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Brock Lesnar: Will He Prove His Doubters Wrong at UFC 141?

Now that both Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem have weighed in, the two only have a little more to go before their fight at UFC 141.It will be Lesnar’s return to the Octagon after he was re-diagnosed with diverticulitis and went under the knife to fix…

Now that both Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem have weighed in, the two only have a little more to go before their fight at UFC 141.

It will be Lesnar’s return to the Octagon after he was re-diagnosed with diverticulitis and went under the knife to fix his disease.

It won’t be an easy fight for Lesnar, but the benefits he will get if he wins are enormous. A title fight with Junior dos Santos would mean everything to the former UFC heavyweight champion.

Will Lesnar prove his doubters wrong at UFC 141 though? Will it be a happy New Year for Lesnar?

The question that he has to answer is whether or not he get Overeem to the ground. He needs to have a successful night taking the fight to the ground in order to win.

Lesnar has done it before in each of his fights. Against Frank Mir, Cain Velasquez, Heath Herring, Randy Couture—everybody—Lesnar has gotten the fight to the ground. It is his power that gets it to the ground, but he is finally facing someone with as much if not more power than himself.

I personally don’t think Lesnar has a bad stand-up, but he needs to withstand the punches here and avoid turtling up after getting rocked. After he gets rocked he needs to immediately try to go for a takedown. The takedown is a huge key in this fight for him.

Not only does he take Overeem out of his comfort zone, but getting the fight to the ground gives Lesnar time to recover—which he will need after he takes a few punches from Overeem.

Even though I am an Overeem fan, I do believe Lesnar can take this fight. He is a wrestler, and wrestlers normally do very well against strikers.

Lesnar can prove his doubters wrong and has a very good chance. But it could be a completely different Lesnar in the cage tomorrow night.

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UFC 141 Fight Card: Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem Prediction

Brock Lesnar weighed in at 266 pounds and Alistair Overeem weighed in at 263 pounds. For UFC 141 this is a huge fight, literally and metaphorically.The two heavyweights square off in what is a title elimination fight for the two former champions. Overe…

Brock Lesnar weighed in at 266 pounds and Alistair Overeem weighed in at 263 pounds. For UFC 141 this is a huge fight, literally and metaphorically.

The two heavyweights square off in what is a title elimination fight for the two former champions. Overeem could have had an easy road and fought right away for the title, but instead chose to face Lesnar and here we are.

I know this has been used several thousand times, and it is all we have heard/will hear before, during and after the fight, but this is the classic striker versus grappler match.

Alistair obviously owns the striking department. He is a former K-1 world kickboxing champion and utilizes a diverse array of strikes. Elbows, knees, punches, kicks, Brock will see everything.

But Brock’s standup is nothing to scoff at. It isn’t amazing and it won’t dazzle you, but it got him by until Cain Velasquez and Shane Carwin found out he doesn’t like to be punched. Honestly though, who likes getting punched? Especially by Carwin and Velasquez. I know I’d be at the back of the line for that one.

On the ground, though, it is the same thing. Brock owns the ground game here. He is a former national champion and All-American wrestler. If he comes out and takes down Overeem it will lead to two things.

No. 1, Overeem will gas out quicker and No. 2, Overeem will get beaten to a pulp. It would also be a good move for Lesnar if he gets hurt standing by Overeem. A quick takedown and he can take some time to fully recover and then beat Overeem.

Lesnar, though, has to be weary of Overeem and his guillotine choke. Much like Lesnar, Overeem’s ground game isn’t awful. I can’t see Overeem winning this fight by submission, though.

One of two things will happen in this fight: Overeem knocks out Brock in the first round or Brock takes Overeem down and pounds him out in the first or second.

I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if right out of the gate Lesnar shoots for the takedown. If he gets it, it will be a long round for Overeem.

I’m an Overeem fan, and I hope he wins, but I’m always inclined to take the wrestler over the striker in every fight. It will be a great fight, though, and send 2011 off in a bang—literally.

Lesnar by first or second round TKO.

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Nate Diaz vs. Donald Cerrone

Nate Diaz (157) Donald Cerrone (155) In the fight that everyone has been talking about for the last 24 hours, top contenders Nate Diaz and Donald Cerrone face off with the winner inching closer to a title shot.I know Dana was nerv…

Nate Diaz (157)

Donald Cerrone (155)

In the fight that everyone has been talking about for the last 24 hours, top contenders Nate Diaz and Donald Cerrone face off with the winner inching closer to a title shot.

I know Dana was nervous with two Diaz brothers on the stage at the same time.
Nate had a little problem with the weight, but 1 pound in one hour won’t be a problem.

The face off was a bunch of talking from Nate, with Cowboy nodding his head just letting him know that tomorrow night, it’s on.

Either this one ends early, or it’s a long, long war between two people that really don’t like each other.

UFC 141 Predictions: Donald Cerrone vs. Nate Diaz

Donald Cerrone and Nate Diaz have already produced some fireworks in their pre-fight lead-up to UFC 141 in Las Vegas.Diaz has already knocked off Cerrone’s cowboy hat, and words have been exchanged through interviews. If you haven’t seen the cowboy hat…

Donald Cerrone and Nate Diaz have already produced some fireworks in their pre-fight lead-up to UFC 141 in Las Vegas.

Diaz has already knocked off Cerrone’s cowboy hat, and words have been exchanged through interviews. If you haven’t seen the cowboy hat moment, watch it, because it will make you want this fight to come sooner.

These two fighters are very skilled in the striking department, but what separates these two fighters is the diversity of their arsenal.

Cerrone will utilize knees and elbows if necessary, and not only that, his leg kicks will chop down Diaz if used.

I think that diversity gives Cerrone the edge in the most important area of this fight, as both fighters will bang it out on their feet. This doesn’t deny Diaz’s boxing skills, which are very good and in his most recent fight very accurate.

The fact remains, though, that compared to Cerrone, Diaz isn’t as diversified in his standup.

On the ground, I think both fighters are very even. Diaz has a great Brazilian jiu-jitsu background from Cesar Gracie and is deadly on the ground, as Takanori Gomi can attest to.

Cerrone, though, is also very good on the ground and has great offensive grappling. Thirteen of Cerrone’s 17 wins have come by submission, just to prove that point.

All in all, I think this is a great fight, and in the spirit of the cowboy and John McClane, “Yippie-kai-yay.”

To those who haven’t seen Die Hard, please leave your man-card at the door.

Cerrone by unanimous decision or third-round TKO

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UFC 141 Fight Card: Why Vladimir Matyushenko Is Still a Legit Threat

Vladimir Matyushenko is a former IFL champion and a former UFC light heavyweight title contender.”The Janitor” quickly disposed of Jason Brilz at UFC 129 in just 20 seconds—not bad for a man who is 40 years old.In his most recent stint in the UFC…

Vladimir Matyushenko is a former IFL champion and a former UFC light heavyweight title contender.

“The Janitor” quickly disposed of Jason Brilz at UFC 129 in just 20 seconds—not bad for a man who is 40 years old.

In his most recent stint in the UFC, Matyushenko is 4-1—only current light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has stopped him.

In fact, his only losses have come against some of the top names in MMA.

Jones, Tito Ortiz, Andrei Arlovski and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira have given him four of his five losses.

At 26-5, Matyushenko is still a legit threat in the division and anybody looking to use him as a stepping stone to the top of the division has to be aware of the danger Matyushenko poses.

Matyushenko packs a punch and his striking can and will overpower you if given the opportunity.

Not only can he beat you with his striking, but Matyushenko also has a nice wrestling base built in the Soviet Union. Moreover, he was a two-time Junior College National champion here in the United States.

Matyushenko may not find himself in title contention this late in his career, but when he comes to play and his body isn’t falling apart, he can beat you in an upset.

You can count him out, but he is still a legitimate threat to take out any up-and-comer who thinks that Matyushenko will play dead and get used as a name on your resume.

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Scott Coker Says Gilbert Melendez Would Beat Frankie Edgar in a Great Fight

Gilbert Melendez defended his Strikeforce lightweight belt again last Saturday against Jorge Masvidal and again started the fans shouting for him to join the UFC.”Who is left for Melendez in Strikeforce anyway?” fans ask themselves.At this point, thoug…

Gilbert Melendez defended his Strikeforce lightweight belt again last Saturday against Jorge Masvidal and again started the fans shouting for him to join the UFC.

“Who is left for Melendez in Strikeforce anyway?” fans ask themselves.

At this point, though, it is without a doubt that the hype Melendez receives is for real after his impressive unanimous decision victory over Masvidal.

Of course, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker even believes in how great Melendez is.

“I believe he is the No. 1 lightweight in the world,” said Coker in an interview with MMAWeekly Radio.

Melendez does sit pretty on most lightweight rankings, either being the No. 2 or No. 3 in his division. Melendez even sits at No. 3 for the Bleacher Report lightweight rankings.

All of that leads Coker to believe Melendez can beat the stacked UFC lightweight division, and Coker didn’t stop short of mentioning current UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar.

“Believe me, those other guys, I take nothing away from them,” said Coker.

“Listen, styles make fights, and I’m really looking at Frankie Edgar and Gilbert; that matchup as to who would win that fight and how that fight would look.”

“Ben Henderson, [Donald] Cowboy Cerrone, all those guys are extremely talented, but like I said, styles make fights. I think Gilbert and Frankie would be a great fight, but I think Gilbert would come out on top.”

The Melendez and Edgar fight will have to wait after Strikeforce signed their new deal that will most likely keep Melendez in the promotion for the near future.

The debate at who would beat who rages on.

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