Brock Lesnar had star power. Lesnar was a force of nature on the mats but he was also a force of nature in terms of publicity. Did you not see the slew of “#BrockisBack” tweets? And what of “Brocktober” last year?The UFC promoted Lesnar very succe…
Lesnar was a force of nature on the mats but he was also a force of nature in terms of publicity. Did you not see the slew of “#BrockisBack” tweets? And what of “Brocktober” last year?
The UFC promoted Lesnar very successfully because whenever he was fighting the sports world felt that it really meant something, that it was a monumental occasion in sports.
Does the UFC have a fighter like that now? Does the division lack a truly marketable star now?
Such questions are for you to decide.
Make your case in the comments below as to what Lesnar’s retirement does to the UFC and their heavyweight division.
Does Lesnar leaving give the company and division more credibility? Or does the Brock bubble bursting hurt the UFC’s expansion efforts?
Jump into the Debate and have your say. Agree with someone’s comment? Vote for it to make the Debate Highlights section. Disagree with a comment? Reply and voice your opinion. Happy Debating!
UFC heavyweight Brock Lesnar has retired. Following his defeat at the hands of Alistair Overeem at UFC 141, Lesnar announced during the telecast that “I can officially say this is the last time you see me in the Octagon.”Lesnar, retiring with a 5-3 rec…
UFC heavyweight Brock Lesnar has retired. Following his defeat at the hands of Alistair Overeem at UFC 141, Lesnar announced during the telecast that “I can officially say this is the last time you see me in the Octagon.”
Lesnar, retiring with a 5-3 record attributed his retirement to a rough couple of years battling diverticulitis on two occasions. Losing for the second time in a row, Lesnar looked lost in the cage against feared striker Alistair Overeem in their heavyweight title elimination tilt.
The question to be pondered, was Lesnar’s retirement a surprise to all? This question is more of an opinion than mere fact. I am sure there are analysts and journalists that would say that it was not a surprise at all.
However, to me, and I am sure I am not alone, it was a surprise.
Lately, there has been talk of Lesnar showing his interest elsewhere, mainly his former employer, WWE. This all began last October at UFC 121 when he had a scene with Mark Calloway, better known as the Undertaker in WWE, after his title loss against Cain Velazquez.
That episode made a huge splash on the Internet with many people saying that Lesnar was in talks to be on his way back to WWE, perhaps wrestling the Undertaker at WrestleMania.
Then, over this passed summer, Lesnar was announced to be included in WWE’s latest video game, WWE ’12 as a legend. This only created more of a stir that Lesnar’s focus and attention was on professional wrestling rather than his mixed martial arts career.
Lesnar, however, was adamant that he is a mixed martial artist, saying his was born to do this and that this is his life. He explained that fighting is what he loved to do and wouldn’t be anywhere else.
Lesnar has always loved to be in the spotlight, that is something that cannot be disputed. From his days as a wrestling star at the University of Minnesota to his days as WWE Champion in World Wrestling Entertainment, Lesnar has been in front of the camera for over a decade.
Lesnar, though, did a good job in convincing us that MMA was his calling, MMA was his dream and even went so far as to talk ill towards his days as a professional wrestling star.
Lesnar did well in his first few fights, albeit losing his first UFC fight to Frank Mir in the first round via submission. Lesnar went on to defeat Heath Herring in a three round lopsided drubbing, then won his first and only championship when he defeated then heavyweight and MMA legend Randy Couture via TKO.
It seemed at this point that Lesnar was a bit unstoppable. His size and athleticism being something that UFC heavyweights had not seen before. His first fight against Mir seemed to be lucky in favor of Mir. Lesnar would get a second shot to prove that is was luck.
Lesnar defeated Mir at UFC 100 in July of 2009 in a heavyweight title defense. He battered Mir, taking him down and completely overpowering him and eventually pinned him against the cage where he would land punch after punch to Mir’s face. Lesnar was now the real deal.
Lesnar then fell ill with his first bout with diverticulitis, being hospitalized. It took Lesnar months to recover and when he did, his return fight was against Shane Carwin.
Carwin and Lesnar faced off at UFC 116 in July of 2010 where Carwin would have Lesnar on the brink as he dropped Brock in the first round. Lesnar though, to his credit, withstood Carwin’s power punches to end the first round. Lesnar then defeated Carwin in the second after taking him down and submitting Carwin with an arm-triangle choke.
Lesnar seemed invincible, withstanding the punishment dealt by the massive Carwin and even doing something he had never done before, winning by submission.
However, just four months later, in another title defense, Lesnar was exposed. Many pundits questioned whether Lesnar would be able to withstand an opponent with superior striking.
Lesnar lost to Cain Velazquez at UFC 121 via TKO after showing no striking skills and no defense standing up, letting Cain pick his shots.
Many would ask if Lesnar would ever be able to improve his striking in training camp. It was obvious he needed a lot of work and it was obvious that his inexperience would eventually lead him into trouble against someone with a bigger resume.
Lesnar then came down with diverticulitis a second time, needed surgery once again. He pulled out of his scheduled June 2011 bout with Junior dos Santos, Lesnar’s surgery was major, as he had about 12 inches of his colon removed just to prevent a third illness.
Many thought that, with the severity of his first case, Lesnar would have a difficult time returning from it.
Though in August 2011, Lesnar announced his health was back to normal and he was ready to return to the UFC. His fight with newly signed Alistair Overeem was announced for Dec. 30.
There were many questions going into this fight, would Lesnar’s health be 100 percent, would Lesnar be able to regain all of his strength and would Lesnar be able to improve to withstand the striking of Overeem.
Overeem, an elite striker from K-1, posed many problems for Lesnar including size. To say that Lesnar had a tough fight ahead of him would have been an understatement.
Lesnar faced many questions regarding his health and his focus, each time claiming his health was 100 percent and that he was a mixed marital artist through and through, and fighting is what he wanted to do.
There wasn’t any indication he was ready to walk away. He had a hiccup against Velasquez, but being so early in his career, Lesnar could only get better with training and experience.
Lesnar would go onto lose to Overeem at UFC 141, being exposed once again for his lack of skill in the striking department. He would attempt a takedown on Overeem, but to no avail as it was easily defended.
Lesnar took many body shots from kicks and knees by Overeem, eventually being dropped for the finish in the first round.
Looking back, Lesnar has had a difficult couple of years. Diverticulitis is a very serious illness and if not properly diagnosed and treated, could lead to extreme serious health problems.
Lesnar also had a problem dealing with opponents that were far superior than himself. As big and powerful as Lesnar is, you cannot fight without being able to withstand punches and defend against them.
I didn’t see this coming because Lesnar did a good job of saying he was born to fight and mixed martial arts was where he wanted to be.
Having a fight team and gym, Death Clutch, in Minnesota, to a high position with UFC brass, to his history with professional wrestling, speculation will run high. Only time will tell where Lesnar goes from here.
Alistair Overeem just made big waves in the world of MMA, taking out Brock Lesnar in the first round and becoming the No. 1 contender in the UFC’s heavyweight division.It was a dominant performance in which he made quick work of Lesnar, landing strikes…
Alistair Overeem just made big waves in the world of MMA, taking out Brock Lesnar in the first round and becoming the No. 1 contender in the UFC’s heavyweight division.
It was a dominant performance in which he made quick work of Lesnar, landing strikes at will from the opening bell and finishing it off with a kick to the liver, followed by punches.
Overeem’s performance tonight confirmed that he deserves to be talked about as one of the best heavyweights on the planet, but the fight didn’t answer all of the questions we have about Alistair.
Here’s five questions we still have about Alistair Overeem:
Can he a stuff the takedowns of a high-level wrestler?
Yes, Overeem stopped one takedown from Lesnar, but it was a halfhearted single leg.
For whatever reason, we didn’t see Brock explode forward and try to double leg Overeem and so we still don’t know how ‘Reem would react to that.
It will likely be a while before we see this question answered, as there are not a lot of elite wrestlers at the top of the heavyweight division.
Can he take a punch?
Since moving to the heavyweight division, we have not seen anyone test Overeem’s chin.
When he was fighting at light heavyweight, we saw him knocked out on multiple occasions, however.
It’s rare that someone’s chin gets better over time, but it’s still curious to see how good a punch Overeem can take and how would react to getting tagged with a big shot.
Has his cardio improved?
Though cardio seems a useless commodity in the heavyweight division these days, what with so many of the fights ending early, it would still be interesting to see where Overeem’s cardio is at.
In his fight with Fabricio Werdum earlier this year, Overeem’s cardio looked sub par, as he was noticeable winded in a fight that was far from grueling.
Whether or not he’ll ever need his cardio remains to be seen, but with fighters like Cain Velasquez looming in the background, it is a possibility.
Is his striking as good as it’s made out to be?
There’s no doubt that Overeem is a fantastic striker, but is he as good as people say?
Since moving to the heavyweight division, we have not seen Overeem face off against an elite MMA striker.
He has done very well against kick-boxers in K-1, but striking in an MMA fight is different because there are so many more factors to be conscious of.
For instance, when Overeem fought Werdum, he was worried about the fight going to the ground and it showed, as Werdum was able to land solid punches on several occasions.
It will be interesting to see how Overeem fairs against a fellow elite striker, UFC heavyweight champ Junior Dos Santos, later this year.
Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for BleacherReport.com. For updates on what’s happening in the world of MMA, follow him on Twitter @AndrewBarr8.
Jon Fitch has focused on trying to get a rematch with UFC welterweight Georges St-Pierre for so long it seems like he has ignored his opponents whenever he stepped into the cage. Tonight, at UFC 141, it finally cost him. He might have just gotten caugh…
Jon Fitch has focused on trying to get a rematch with UFC welterweight Georges St-Pierre for so long it seems like he has ignored his opponents whenever he stepped into the cage.
He might have just gotten caught. It happens even to some of the best fighters in the world. He isn’t in any danger of losing his job in the UFC and he will live to fight again another day.
His days of campaigning for another title shot might be done, though.
Fitch was on a win streak but he wasn’t even close to getting a rematch with GSP and he probably wasn’t going to get one even after this fight. Winning would have helped his case and that’s it.
Instead he was taken out in devastating fashion by an under hyped opponent with no name value. It’s hard to promote a fight with Fitch in the main event when he just lost to a fighter that many casual fans don’t see as a viable threat.
That doesn’t make it true, but perception is part of what sells pay-per-views.
Fitch had built up a win streak until and with it the reputation as a boring fighter. Whoever watched Fitch’s matches either loved the technical side of MMA or wanted to see if he would keep steamrolling his opponents.
Now that he has lost he is back at the bottom. He might not even get a fight on the main card when he returns.
It’s not the first time it would have happened. Right after Fitch fought GSP for the title and lost he was placed on a preliminary fight against Akihiro Gono at UFC 94.
He had gone from being in the main slot on a pay-per-view to not even being on the televised fights.
That kind of drop only happens when a fighter is technically skilled, known for winning fights and putting fans to sleep.
At 33 years old with a birthday in February, Fitch isn’t done fighting for the UFC by any means.
He is done fighting at a chance for the title, though. It would just take him too many years to build up another win streak and by the time he was ready for another crack at the belt he would be past his prime.
It’s a somewhat depressing tale, but Fitch has no one other than himself to blame. He took his focus off Hendricks and now he won’t have to focus on getting to the title.
LAS VEGAS — If Alistair Overeem ever feared Brock Lesnar — or even respected his skills — he never let it show. From the moment he walked out into the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Friday night, the former K-1 and Strikeforce heavyweight champion looked supremely confident. Moments after the main event bout at UFC 141 began, it became clear that he had good reason to be.
The Dutch kickboxer stalked Lesnar across the cage, shrugging off takedown attempts and digging away at the former UFC heavyweight champ’s body with short knee strikes that quickly took their toll. At around the two-minute mark of the first round Overeem slammed a swift left kick into Lesnar’s gut, prompting a delayed collapse to the mat from the ex-WWE wrestler.
From that moment on, the end couldn’t come soon enough for Lesnar. He sat down on the mat with his back to the fence, covering up and offering no response as Overeem peppered him with right hooks from a standing position. When referee Mario Yamasaki finally called a halt to the bout at 2:26 of round one, it seemed almost like an overdue act of mercy.
After the bout, Lesnar declared himself officially retired from MMA and promised fans that they’d never see him in the Octagon again. That news came as a surprise to UFC president Dana White, he said in the post-fight press conference, but then again, so did the result of the fight itself.
“Let me say, in front of everybody here, that I was wrong,” White said. “I said it before Alistair came into the UFC and I said it leading up to this fight to myself because I never give predictions, but I thought Brock Lesnar was going to beat Alistair Overeem tonight. I did, and I was wrong. He looked damn good tonight. He made quick work of Brock Lesnar.”
But while the outcome might have seemed unexpected to White, who publicly questioned the quality of Overeem’s recent competition before signing him to the UFC, Overeem could not have been any less surprised with the way the fight went down, he told reporters.
“A funny thing was, I predicted it the evening before to my fiancee. …I said, ‘First I’m going to do this, then I’m going to do that, then I’m going to finish it with a liver kick.’ I don’t know if it’s luck or if it’s strategy, but it turned out that way and I’m just happy that it did.”
Despite the quick ending to the bout, Overeem didn’t escape completely unscathed. He was cut over his right eye early on by a Lesnar punch and came late to the post-fight press conference after having it stitched up backstage. He gave no indication during the fight that the cut bothered him in the least, but he admitted afterward that it only made him more motivated to finish quickly.
“I had blood coming into my eye,” Overeem explained. “I couldn’t see in my right eye. So I had to adjust a little bit, but that also made me put more pressure because I didn’t know how severe the cut was. I didn’t know…maybe there’s going to be a medical intervention, so then I knew I need to finish this fight before we get there. That made me step my game up.”
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Assuming that Lesnar sticks to his retirement proclamations, the loss makes for a sour end to a whirlwind career. He began his MMA career just four and a half years ago, and racked up only eight fights, two of which were successful defenses of the UFC heavyweight title. Though there will undoubtedly be speculation about the possibility of him heading back to the WWE, White specified that Lesnar had retired “under contract,” though he declined to get into the details of exactly how that will limit his future options.
For Overeem, on the other hand, the future appears to be wide open. Not only did he thump a former champion into an early retirement in his UFC debut, he also set himself up for a shot at current UFC heavyweight title-holder Junior dos Santos in 2012.
Beyond that, he also sent a message to detractors who questioned his abilities and his accomplishments in recent years. Though he touted the unprecedented accomplishment of winning a K-1 World Grand Prix in kickboxing while also holding a major MMA title, others wondered whether his wins over inexperienced or aging opponents really had much merit. Only when we saw him against the elite of the UFC, people said, would we truly know what to make of him.
On Friday night we got that chance, and Overeem made a lasting impression. He demolished a former champ and made it look easy. He did exactly what he said he would do, and if he was surprised at all it was only at the fact that his win seemed to surprise others.
When asked how he felt about silencing his critics — the most powerful and perhaps the most vocal of which was now his employer, standing next to him — both Overeem and White couldn’t help but smile, though likely for different reasons.
“I’m satisfied,” Overeem said with a sly grin. “Pretty satisfied.”
LAS VEGAS — If Alistair Overeem ever feared Brock Lesnar — or even respected his skills — he never let it show. From the moment he walked out into the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Friday night, the former K-1 and Strikeforce heavyweight champion looked supremely confident. Moments after the main event bout at UFC 141 began, it became clear that he had good reason to be.
The Dutch kickboxer stalked Lesnar across the cage, shrugging off takedown attempts and digging away at the former UFC heavyweight champ’s body with short knee strikes that quickly took their toll. At around the two-minute mark of the first round Overeem slammed a swift left kick into Lesnar’s gut, prompting a delayed collapse to the mat from the ex-WWE wrestler.
From that moment on, the end couldn’t come soon enough for Lesnar. He sat down on the mat with his back to the fence, covering up and offering no response as Overeem peppered him with right hooks from a standing position. When referee Mario Yamasaki finally called a halt to the bout at 2:26 of round one, it seemed almost like an overdue act of mercy.
After the bout, Lesnar declared himself officially retired from MMA and promised fans that they’d never see him in the Octagon again. That news came as a surprise to UFC president Dana White, he said in the post-fight press conference, but then again, so did the result of the fight itself.
“Let me say, in front of everybody here, that I was wrong,” White said. “I said it before Alistair came into the UFC and I said it leading up to this fight to myself because I never give predictions, but I thought Brock Lesnar was going to beat Alistair Overeem tonight. I did, and I was wrong. He looked damn good tonight. He made quick work of Brock Lesnar.”
But while the outcome might have seemed unexpected to White, who publicly questioned the quality of Overeem’s recent competition before signing him to the UFC, Overeem could not have been any less surprised with the way the fight went down, he told reporters.
“A funny thing was, I predicted it the evening before to my fiancee. …I said, ‘First I’m going to do this, then I’m going to do that, then I’m going to finish it with a liver kick.’ I don’t know if it’s luck or if it’s strategy, but it turned out that way and I’m just happy that it did.”
Despite the quick ending to the bout, Overeem didn’t escape completely unscathed. He was cut over his right eye early on by a Lesnar punch and came late to the post-fight press conference after having it stitched up backstage. He gave no indication during the fight that the cut bothered him in the least, but he admitted afterward that it only made him more motivated to finish quickly.
“I had blood coming into my eye,” Overeem explained. “I couldn’t see in my right eye. So I had to adjust a little bit, but that also made me put more pressure because I didn’t know how severe the cut was. I didn’t know…maybe there’s going to be a medical intervention, so then I knew I need to finish this fight before we get there. That made me step my game up.”
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Assuming that Lesnar sticks to his retirement proclamations, the loss makes for a sour end to a whirlwind career. He began his MMA career just four and a half years ago, and racked up only eight fights, two of which were successful defenses of the UFC heavyweight title. Though there will undoubtedly be speculation about the possibility of him heading back to the WWE, White specified that Lesnar had retired “under contract,” though he declined to get into the details of exactly how that will limit his future options.
For Overeem, on the other hand, the future appears to be wide open. Not only did he thump a former champion into an early retirement in his UFC debut, he also set himself up for a shot at current UFC heavyweight title-holder Junior dos Santos in 2012.
Beyond that, he also sent a message to detractors who questioned his abilities and his accomplishments in recent years. Though he touted the unprecedented accomplishment of winning a K-1 World Grand Prix in kickboxing while also holding a major MMA title, others wondered whether his wins over inexperienced or aging opponents really had much merit. Only when we saw him against the elite of the UFC, people said, would we truly know what to make of him.
On Friday night we got that chance, and Overeem made a lasting impression. He demolished a former champ and made it look easy. He did exactly what he said he would do, and if he was surprised at all it was only at the fact that his win seemed to surprise others.
When asked how he felt about silencing his critics — the most powerful and perhaps the most vocal of which was now his employer, standing next to him — both Overeem and White couldn’t help but smile, though likely for different reasons.
“I’m satisfied,” Overeem said with a sly grin. “Pretty satisfied.”
In his first fight in the UFC’s featherweight division, Ross Pearson chased down and outfought jiu-jitsu ace Junior Assuncao to win by unanimous decision.The winner of season nine of The Ultimate Fighter, the hard-charging Pearson presented an interest…
In his first fight in the UFC’s featherweight division, Ross Pearson chased down and outfought jiu-jitsu ace Junior Assuncao to win by unanimous decision.
The winner of season nine of The Ultimate Fighter, the hard-charging Pearson presented an interesting contrast to the evasive and very defensive-minded Assuncao. Plenty of the fight passed with minimal action, with Assuncao circling away from Pearson’s advances, or the two fighters spending time in the clinch.
Pearson finally got off when he landed a left jab about halfway through the second round. He was able to do moderate damage on Assuncao from that point on. Here’s what we learned.
What We’ll Remember About This Fight
Booooring. I don’t make any personal judgements about the fighters involved; hey, they’re just fighters trying to win a fight. Assuncao knows himself and fought respectably well. But still. The sky is blue, the sun rises in the east, and this fight was pretty boring.
What We Learned About Ross Pearson
That he’s persistent. Pearson stayed within himself and kept pressing forward, despite a game plan that seemed tailor made to frustrate him.
What We Learned About Junior Assuncao
That he needs more boxing. Or aggression. Or something.
Though he is a BJJ expert, Assuncao spent most of the fight on his feet. He wasn’t able to score takedowns with any regularity and, once the fight did hit the mat, he was unable to get Pearson in serious trouble. He’ll have to operate effectively on different levels to find consistent success in the UFC. Though he is a very respectable 13-5 overall, he is a combined 2-3 in the UFC, and now 1-1 in his second stint with the promotion.
What’s Next for Pearson?
A spot on the featherweight map. I’d like to see him fight Tyson Griffin, another rock-solid featherweight.
What’s next for Assuncao?
The aforementioned boxing lessons, and the loser of Mike Brown and Vagner Rocha.
Brock Lesnar had star power. 
LAS VEGAS — If