It was October 24th, 1999 when Alistair Overeem enter the sport of mixed martial arts for the very first time.
In his MMA debut, Overeem defeated Ricardo Fyeet via guillotine choke just before the clock even struck two minutes in the very first round.
But, things didn’t go as planned for Overeem, as he would go on to post a sub-par 3-3 record in his next six outings.
However, “The Reem” would bounce back as he would go on to win 12 consecutive fights, quickly establishing himself as a well-known fighter across the globe.
Unfortunately, things began to fall back apart as meritocracy kicked in when Overeem would win just nine of his next 17 bouts including a knockout defeat to Sergei Kharitonov in September of 2007.
That would be the last time Overeem would be defeated, as he would go on to fight 11 straight bouts without a loss en route to being declared the Strikeforce heavyweight champion.
Then came the biggest news of Overeem’s long-lived career when it was announced he had signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 6th, 2011.
And, in his UFC debut, Overeem will take on none other than the former UFC heavyweight champion, Brock Lesnar.
Despite being one of the most popular fighters on the face of the planet, Overeem has yet to be fully tested.
While he may have fought his fair share of bouts throughout his Strikeforce and Pride career, he’s yet to fight at the highest level of mixed martial arts.
But, that’s exactly what he will do when he stands across the Octagon from Lesnar at UFC 141 on December 30th, 2011.
He also hasn’t faced a fighter more physical than Lesnar, as Brock will attempt to take Overeem to the ground and impose his will via vicious strikes and elbows.
Few will deny all that Overeem’s accomplished thus far in his career.
However, it will be a completely different atmosphere and challenge when he steps foot inside the Octagon for the very first time.
Overeem’s inexperience at the highest level of mixed martial arts has led us to one question…
Does Alistair Overeem even stand a chance against Brock Lesnar at UFC 141?
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