UFC 141 | UFC Betting Sites - The Best MMA Online Bookies

UFC 141 Fight Card: How Nam Phan Will Take out Jim Hettes

As his time on Team Koscheck during Season 12 of The Ultimate Fighter progressed, the MMA world saw Nam Phan evolve as a fighter and further hone the skill that many fans had seen in him before the show ever began taping.Over time, fans of the UFC bran…

As his time on Team Koscheck during Season 12 of The Ultimate Fighter progressed, the MMA world saw Nam Phan evolve as a fighter and further hone the skill that many fans had seen in him before the show ever began taping.

Over time, fans of the UFC brand of MMA quickly caught on and have not been anything less than impressed with what they’ve seen so far, despite Phan only going 1-2 so far in the UFC.

If it makes you feel comfortable, then you may feel free to call him 2-1 in the UFC, considering that fans have yet to find much logic in why the decision at the TUF 12 Finale went to Leonard Garcia when it seemed clear that Phan was the better fighter all throughout.

Nonetheless, Phan draws newcomer Jimy Hettes in a battle of two rising UFC featherweights at UFC 141, live from Las Vegas on pay-per-view at 10 PM ET Friday night.

With how Hettes handled Alex Caceres, who was supposed to easily decimate Hettes similarly to how Phan is supposed to handle Hettes, Phan could be just as much tested by the newcomer as he is a test for the newcomer.

So, how will Phan take Hettes out, if he takes him out?

If Phan takes Hettes out, there’s a good chance that it happens on the feet more than the ground.

Actually, this fight should stay on the feet if Phan wants that win, because Hettes wants the takedown.

Phan will look to establish himself as the aggressor early and will try to put enough pressure on Hettes to throw him off mentally while gradually making Hettes a bit apprehensive to try anything remotely helpful on Phan.

Once Phan establishes the pace of the fight and breaks Hettes mentally, he should have very little problem cementing Hettes’ demise from that point forward.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 141 Fight Card: How Alistair Overeem Will Demolish Brock Lesnar

At UFC 141, two monumental forces collide—kickboxing sensation and lethal striker Alistair Overeem vs. NCAA division-I standout and former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar. The bottom line is this: Something’s gotta give, and it sure a…

At UFC 141, two monumental forces collide—kickboxing sensation and lethal striker Alistair Overeem vs. NCAA division-I standout and former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar.

The bottom line is this:

Something’s gotta give, and it sure as hell ain’t gonna be “The Demolition Man.”

First and foremost, Overeem cannot and should not let his UFC debut get the better of him—his focus and composure are the essential ingredients to up-ending Lesnar.

This is how Overeem’s victory pans out:

Begin Slideshow

UFC 141 Predictions: What Jim Hettes Must Do to Defeat Nam Phan

Jim Hettes is still an undefeated and untested prospect in the UFC featherweight division, but he’s gained a bit of popularity among some spectators of the sport due to the way he’s brought himself to this point so far.After all, winning every fight in…

After all, winning every fight in an eight-fight professional career by way of submission is a pretty good way to enter the UFC. And a win over Alex Caceres, during which he submitted the TUF-12 alumnus in the second round after giving him a difficult time in the first round, is a step in the right direction.

That’s all pretty cool, but now Hettes has to stand across the octagon from Nam Phan.

Of course, Phan was one of the more experienced fighters from that same 12th season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” He is a skilled-enough fighter to give Hettes trouble, but that should not really surprise anyone. So now, that question remains as to what Hettes should do.

Seriously, what should he do?

Well, we’re past admitting to making mistakes and telling people that he’s done this before. And to be honest, Hettes really hasn’t ever been tested the way Phan will test him. But if there was a serious way for Hettes to get past Phan, it’d be in the way of his striking.

It’s not at the level where Hettes can realistically earn a knockout win, but if he uses some good body movement to avoid Phan’s hardest shots, and if he times a few strikes of his own, he might be able to setup his takedowns properly.

Key for Hettes, though, is to not try and bum-rush Phan or get too cozy standing up with Phan, who might be the better striker.

If the kid can hurt or at least tire Phan out long enough to get it to the ground, and if he can neutralize Phan’s own Jiu-Jitsu from the top, he might be able to show Phan and the world what he’s made of.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 141 Predictions: Jon Fitch vs. Johny Hendricks

Jon Fitch makes his first return since he and B.J. Penn fought to a draw in February at UFC 127. His first fight is against Johny Hendricks at UFC 141.Fitch is really good at keeping a fighter on the ground, and I’ll probably get six or seven comments …

Jon Fitch makes his first return since he and B.J. Penn fought to a draw in February at UFC 127. His first fight is against Johny Hendricks at UFC 141.

Fitch is really good at keeping a fighter on the ground, and I’ll probably get six or seven comments mentioning “Fitch by blanketing” or “Fitch by bear-hugging.”

Now, though, Fitch gets a taste of his own medicine against another very good and accomplished wrestler in Johny Hendricks.

This fight will definitely test Fitch’s stand-up skills, because even if the fight does make it to the ground, I don’t see Fitch being his normal dominant self.

Fitch’s striking hasn’t really been the talk of the town. In fact, it never has and probably never will be. It isn’t his style, and it doesn’t win him fights. Pretty simple if you ask me.

Hendricks will definitely force Fitch out of his comfort zone in this fight. I do think, though, from his training, that Fitch probably does have the better stand-up, just based on who he trains with.

This might be the moment where fans finally don’t think a Fitch fight is boring, and that will make me happy—especially if Fitch wins.

I really, really, really, really doubt that either fighter finishes this fight. I actually think there is a better chance of an asteroid coming right now and striking me as I write this.

Nope, still here.

Anyway, I think if Fitch will get enough takedowns to win a round or two, he’ll steal the decision from a game Hendricks.

Fitch by Unanimous Decision.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Brock Lesnar Is "Blessed and Honored" to Compete at UFC 141

It’s only a matter of time before Brock Lesnar makes his presence known inside the Octagon again. Lesnar will make his anticipated return tomorrow night when he headlines UFC 141 against former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem.Les…

It’s only a matter of time before Brock Lesnar makes his presence known inside the Octagon again.

Lesnar will make his anticipated return tomorrow night when he headlines UFC 141 against former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem.

Lesnar is returning after a 14-month layoff, during which he battled diverticulitis. The illness hindered his opportunity to challenge for the UFC heavyweight title.

Now, the former UFC heavyweight champion is confident and healthy to compete this weekend.

“I just feel blessed that I’m here. I feel honored and blessed. I just want to get into the Octagon and perform,” Lesnar told MMAFighting.com.

Given his health issues and extended layoff, Lesnar is an underdog against the 255-pound Overeem.

However, the odds stacked against Lesnar have made the former WWE superstar hungrier than ever to walk away with the victory. He is focused on regaining the heavyweight title.

“I want to be the best heavyweight champion in the world,” he said. ” I don’t think there is another heavyweight in the world in this division that has done what I’ve done.”

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

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.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com