Alistair Overeem needed less than half of one round to win his first fight in the UFC, landing hard kicks and knees to Brock Lesnar‘s body and winning a first-round technical knockout at UFC 141.
Overeem landed a kick to the liver that knocked Lesnar down, then swarmed on him and landed punches on the ground until referee Mario Yamasaki stepped in to stop the fight. The bout lasted only two minutes, 26 seconds.
Afterward Lesnar, who has been battling diverticulitis over the last two years, said he would no longer compete in the UFC.
“My hat’s off to Alistair Overeem,” Lesnar said afterward. “I’ve had a difficult couple of years and I’m going to officially say tonight was the last time you’re going to see me in the Octagon.”
A former WWE star, Lesnar has enough money that he never has to work again, and it’s no surprise that he doesn’t feel the need to put his body through the rigors of an MMA career anymore.
As for Overeem, he was as good as advertised.
“Today was all about bad intentions — first or second round, I promised,” Overeem said afterward, referring to his pre-fight prediction that he would finish Lesnar in one or two rounds.
Lesnar, surprisingly, opened the fight by throwing a couple of leg kicks, and Overeem responded by throwing a looping right hand that missed. A minute into the first round Lesnar attempted a single-leg takedown, and Overeem shook him off. Overeem went on the attack and landed knees to Lesnar’s body, while Lesnar landed a punch that opened a cut over Overeem’s right eye.
But those attacks to Lesnar’s body were all Overeem needed. Lesnar’s striking defense just isn’t good enough to handle the striking of a former K-1 champion like Overeem, who referred to his finishing shot as a “K-1 body kick.
Overeem, a former champion in Strikeforce, Dream and K-1, will now face UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos. That fight will determine who’s at the top of a UFC heavyweight division that no longer includes Lesnar.
Alistair Overeem needed less than half of one round to win his first fight in the UFC, landing hard kicks and knees to Brock Lesnar‘s body and winning a first-round technical knockout at UFC 141.
Overeem landed a kick to the liver that knocked Lesnar down, then swarmed on him and landed punches on the ground until referee Mario Yamasaki stepped in to stop the fight. The bout lasted only two minutes, 26 seconds.
Afterward Lesnar, who has been battling diverticulitis over the last two years, said he would no longer compete in the UFC.
“My hat’s off to Alistair Overeem,” Lesnar said afterward. “I’ve had a difficult couple of years and I’m going to officially say tonight was the last time you’re going to see me in the Octagon.”
A former WWE star, Lesnar has enough money that he never has to work again, and it’s no surprise that he doesn’t feel the need to put his body through the rigors of an MMA career anymore.
As for Overeem, he was as good as advertised.
“Today was all about bad intentions — first or second round, I promised,” Overeem said afterward, referring to his pre-fight prediction that he would finish Lesnar in one or two rounds.
Lesnar, surprisingly, opened the fight by throwing a couple of leg kicks, and Overeem responded by throwing a looping right hand that missed. A minute into the first round Lesnar attempted a single-leg takedown, and Overeem shook him off. Overeem went on the attack and landed knees to Lesnar’s body, while Lesnar landed a punch that opened a cut over Overeem’s right eye.
But those attacks to Lesnar’s body were all Overeem needed. Lesnar’s striking defense just isn’t good enough to handle the striking of a former K-1 champion like Overeem, who referred to his finishing shot as a “K-1 body kick.
Overeem, a former champion in Strikeforce, Dream and K-1, will now face UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos. That fight will determine who’s at the top of a UFC heavyweight division that no longer includes Lesnar.
LAS VEGAS — This is the UFC 141 live blog for Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem, the main event of tonight’s UFC pay-per-view from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Lesnar (5-2), who is returning after another bout with diverticulitis, last competed at UFC 121 in October 2010 where he lost his UFC belt to Cain Velasquez. Overeem (35-11) is making his UFC debut coming off a decision win over Fabricio Werdum at Strikeforce in June.
Overeem enters first and stands directly in the middle of the Octagon as Lesnar steps in. Overeem stares down the former pro wrestler as he jogs around the interior perimeter. Lesnar does his best not to look at Overeem, and Overeem turns to his corner and nods after Lesnar goes by.
Round 1: Mario Yamasaki is our referee for the main event tonight. This building is electric as he gives the signal to start. Overeem comes plodding slowly forward with short steps. Lesnar bounces around just outside his range. Overeem feints and Lesnar reacts to each one. Lesnar reaches for a single-leg, but Overeem shrugs him off. Overeem grabs Lesnar in a Thai clinch and lands a nice knee to the head and then the body. Lesnar fires back and then Overeem sticks him with a sharp right. Overeem is cut above his right eye, but it’s Lesnar who seems to be worried right now. Overeem clinches and lands a knee to the body. Lesnar circles away and Overeem follows him with very little fear of the takedown. A body kick from Overeem slams home and Lesnar steps back and then crumples to the mat after a delayed reaction. Overeem pops him with a series of right hooks as Lesnar sits on the mat covering up. No response from Lesnar as Overeem digs punches to his head and body. Yamasaki gives him a chance to fight back, but he’s already done. This one is over.
Alistair Overeem def. Brock Lesnar via TKO (body kick and punches) at 2:26 of round one
In his post-fight interview, Lesnar says this is the last time we’ll see him in the Octagon. He promised his family he’d be done soon — after the title shot if he won, and after this fight if he lost — and now he is “officially” retired, he says.
LAS VEGAS — This is the UFC 141 live blog for Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem, the main event of tonight’s UFC pay-per-view from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Lesnar (5-2), who is returning after another bout with diverticulitis, last competed at UFC 121 in October 2010 where he lost his UFC belt to Cain Velasquez. Overeem (35-11) is making his UFC debut coming off a decision win over Fabricio Werdum at Strikeforce in June.
Overeem enters first and stands directly in the middle of the Octagon as Lesnar steps in. Overeem stares down the former pro wrestler as he jogs around the interior perimeter. Lesnar does his best not to look at Overeem, and Overeem turns to his corner and nods after Lesnar goes by.
Round 1: Mario Yamasaki is our referee for the main event tonight. This building is electric as he gives the signal to start. Overeem comes plodding slowly forward with short steps. Lesnar bounces around just outside his range. Overeem feints and Lesnar reacts to each one. Lesnar reaches for a single-leg, but Overeem shrugs him off. Overeem grabs Lesnar in a Thai clinch and lands a nice knee to the head and then the body. Lesnar fires back and then Overeem sticks him with a sharp right. Overeem is cut above his right eye, but it’s Lesnar who seems to be worried right now. Overeem clinches and lands a knee to the body. Lesnar circles away and Overeem follows him with very little fear of the takedown. A body kick from Overeem slams home and Lesnar steps back and then crumples to the mat after a delayed reaction. Overeem pops him with a series of right hooks as Lesnar sits on the mat covering up. No response from Lesnar as Overeem digs punches to his head and body. Yamasaki gives him a chance to fight back, but he’s already done. This one is over.
Alistair Overeem def. Brock Lesnar via TKO (body kick and punches) at 2:26 of round one
In his post-fight interview, Lesnar says this is the last time we’ll see him in the Octagon. He promised his family he’d be done soon — after the title shot if he won, and after this fight if he lost — and now he is “officially” retired, he says.
Filed under: UFC, NewsIn the grudge match in the co-main event of UFC 141, Nate Diaz whipped Donald Cerrone for 15 minutes, turning Cerrone’s face into a bloody mess and easily winning a unanimous decision victory.
In the grudge match in the co-main event of UFC 141, Nate Diaz whipped Donald Cerrone for 15 minutes, turning Cerrone’s face into a bloody mess and easily winning a unanimous decision victory.
Cerrone and Diaz had been talking trash to each other in the run-up to the fight, had to be restrained from fighting each other at a pre-fight press conference this week, and declined to touch gloves before the fight, with Cerrone instead giving Diaz the finger. But once the opening bell rang, it was Diaz who did all the fighting.
In the first round Diaz brutalized Cerrone with high-volume punching, hitting Cerrone in the face again and again and again. By the middle of the round Cerrone’s mouth was bleeding and he appeared to have trouble keeping it closed, as if he might have had a jaw injury. It was a dominant first round for Diaz.
Cerrone was better in the second round, changing up his approach to attack more with leg kicks and knocking Diaz off balance with trips and sweeps. However, Cerrone wasn’t able to do much of anything when he succeeded in knocking Diaz down, and Cerrone still ate a lot of punches from Diaz. The second round was closer, but I still gave it to Diaz.
By the third round Diaz knew he was in command and was cruising with his high-volume punching, easily battering away at Cerrone and clinching the win. The only question in the final moments of the fight was whether there would be any type of ugly post-fight scene, but instead the men shook hands and hugged afterward, and shook hands again when the judges’ scorecards were announced, with Diaz winning 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.
The win improves Diaz’s record to 15-7, and it was as good as he has looked in the Octagon, Cerrone, fighting for the fifth time in 2011, looked tired and worn down, and his record falls to 17-4. In the end, Diaz was classy as he walked out of the Octagon.
“I want to thank Donald Cerrone for the fight,” Diaz said. “Sorry about all the s–t that went down.”
LAS VEGAS — This is the UFC 141 live blog for Donald Cerrone vs. Nate Diaz, a lightweight bout on tonight’s UFC pay-per-view from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Cerrone (17-3), who is fighting for the fifth time this year, won in UFC fights against Paul Kelly, Vagner Rocha, Charles Oliveira and Dennis Siver. Diaz (14-7) lost to Dong Hyun Kim and Rory MacDonald earlier this year before getting back on track with a submission win over Takanori Gomi in September.
Round 1: After the customary display of middle fingers in lieu of the glove touch, referee Herb Dean gives the signal and Cerrone comes charging out with a right hand that Diaz ducks under. After extricating himself from Diaz’s grasp, Cerrone lands a nice right, but Diaz keeps the pressure on. Cerrone’s looking flat-footed and making for an easy target for Diaz so far. Diaz pops his head back with consecutive punch combos, and Cerrone looks lost. He’s got no head movement at all, and Diaz is hitting him at will. Cerrone’s taking it, for now at least. He fires back with a head kick and then one to the thigh, but Diaz keeps coming forward. Cerrone slips off a head kick attempt but it back up quickly. Diaz is all forward movement, and he has no trouble finding Cerrone’s face. Cerrone is bloodied up and sucking air with his mouth open. Ten seconds left. Diaz clinches and Cerrone adds a knee before the horn. So far it’s everything we expected. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Diaz.
Round 2: Diaz marches straight ahead to resume his attack, and Cerrone still seems out of sorts. Cerrone lands a nice left hand counter, then pushes/trips Diaz down but declines to follow him. Jumping knee by Cerrone, then another trip. Diaz keeps coming and lands a couple stinging lefts. Now Cerrone is firing back, but it only makes Diaz up his pace. As an aside, all three ring girls are freaking out over this fight. It’s easily the fight of the night so far. Cerrone puts Diaz down again with a kick to his leg, but Diaz is back up quickly. Another leg trip by Cerrone, and Diaz rises just a little bit slower. Diaz stings Cerrone and sends him reeling back, but Cerrone recovers. A chant of ‘Diaz!’ starts up just before the horn. Cerrone is looking bloody and exhausted. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Cerrone.
Round 3: Diaz flashes the double-bird from across the cage before the round begins. At least they speak a common language. Diaz gets his punch combos working right away, and he’s talking to Cerrone in there after nearly every punch now. Cerrone can’t do much but bleed at the moment, and Diaz’s confidence is growing with every punch he lands. Cerrone trips him down again, but he doesn’t seem to have the energy to follow with anything. Good knee by Cerrone, but Diaz responds with a flurry of punches. Diaz kicks and Cerrone again kicks his leg out from under him. He’s going down hard on those, and the noise is impressive, but they don’t seem to bother Diaz much. Diaz comes forward behind a hook and Cerrone nails him with a nice jumping knee. Diaz batters Cerrone with more brutal hooks and Cerrone comes back with a head kick. What a fight. They finish as they started: hammering away with wild abandon. Cerrone extends his hand at the horn and Diaz takes it, nodding in begrudging appreciation. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Diaz.
Nate Diaz def. Donald Cerrone via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
LAS VEGAS — This is the UFC 141 live blog for Donald Cerrone vs. Nate Diaz, a lightweight bout on tonight’s UFC pay-per-view from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Cerrone (17-3), who is fighting for the fifth time this year, won in UFC fights against Paul Kelly, Vagner Rocha, Charles Oliveira and Dennis Siver. Diaz (14-7) lost to Dong Hyun Kim and Rory MacDonald earlier this year before getting back on track with a submission win over Takanori Gomi in September.
Round 1: After the customary display of middle fingers in lieu of the glove touch, referee Herb Dean gives the signal and Cerrone comes charging out with a right hand that Diaz ducks under. After extricating himself from Diaz’s grasp, Cerrone lands a nice right, but Diaz keeps the pressure on. Cerrone’s looking flat-footed and making for an easy target for Diaz so far. Diaz pops his head back with consecutive punch combos, and Cerrone looks lost. He’s got no head movement at all, and Diaz is hitting him at will. Cerrone’s taking it, for now at least. He fires back with a head kick and then one to the thigh, but Diaz keeps coming forward. Cerrone slips off a head kick attempt but it back up quickly. Diaz is all forward movement, and he has no trouble finding Cerrone’s face. Cerrone is bloodied up and sucking air with his mouth open. Ten seconds left. Diaz clinches and Cerrone adds a knee before the horn. So far it’s everything we expected. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Diaz.
Round 2: Diaz marches straight ahead to resume his attack, and Cerrone still seems out of sorts. Cerrone lands a nice left hand counter, then pushes/trips Diaz down but declines to follow him. Jumping knee by Cerrone, then another trip. Diaz keeps coming and lands a couple stinging lefts. Now Cerrone is firing back, but it only makes Diaz up his pace. As an aside, all three ring girls are freaking out over this fight. It’s easily the fight of the night so far. Cerrone puts Diaz down again with a kick to his leg, but Diaz is back up quickly. Another leg trip by Cerrone, and Diaz rises just a little bit slower. Diaz stings Cerrone and sends him reeling back, but Cerrone recovers. A chant of ‘Diaz!’ starts up just before the horn. Cerrone is looking bloody and exhausted. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Cerrone.
Round 3: Diaz flashes the double-bird from across the cage before the round begins. At least they speak a common language. Diaz gets his punch combos working right away, and he’s talking to Cerrone in there after nearly every punch now. Cerrone can’t do much but bleed at the moment, and Diaz’s confidence is growing with every punch he lands. Cerrone trips him down again, but he doesn’t seem to have the energy to follow with anything. Good knee by Cerrone, but Diaz responds with a flurry of punches. Diaz kicks and Cerrone again kicks his leg out from under him. He’s going down hard on those, and the noise is impressive, but they don’t seem to bother Diaz much. Diaz comes forward behind a hook and Cerrone nails him with a nice jumping knee. Diaz batters Cerrone with more brutal hooks and Cerrone comes back with a head kick. What a fight. They finish as they started: hammering away with wild abandon. Cerrone extends his hand at the horn and Diaz takes it, nodding in begrudging appreciation. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Diaz.
Nate Diaz def. Donald Cerrone via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
The unthinkable has happened: Jon Fitch has been finished. And it took Johny Hendricks only 12 seconds to do it on Friday night at UFC 141.
Hendricks landed a huge left hand to Fitch’s jaw that had Fitch falling straight backward, with his head bouncing off the canvas. Hendricks pounced and landed one more huge punch on the ground before referee Steve Mazzagatti stepped in to stop the fight.
It was a stunning upset victory voer Hendricks, who improves to 12-1 and earns by far the biggest win of his MMA career.
“I have a left hand,” Hendricks said. “Everybody’s been counting me out. I knew if I hit him with it I could lay him out.”
Fitch, who falls to 23-4-1, had never been finished in the UFC and hadn’t been finished in any promotion since 2002. Fitch has long been regarded as the No. 2 welterweight in the world behind Georges St. Pierre, but now there’s a new kid on the block: Hendricks, who improves to 12-1, is for real.
The unthinkable has happened: Jon Fitch has been finished. And it took Johny Hendricks only 12 seconds to do it on Friday night at UFC 141.
Hendricks landed a huge left hand to Fitch’s jaw that had Fitch falling straight backward, with his head bouncing off the canvas. Hendricks pounced and landed one more huge punch on the ground before referee Steve Mazzagatti stepped in to stop the fight.
It was a stunning upset victory voer Hendricks, who improves to 12-1 and earns by far the biggest win of his MMA career.
“I have a left hand,” Hendricks said. “Everybody’s been counting me out. I knew if I hit him with it I could lay him out.”
Fitch, who falls to 23-4-1, had never been finished in the UFC and hadn’t been finished in any promotion since 2002. Fitch has long been regarded as the No. 2 welterweight in the world behind Georges St. Pierre, but now there’s a new kid on the block: Hendricks, who improves to 12-1, is for real.
LAS VEGAS — This is the UFC 141 live blog for Jon Fitch vs. Johny Hendricks, a welterweight bout on tonight’s UFC pay-per-view from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Fitch (23-3) fought B.J. Penn to a majority draw at UFC 127 in February. Fitch has only lost once (against Georges St-Pierre) in the last eight years. Hendricks (11-1) won both his fights this year against T.J. Waldburger and Mike Pierce.
Round 1: Steve Mazzagatti starts us off, and no glove touch for these two. Fitch tries a little lunging right hand that comes up short. Hendricks comes forward and blasts him with a big left that stiffens Fitch up and drops him to his back. Hendricks jumps on him as Fitch sits up into another punch, and Mazzagatti steps in to stop it. That was quick. The kind of fight where they can show the whole thing rather than highlights. Hendricks parades around the Octagon with a wide grin showing through his beard. He looks just a little bit surprised, too.
Johny Hendricks def. Jon Fitch via TKO (punches) at 0:12 of round one
LAS VEGAS — This is the UFC 141 live blog for Jon Fitch vs. Johny Hendricks, a welterweight bout on tonight’s UFC pay-per-view from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Fitch (23-3) fought B.J. Penn to a majority draw at UFC 127 in February. Fitch has only lost once (against Georges St-Pierre) in the last eight years. Hendricks (11-1) won both his fights this year against T.J. Waldburger and Mike Pierce.
Round 1: Steve Mazzagatti starts us off, and no glove touch for these two. Fitch tries a little lunging right hand that comes up short. Hendricks comes forward and blasts him with a big left that stiffens Fitch up and drops him to his back. Hendricks jumps on him as Fitch sits up into another punch, and Mazzagatti steps in to stop it. That was quick. The kind of fight where they can show the whole thing rather than highlights. Hendricks parades around the Octagon with a wide grin showing through his beard. He looks just a little bit surprised, too.
Johny Hendricks def. Jon Fitch via TKO (punches) at 0:12 of round one
Alistair Overeem needed less than half of one round to win his first fight in the UFC, landing hard kicks and knees to Brock Lesnar‘s body and winning a first-round technical knockout at UFC 141.
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