Welcome back heavyweight division. Oh, how we missed you. The UFC spotlight is shining the brightest on the heavies as the stirring signing of Alistair Overeem is finalized. One person that should be grimacing at the news is Brock Lesnar.
The LA Times reported Tuesday Alistair was not only coming into the UFC fold, he would be fighting Brock Lesnar in his first match on December 30th.
This holiday gift is great for fighting fans, but horrible for Lesnar. The looming big man could hardly ask for a worse fight to return from injury to.
Lesnar has been out of the octagon since October with a second bout of the intestinal ailment, diverticulitis. Lesnar will have been out over a year when he steps in the ring with one of the toughest bad-asses in the business.
Lesnar proved that he has some things to work on when he lost to a much more well-rounded Cain Velasquez in his last bout. Overeem will be far more seasoned, and itching to make a statement as he enters the UFC.
Overeem puts titles above all other things. The man just loves to hold a belt above the competition. He won the Strikeforce heavyweight championship and is the current K-1 kickboxing champion.
There is just one reason Overeem concluded his other ventures to enter the UFC, he has conquered the rest. Now he wants to put a feather in his belt-collecting hat. This could be like the Grand Slam of mixed martial arts if he collects a heavyweight title in UFC’s confines.
He was a little too comfortable with not getting a title shot out of the gate. He was absolutely pleasant with who he had to face before a title would be mentioned. This is what he had to say to reporters:
Brock is a big name, a dangerous guy, and this is a dream matchup. Brock’s a big guy, an exciting wrestler with his takedowns.
I want to see this fight myself. Overall, I’m a different fighter. A striker, athletic, big. These are going to be two big trucks going at it on a collision course.
Overeem’s trainer was confident in his fighter’s chances of skirting disaster against Lesnar, then moving onto a title fight. Here is what Martijn de Jong had to say:
Alistair fights anybody on any day. We were not disappointed at all that we didn’t get a title fight right away. When the time is right, he will get that title shot and he will take that belt. You can call him the belt collector.
The rally shouldn’t be any worry from the Overeem camp. Lesnar can train until the cows come home, he will still need a warmup match to fight the likes of Overeem. You wouldn’t see a top-flight boxer miss a year from injury, only to return to fight the best in the sport.
Lesnar is in danger of rushing too soon against too good of an opponent. The UFC were giddy to try out their new toy, and now they may break one of the more popular ones because of it.
I am simply ecstatic to see this throw-down at UFC 141. The five-round match will be one for the ages. I just wish we were getting a much more tested Lesnar in the octagon. This one may be over far quicker than we would like.
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