Assuncao by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).



Anthony Njokuani vs. Danny Castillo

Castillo defeats Njokuani by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).


Dong Hyun Kim vs. Sean Pierson

Kim defeats Pierson by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).


Jacob Volkmann vs. Efrain Escudero

Volkmann defeats Escudero by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).


Manvel Gamburyan vs. Diego Nunes

Nunes defeats Gamburyan by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

UFC 141: Main Event Analysis

In literal terms, it is a colossal heavyweight fight. Alistair Overeem and Brock Lesnar clash this Friday night at UFC 141 which emanates from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Lesnar, 5-2 overall in his MMA career, stands 6'3" tall, weighing in at 263 pounds on average. His last fight came over a year ago when he dropped his heavyweight championship to Cain Velasquez by first round technical knock out at UFC 121.

Overeem, with 35 wins and 11 losses with one no-contest in his career, measures 6'5" tall and tips the scales at around 260 pounds. Born in England, Overeem, a Dutchman, is one of the most feared strikers in the sport of MMA.

What makes this fight so intriguing is the obvious: two monsters stepping into one cage together to see who is the better man.

However, this fight means so much more. This fight dictates the immediate future of the heavyweight division in the UFC.

Lesnar is coming into this fight after yet another long layoff due to contracting diverticulitis for the second time. His return fight after the first illness was a title defense against Shane Carwin, a fight in which he won by submission in the second round after being brutalized for nearly a whole round.

Lesnar came back that night at UFC 116 in July of 2010 in great shape. He looked lean, strong and did not look as if he was severely ill for months.

However, that was Shane Carwin. This time, he'll be coming back against someone bigger, better, stronger and more dangerous. He'll be coming back against someone bigger than him and with more experience.

Alistair Overeem last fought on June 18 of this year, defeating Fabricio Werdum by way of unanimous decision. He is coming on Friday evening riding a seven fight win streak, and will not only look to extend it, but will try to become number one contender for Junior Dos Santos' heavyweight crown.

It is hard to conceive that Lesnar can win this fight. Although he has won when the odds have been stacked against him, Lesnar has not faced someone of the caliber such as Overeem.

With 14 of his wins coming by way of technical knock out or knock out, Overeem is an elite striker in MMA. He is a K-1 kickboxing veteran with a 10-4 record and a 2010 Heavyweight Grand Prix Champion.

With this threat alone, Lesnar is in trouble. One can hope that Lesnar has been working on his boxing in training camp as he was somewhat exposed when being finished by Velasquez. I do not think there is a real chance that, even with training, Lesnar can compete with Overeem here and will be picked apart as long as the fight stays standing.

With that said, can Lesnar, as strong as he is, take Overeem down? Overeem stands about two inches taller than him and although this may not be a huge difference, Overeem has more mass than Lesnar does.

Overeem, who has transformed his body over the course of his career, sports a bodybuilder's physique. Obviously, more muscle doesn't necessarily mean anything, but you wouldn't be wrong if you said Overeem was stronger than Lesnar.

Lesnar will have a hard time trying to manipulate that mass around the cage and bring him down. Lesnar can wrestle Overeem down, as Lesnar himself is an athletic powerhouse, however if the fight does get to the ground with Lesnar in control, Overeem will have the advantage with the threat of submissions.

Overeem has 17 submissions due to technique in his career, some of which are standing guillotine chokes, key locks, armbars and triangle chokes.

Overeem has trained himself and developed into a well-rounded fighter who cannot be counted out in any aspect. With Lesnar's relative inexperience and with only one submission win in his career, I do not think his skill set can match up with Overeem's.

Last but not least, although this is not a championship fight, the bout will go five rounds. Both fighters have always come to fight in great condition, but in this case, regarding conditioning, I give the edge to Lesnar.

Lesnar has less mass, although it isn't that much less, that his body needs to supply oxygen to. He'll be able to maneuver around the cage a little quicker and in each of his fights in his career, Lesnar has never fatigued as long as the fight went on.

Lesnar vs Overeem is a fight that piques the interest of every fight fan across the globe. With many of the advantages going to Overeem, it is hard to see Lesnar coming out of this fight with a win. Although you can never count out a guy like Lesnar, the experience level of Overeem and danger he poses with his striking will be too much for Lesnar.

UFC Undisputed 3 Predicts UFC 141: Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem

Presented here is a fight simulation of the UFC 141 matchup between Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem in UFC Undisputed 3, which is set to hit the stores in early 2012.

Lesnar has not set foot into the Octagon for more than a year since he lost his heavyweight crown to Cain Velasquez at UFC 121.

Also, a stint as coach on TUF (The Ultimate Fighter) Season 13 series was curtailed due to a reoccurrence of diverticulitis; however, after extensive surgery to combat the disease, the former NCAA standout wrestler is back in the fray and raring to go.

Nevertheless, standing in his path for another shot at UFC gold is former Strikeforce heavyweight champion and fellow behemoth and lethal striker Alistair “The Demolition Man” Overeem.

As things stand, both the fans and the media alike are all over the place in their predictions on how this matchup will play out.

Now, that’s where UFC Undisputed 3 simulation comes in—the video has already predicted who wins and who loses between Lesnar and Overeem come fight night.

But to see the real outcome well all have to tune in to the real fight at UFC 141.

UFC 141 is scheduled for Dec. 30, 2011 (Dec. 31, 2011 in the Philippines).

Countdown to UFC 141 debuts Wednesday

The one-hour preview show, focuses on next week's blockbuster UFC 141 event, which features a main event between former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar and former Strikeforce title holder Alistair Overeem.

"UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem," a very rare Friday fight card for the UFC, takes place Dec. 30 at Las Vegas' MGM Grand Garden Arena.

The night's main card, which also features a highly intriguing lightweight contest between Donald Cerrone and Nate Diaz, as well as a key welterweight contest between Jon Fitch and Johny Hendricks, airs on pay-per-view.

Meanwhile, the UFC 141 preliminary card features two contests which air on Spike TV, the final UFC bouts to air live on the channel, as well four contests that stream on Facebook.

Usually, in the Philippines, the Countdown show is presented in it's entirety at Balls TV as the pre-fight show before they air the UFC event.

The full UFC 141 card includes:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view)

Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem
Donald Cerrone vs. Nate Diaz
Jon Fitch vs. Johny Hendricks
Alexander Gustafsson vs. Vladimir Matyushenko
Jim Hettes vs. Nam Phan

PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike TV)

Junior Assuncao vs. Ross Pearson
Danny Castillo vs. Anthony Njokuani

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)

Dong Hyun Kim vs. Sean Pierson
Efrain Escudero vs. Jacob Volkmann
Luis Ramos vs. Matt Riddle
Manny Gamburyan vs. Diego Nunes

Overeem Cleared to Face Lesnar at UFC 141

On Tuesday morning, UFC president Dana White tweeted a smiley face and then, perhaps drawing out the suspense of what was to follow, took 15 minutes to deliver his follow-up tweet:





And with those 10 words he confirmed what will be the biggest heavyweight fight in combined weight and most likely pay-per-view buys for the promotion in 2011.

Overeem’s status for the fight was thrown into doubt last week when he delivered a delayed and improperly administered steroid test to the UFC. During a hearing with the Nevada State Athletic Commission, Overeem detailed the reasons for the delay and why a blood test was administered by his personal doctor rather a urine test from a testing facility.

The NSAC were seemingly satisfied with Overeem’s explanation that he did not willingly avoid the out-of-competition testing and awarded him a conditional license to compete against Brock Lesnar at UFC 141. The first condition of that license was that he take a urine test within 72 hours of the hearing’s end.

Overeem lived up to that condition, flying from Holland to England to take the test, which, according to White’s tweet, came back clean, clearing Overeem for the December 30 fight. With that being said, there are still remaining conditions to be met by Overeem.

The first is that he be tested when he returns to the United States from Holland. Following that, he is subject to two random drug tests after the fight.

The five-round bout between Lesnar and Overeem will determine the No. 1 contender for the UFC heavyweight title that is currently held by Junior dos Santos.

UFC 141: Why It Will Be the Biggest Pay-Per-View of 2011

On Friday, December 30, the UFC will have arguably its biggest event of the year, as former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar will face off against former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem.

This will be Lesnar's first time stepping in the cage since October of 2010 when he lost his heavyweight title to Cain Velasquez.

This will also be Overeem's first time stepping in the UFC cage ever.

Even though neither fighter has seen the UFC cage in quite some time, UFC 141 will be the biggest pay-per-view draw of the year.

There are a few reasons for that, the first of which is that it is the New Year's Eve card. The New Year's card is typically one of the bigger cards of the year, and this one is no different.

With Lesnar-Overeem, Donald Cerrone vs. Nick Diaz and Jon Fit—never mind, ignore Fitch—this makes for one of the most exciting cards of the year.

And, although Dana White has called GSP the best PPV draw, that honor has to go to Brock Lesnar.

Lesnar has headlined four of the top six UFC PPVs of all time, and has been featured on one more in the top 20. Lesnar brings in the viewers.

In UFC history, seven PPVs have had 1,000,000 buys or more. Lesnar has headlined four of those. He is, without a doubt, the top PPV star.

The final reason that UFC 141 will be the biggest card of the year, is once again, due to Brock Lesnar.

Lesnar has been out of the cage for 14 months. But I'm sure every casual and hardcore MMA fan will look to see what happens.

Lesnar vs. Overeem is a matchup that has been talked about for years. Both are huge heavyweights, standing over six feet tall and weighing over 250 pounds. It's like the Hulk taking on the Juggernaut.

This is one of the biggest matchups, both literally and figuratively, in UFC history.

I'll be watching—will you?

Alistair Ovareem granted a conditional fight license to fight Brock at UFC 141

Amidst the huge rumors regarding the main event for UFC 141, Alistair Overeem finally received the green light to fight Brock Lesnar on December 30th but it didn’t come easily.

The NSAC hearing, reached the verdit that Overeem would be given a conditional license to fight in UFC 141 but included the following stipulations.

Overeem must complete a drugs test within seven days at a licensed centre potentially in Europe or in the UK.
Overeem must complete a further test when he lands in the US prior to his UFC 141 bout.
Overeem will be required to complete two more drugs tests in a six month period following the bout.

The complications began on November 17th when NSAC head Keith Kizar notified Lesnar and Overeem that they were both required to complete a random drugs test immediately. Lesnar ran into issues initially because there were no approved centres in his vacinity but Overeem’s camp did not reply for four days.

Overeem’s manager did eventually get in touch with the NSAC but it was to reveal that the heavyweight had returned home to Holland to be with his sick mother. Alistair did complete a test through his doctor whilst in Holland but it was a blood test not urine so it was of no use to the commission. It was not until December 7th that Overeem completed a urine test.

UFC 141 will easily be the biggest show of the organization’s calender and, although there were a few less than comfortable moments during the inquest, the countdown to the UFC’s biggest pay per view event of the year can now officially begin.

UFC 141 promotional video

If you guys are into comics like myself, this would be like The Incredible Hulk vs. The Red Hulk as both fighters are behemoths.

In spite of what people say about Brock Lesnar and his recent medical woes, he is still a freak of nature and so is his opponent.

This is going to be a big one.

RUMOR: Alistair Overeem may not fight Lesnar

Before the UFC 140 post-fight press conference a rumor started to circulate among media that the UFC was about to announce that Alistair Overeem was out of his UFC 141 main event with Brock Lesnar. The popular rumor was that Frank Mir, on the strength of his arm breaking win over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, would replace Overeem for a rubber match with Lesnar.

While Dana White was quick to shoot down the rumors, asking where they come from, the rumors did persist. And White denying that the fight was in jeopardy doesn't mean that there aren't issues. White wouldn't talk about this in public if things weren't clear one way or the other. Then again, it could all be a rumor and mean nothing.

As for the reasons for a possible issue, Josh Gross from ESPN tweeted a very interesting bit of information:

@JoshGrossESPN Josh Gross
"White denies Overeem is off the Lesnar card. But Alistair is on Mon.'s NSAC agenda. I've heard possibly in connection w/ prefight drug test."

Now, obviously this isn't based on anything more than hearsay and I'm certainly not saying that there was an issue with Overeem's pre-fight test. I'm just passing along information on what is being talked about by the media. He is on the NSAC agenda so that means there may be some sort of issue, but we'll have to wait until Monday to get the full story.

Until then, again, it's all just rumor.