Brock Lesnar’s anticipated return to the Octagon is only two weeks away, but Alistair Overeem will be the one getting his hand raised at UFC 140.
As a hardcore MMA fan, I always had something against Brock Lesnar and thought he was overrated, but I’ll admit that this guy puts on exciting fights. Better yet, when he’s fighting someone, there’s an electricity in the air surrounding the event that doesn’t surround normal events.
The same can be said about this fight, and all of the hype surrounding Lesnar’s return from fighting Diverticulitis for a second time against a fighter UFC fans have been waiting for Bruce Buffer to announce inside the Octagon.
So this brings up the question on every MMA fans’ mind: Can Lesnar do it again?
Can he get a victory against another game opponent following a battle for his life with Diverticulitis just like he did against Shane Carwin at UFC 116?
I’m afraid I have to be that guy, but Lesnar’s storybook ending won’t come against Overeem.
Those unfamiliar with Overeem need to know two things about him—this guy is just as big as Lesnar and he’s a lethal striker. These are two recipes that don’t bode well for Lesnar come Dec. 30.
While Overeem didn’t have a great outing against Fabricio Werdum in his last MMA fight, he’s certainly had an impressive 2010 and 2011. He won a K-1 Grand Prix, Dream’s heavyweight championship and Strikeforce’s heavyweight championship.
I expect Overeem to feel anxiety going into the Octagon for the first time in his career, but Lesnar’s suspect chin will be the key to this fight. All it takes is one shot to land from Overeem for this fight to be over, and Lesnar has shown in fights against Shane Carwin and Cain Velasquez that taking a punch isn’t what he’s best at.Even though he had a miraculous comeback victory over Carwin, Lesnar should have lost that fight. If Carwin wouldn’t have gassed out trying to finish Lesnar in the first round, there’s no doubt in my mind that Carwin would have defeated Lesnar, but woulda, coulda, shoulda.
When Lesnar and Overeem meet in two weeks, I expect Lesnar to try and pressure Overeem and use his wrestling skills to smother him against the cage and eventually get this fight to the ground.
That’s going to be a tough task on a big boy like Overeem, but if anybody could do it, it would be Lesnar. But once Lesnar gets it to the ground, he’s won’t be out of the clear just yet, because not only is Overeem a great striker, he’s a great grappler as well.
While that’s a possibility, I truly believe that Overeem will end this fight on the feet. I know it’s cliche, but the fight starts on the feet and I can’t see Lesnar taking a power shot from Overeem.
For Lesnar, everything is set in place for another storybook ending, but Overeem’s skill set will be far too much for the former champion to overcome.
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