ufc UFC 141: Lesnar vs Overeem

[D. S. Veteran]

And here it is, the last card of 2011. A year that gave us MMA fans a LOT of great cards and amazing fights. The main event has been on the mind of many MMA fans since Brock won the HW title in the UFC. Let's hope it delivers.

Facebook Prelims

Manvel Gamburyan vs. Diego Nunes - Manny took a big dive in relevance. From fighting for the title against Aldo in the WEC after a win over Mike Brown to fighting in the Facebook prelims after a loss to Tyson Griffin, it's been a rough 2011. Diego Nunes also lost all the momentum he got from beating Mike Brown (who has pretty much become the FW punching bag, it's sad) at the hands of Kenny Florian. They say there is some bad blood between them, let's hope it delivers an exciting fight.

Matt Riddle vs. Luis Ramos - Riddle is very entertaining fighter (his last 2 fights, despite losses, were great). He desesperately needs a win so he'll put in the effort against Luis Ramos.

Jacob Volkmann vs. Efrain Escudero - This undercard is very weird. Most of the guys fighting have losses to other guys fighting in the same undercard. Escudero beat Gamburyan. Volkmann beat Castillo. And so on. Escudero makes his return to the UFC after a stint in the B-Leagues following his brutal loss to Charles Oliveira (who ended up being a dub, despite the great 1st fight). Volkmann is bottom-tier LW talent but he's determined and resilient. It's not an "gimme" fight but if Escudero wants to hang around at LW in the UFC, he must be able to beat guys like Volkmann who are pretty one-dimensional but stubborn. If not, it's back to Bellator or Tachi Palace for him (or maybe a cut to FW?).

Dong Hyun Kim vs. Sean Pierson - After getting raped by Carlos Condit with ease, Stun Gun gets dropped to the undercard and many rungs down the WW ladder. Pierson also lost his last fight to a top contender, Ellenberguer, who came in on short notice. Seeing how the Juggernaut has been disposing of his opponents, not much shame in that. Both guys want to start their long climb up the releavance ladder in the WW division.

Preliminary card (televised)

Anthony Njokuani vs. Danny Castillo - Castillo is a mixed bag. He holds a win over Dustin Poirier at LW but wasn't able to get past Volkmann. He trounced Shamar Bailey but who hasn't? I don't think he has the skills to hang around the UFC LW division since he holds losses to a lot of the top LW in the division. Njokuani is in pretty much the same situation, losses to Henderson, Cerrone. His winning seems more dependent on his opponent not being able to stiffle his agressive Muay thai than to his own skills, as seen in the Barboza fight. Let's see how it goes.

Ross Pearson vs. Junior Assun??o - Pearson is hard as nails and has a nice skillset. He stood against Edson Barboza so Assun??o shouldn't give him much trouble, seeing how his first fight in the UFC was a pretty lackluster decision.

Main Card

Nam Phan vs. Jimy Hettes - Nam Phan is a dumbass. After his great 2nd fight against Garcia he says he doesn't want to go for a 3rd one? You're a middle-tier FW, don't you like money? I hope Hettes smashes his orbital.

Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Alexander Gustafsson - Gustafsson is one of the most interesting prospects in the LHW division. His only loss is to Phil Davis, another of the LHW division's top prospects. Facing him is eternal gatekeeper and litmus test Matyushenko. If Gustafsson can get past him, he should be on the path for contendership in 2012 and challenging for the title in 2013. If he loses, he stays right were he is now.

Jon Fitch vs. Johny Hendricks - Fitch must be fuming now that Condit and Diaz are going to battle it out for the title. But all is not lost. If he could put Hendricks away with a dominant finish, maybe, just maybe, Dana White would be mercifull and give him a title shot (not going to happen, probably to the winner of Kampmann vs Alves). Hendricks has nothing to lose in this fight but lose he will.

Nate Diaz vs. Donald Cerrone - Nate Diaz is a dumbass of epic proportions. He returns to LW after 2 devastating losses (the one to Rory was absolutely brutal), gets a win over a washed out Takanori Gomi and thinks he's the **** like his brother. No you're not. And for your health, I hope you realize it. Cerrone has been on an absolute tear, much like Henderson, smashing ex-contenders left and right. He's bigger than Nate, stronger and more skilled. Either Diaz gets a lucky submission win or this is going to be a one-sided beatdown. Cerrone would probably drag this out for 3 round out of spite.

Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem - And here is the money maker. A fight people have been asking for a multitude of reasons. Overeem only defended his Strikeforce HW title against Brett Rogers, won the DREAM title in 20 seconds against Todd Duffee and put up a lackluster fight against Werdum, his last relevant opponent. This fight will be his litmus test: is Overeem a top tier HW or just a can-crusher with a very padded record? Facing him his Lesnar, a guy who doesn't have much experience overall but has proven to be a formidable opponent and has fought all round top tier competition. A win for either guy here puts him on a collision course with the only streaking HW right now, Frank Mir. That or a direct title shot for a savage beating at the hands of Junior dos Santos. Seeing how it's been over a year since Lesnar last fought, this fight will edge on how well he was able to overcome the diverticulitis and improve on his skillset. He can get this fight, provided he doesn't try to win it in a stand-up war. Can-crusher or not, Overeem has brutal striking that hurts the same way if you're top tier or a can. Will this top Shogun vs Henderson or Bones vs Machida? Surely it has the potential.

[MightyJordan]

As a wrestling fan, I obviously want Lesnar to win, but I can't really see him beating Overeem. His diverticulitis has kept him out of action far too long, and I think this is too much for a return fight. Personally, I think he'll be lucky if Overeem doesn't knock him out in the first round.

[dippednbutter]

Diaz vs Cerrone will be much closer than you think. Not sure about brock vs reem though I can see an uber knee in the future.

[trag3dy]

I hope Diaz gets destroyed. What a punk.

[yardmanflex]

Gonna watch this on the xbox 360 UFC app....that little app got me into the UFC ****...this should be fun..

[D. S. Veteran]

Diaz vs Cerrone will be much closer than you think. Not sure about brock vs reem though I can see an uber knee in the future.

I hope Diaz gets destroyed. What a punk.

He started off on the right foot by missing weight. By 1 pound but still. Cerrone said he was fine with it. Brock Lesnar came in at 266, damn.

[nominak]

Gonna watch this on the xbox 360 UFC app....that little app got me into the UFC ****...this should be fun..

Did you get one of the free tickets to watch UFC 141 on the UFC app?

He started off on the right foot by missing weight. By 1 pound but still. Cerrone said he was fine with it. Brock Lesnar came in at 266, damn.

Lesnar will probably come into the octagon a little weightier than that.

[Astra.Xtreme]

Rooting for Lesnar!

[D. S. Veteran]

Did you get one of the free tickets to watch UFC 141 on the UFC app?

Lesnar will probably come into the octagon a little weightier than that.

Yes but he carries it much better than Frank Mir, who frankly looked fat at 265lb.

[MightyJordan]

Yes but he carries it much better than Frank Mir, who frankly looked fat at 265lb.

Lesnar definitely carries it well; when he was wrestling, he weighed 295lbs, and he looks nearly identical now.

[threetonesun]

Yes but he carries it much better than Frank Mir, who frankly looked fat at 265lb.

Considering Mir probably doesn't normally carry 260 lbs easily, he looked like you might expect at that weight.

[D. S. Veteran]

Considering Mir probably doesn't normally carry 260 lbs easily, he looked like you might expect at that weight.

Yes, but he shouldn't even be at that weight, not with a frame like his. It takes a huge toll on him as the fight goes on. And he evens cuts water to get to that weight. Just look at JDS (239) or Cain (249). Less weight to carry, better cardio. Mir put on a lot of muscle to fight Lesnar, maybe he should size down a bit and focus on his skillset instead of overwhelming someone with his size (which he really hasn't done at all).

[dippednbutter]

Yes, but he shouldn't even be at that weight, not with a frame like his. It takes a huge toll on him as the fight goes on. And he evens cuts water to get to that weight. Just look at JDS (239) or Cain (249). Less weight to carry, better cardio. Mir put on a lot of muscle to fight Lesnar, maybe he should size down a bit and focus on his skillset instead of overwhelming someone with his size (which he really hasn't done at all).

I don't think Mir fared bad at all with the extra muscle and I never have anything nice to say about the guy. He just doesn't have the chin to stand with the top fivers.

[nominak]

Good first fight, very impressive.

[dippednbutter]

Diaz vs Cerrone will be much closer than you think. Not sure about brock vs reem though I can see an uber knee in the future.

Holy predictions butter.

PS. Sorry Fitch but thank you. Now we can stop hearing about Bun Bun defending your boring style :p

[Yorak]

I hope Nate Diaz gets destroyed. Normally, I do not like the whole "cowboy" gimmick by other fighters. In this case, I do not care if Cerrone comes out in a bunny costume, I just hope he whoops some ass. I hate Nate Diaz with a passion.

As far as Overeem vs. Lesnar is concerned, I am actually not entirely positive who will win. I think Brock's huge chest muscles (versus Overeem's fairly small ones, which is a big deal with leverage and under-hooks) will help him get leverage over Overeem and be able to take him to the ground where he can just pound the **** out of his face. I almost never cheer for Lesnar but in this case I cannot help but do so.

[metallithrax]

I hope Nate Diaz gets destroyed. Normally, I do not like the whole "cowboy" gimmick by other fighters. In this case, I do not care if Cerrone comes out in a bunny costume, I just hope he whoops some ass. I hate Nate Diaz with a passion.

As far as Overeem vs. Lesnar is concerned, I am actually not entirely positive who will win. I think Brock's huge chest muscles (versus Overeem's fairly small ones, which is a big deal with leverage and under-hooks) will help him get leverage over Overeem and be able to take him to the ground where he can just pound the **** out of his face. I almost never cheer for Lesnar but in this case I cannot help but do so.

If your interested in results, go to mmanews.

[MightyJordan]

...well, sadly, I ended up predicting the main event correctly. I had a feeling Overeem would be too much for his return (and sadly, last) fight. Was pretty surprised he cut him below the right eye though; that gave a little glimmer of hope.

Now to wait and see when he'll make a return to WWE. I bet he'll be back before WrestleMania (April 1st). :p

[D. S. Veteran]

Holy predictions butter.

PS. Sorry Fitch but thank you. Now we can stop hearing about Bun Bun defending your boring style :p

Wow, did Nate Diaz proved me wrong. I concede, I ended up being in the wrong about this fight. As for Fitch, don't count on it. As far as I am concerned I'm giving Fitch the "Serra Exception". Much like GSP, he JGC. Let's talk about the rest of the card (also, LEGLOCKS! LOL). I fared better on the undercard.

Facebook Prelims

Manvel Gamburyan vs. Diego Nunes - I was expecting a KO or TKO, ended up being a decision. Meh. Doesn't give much closure to the bad blood, neither fighter was totally dominating. Nunes did need a win to prop himself back up after the Florian fight.

Matt Riddle vs. Luis Ramos - This fight ended up not happening due to Riddle being ill.

Jacob Volkmann vs. Efrain Escudero - Sorry but if you can't beat Volkmann, you can't hang in the LW division. Either cut to FW or get out. Volkmann retains his place as the LW Matyushenko, 5 fight win-streak, nowhere near contendership talks.

Dong Hyun Kim vs. Sean Pierson - Kim must have been training with Steven Seagal, seeing how many times he tried the front kick.

Preliminary card (televised)

Anthony Njokuani vs. Danny Castillo - Castillo stiffled Njokuani's offense with great grappling and some nice suplexes to the get the decision.

Ross Pearson vs. Junior Assun??o - UD as expected. Pearson went out and did his thing.

Main card

Nam Phan vs. Jimy Hettes - Hahaha get some. Hettes, despite being gassed (which is weird for a FW but he's still pretty green), dominated Phan with grappling despite losing on the striking exchanges. Joe Rogan should realize that pretty much every goddamn fighter who took a BJJ class is a black belt with no correlation to real skill. He kept harping on about how Nam was one, much good it did him. Hettes keeps moving up the FW ranks as an undefeated prospect but that probably won't last for long with guys like Koch, Poirier, Hominick, Jung and Roop in the wings.

Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Alexander Gustafsson - The Mauler got his way and passed the test against the Janitor. Pretty much a strong jab and it was done, Matyushenko covered up with Gustafsson just pouring it on. Seeing how the UFC is hellbent on screwing Evans out of a title shot, I can see Gustafsson fighting for the title pretty soon (after Henderson has it's crack at it of course).

Jon Fitch vs. Johny Hendricks - MATT SERRA EXCEPTION! Fitch, what happened? First you draw against BJ Penn then you lose? By KO? Dana White must be happy as a pig in ****. Fitch gets dropped down to the lowest tier of the WW division following this loss and will probably never get back into contendership again unless he changes weightclass... OMG, HE'S THE NEW KENNY FLORIAN! Hendricks gets a powerful boost to his career, putting him probably 2 wins away from a title shot, seeing how the next is going to Kampmann, Alves or Elleberger.

Nate Diaz vs. Donald Cerrone - Goddamn, was I wrong about this one. Seems like the only thing hold Nate back at WW was being undersized. Cerrone got wiped to bits (altough I did gave him the 2nd round for the knockdowns). He let his emotions get the better of him and didn't adjust when Nate started hitting hard. Not trying to descredit Nate's merit, he WON that fight fair and square, but Cerrone wasn't on his best day. He got caught by straight punches over and over and over, we get it, you have a chin. It's there for when you need it but try to win fights by punching the other guy and not getting punched. All of his momentum just got transfered to Diaz. Back to the drawing board for Cerrone, a move up the ladder for Diaz. Possible contendership is probably one fight away in the near future.

Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem - Brock, why didn't you listen to me? There was no way your crappy striking could win a stand-up war with Overeem. It was like a replay of the Cain fight: Brock goes for the takedown, he gets stuffed. He doesn't try it again and he's totally lost, not knowing what to do. Overeem was pretty cunning, not punching him in the face but instead his diverticulitis affected body. Brock winced after just the first shot and it was just a matter of time. Brock, being his usual self, retires from MMA after 7 fights and a HW championship. He fought for less than 30 minutes overall in his career and a 5-3 record, what does this say about his MMA prowess? Overeem goes on to... a fight with Mir or a beatdown at the hands of JDS? Let's wait and see.

[MightyJordan]

Lesnar's MMA career was mostly based on hype, because he was the first WWE superstar to transition to MMA; the only other superstar to make the transition since has been Bobby Lashley, who's also fought 8 fights so far, but has a 7-1 record, and the closest he's got to hitting the big time is Strikeforce, which is where his only loss so far came. There's another guy called Dave Batista who left to try and start an MMA career last year (at the age of 41) and fight in Strikeforce, but his contract negotiations fell through after Zuffa bought Strikeforce. God knows what he's doing now.

And BTW, Overeem's next fight will be against JDS for the HW title; Joe Rogan announced it in the post-fight interview with Overeem, and JDS was in the Octagon after the fight. That should be a beauty.

[D. S. Veteran]

Frank Mir probably gets a shot at the winner of Overeem vs dos Santos, provided he wins whatever fight he's given in the meantime. Seeing how the UFC is absorving the Strikeforce HW division, there are plenty of guys fit for that bill. Most likely is the winner of the SF HW "tournament".

[arrrgh]

[trag3dy]

They said Overeem gets a shot at JDS next. I stand by my statement for the last year saying Brock is nothing but a bully. When he comes up against people that can deal with his size he buckles and he seems like a deer caught in th headlights, he's got no idea what to do or where to go after he gets shut down. He had to rely on his size to win every single time. All in all I can't say I'm sorry to see him go.

[D. S. Veteran]

The thing I most wonder is... will Dana willingly sign Josh Barnett to an UFC contract if he wins the HW tournament? If Cormier wins, this is a non-issue since Barnett won't be picked up if he loses. But if he wins... he has the skills to beat Mir. Josh Barnett headlining an UFC title fight. :shiftyninja:

[dippednbutter]

The thing I most wonder is... will Dana willingly sign Josh Barnett to an UFC contract if he wins the HW tournament? If Cormier wins, this is a non-issue since Barnett won't be picked up if he loses. But if he wins... he has the skills to beat Mir. Josh Barnett headlining an UFC title fight. :shiftyninja:

Barnett is a top five heavyweight for sure. He should have been picked up a long time ago.