UFC 141 is set to take place on Friday, December 30. The main event of the evening will see former UFC champion Brock Lesnar facing off against former Strikeforce, DREAM and K-1 Grand Prix champion Alistair Overeem. The winner of this bout will set the…
UFC 141 is set to take place on Friday, December 30. The main event of the evening will see former UFC champion Brock Lesnar facing off against former Strikeforce, DREAM and K-1 Grand Prix champion Alistair Overeem. The winner of this bout will set themselves up to face current UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos.
In the co-main event Donald Cerrone will look to win his fifth fight of 2011 when he faces Nate Diaz in a lightweight battle, that many have as an early favorite for “Fight of the Night” honors.
Jon Fitch also makes his return to the Octagon at UFC 141. Fitch has been sidelined since undergoing shoulder surgery following his February 27, 2011 draw with BJ Penn. In his return, Fitch will face off against Johny Hendricks.
Below are the full fight card odds for the upcoming fight card:
Pay Per View Card
Alistair Overeem (-150) favorite over Brock Lesnar (+120)
Donald Cerrone (-275) favorite over Nate Diaz (+215)
Jon Fitch (-240) favorite over Johny Hendricks (+190)
Alexander Gustafsson (-325) favorite over Vladimir Matyushenko (+265)
Nam Phan (-245) favorite over Jim Hettes (+195)
Preliminary Card (Spike TV)
Ross Pearson (-305) favorite over Junior Assuncao (+245)
Danny Castillo (-175) favorite over Anthony Njokuani (+145)
Preliminary Card (UFC Facebook Stream)
Dong Hyun Kim (-357) favorite over Sean Pierson (+287)
Jacob Volkmann (-277) favorite over Efrain Escudero (+217)
Matt Riddle (-125) favorite over Luis Ramos (-105)
Diego Nunes (-275) favorite over Manny Gamburyan (+215)
Bleacher Report MMA will be your source for news, analysis and opinions on all the fights on the upcoming fight card.
Check back often as the fight card nears for all the UFC 141 information you need.
You would be hard pressed to find a larger matchup to end the 2011 campaign for the UFC as Brock Lesnar returns to welcome Alistair Overeem to the sport’s premier organization.After 14 months away from the sport due to a second bout of diverticulitis, …
You would be hard pressed to find a larger matchup to end the 2011 campaign for the UFC as Brock Lesnar returns to welcome Alistair Overeem to the sport’s premier organization.
After 14 months away from the sport due to a second bout of diverticulitis, Lesnar (5-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) is back in action on Friday night to headline UFC 141 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
K-1 World Grand Prix, Strikeforce and Dream champion Alistair Overeem (35-11, 1 NC MMA, 0-0 UFC) will stand in Lesnar’s way of reclaiming the UFC heavyweight championship as the winner will be awarded a title shot.
Friday night’s massive heavyweight tilt marks Overeem’s inaugural trip to the Octagon, but he’s not your ordinary newcomer.
Overeem earned his fifth career victory 10 years prior to Lesnar defeating Shane Carwin to score the fifth win of his career.
Lesnar’s best route to victory is no secret as it will be through his advantages in wrestling and conditioning.
His striking, however, is light years behind Overeem’s and he’ll be facing the most experienced fighter of his career.
Lesnar won four consecutive bouts over Heath Herring, Randy Couture, Frank Mir and Shane Carwin but his deficiency in the striking department helped cost him the heavyweight championship when he was defeated by Cain Velasquez.
Forty-seven professional mixed martial arts contests in difference between both fighters, oddsmakers have Overeem as a slight favorite to claim victory in his Octagon debut.
The unfortunate illness of Overeem’s mother forced him to abandon training camp in Las Vegas to be near her in Holland. Additionally, the talented striker nearly found himself in trouble with the Nevada State Athletic Commission due to complications of finding the appropriate testing facilities in his country.
With that being said, Lesnar’s time away from the Octagon should actually benefit him as it’s provided him the opportunity to return at full-health and advance his striking, while Overeem’s switch in training and dealings with the NSAC have likely hurt his chances.
Normally, I’m very hesitant in picking a fighter that is returning from an extended layoff but in this case Lesnar’s wrestling pedigree and speed advantage will prove too much for Overeem to handle in what will be a dynamite main event.
Jon Fitch might be focused on his upcoming bout against Johny Hendricks at UFC 141, but he still intends on competing for a future title shot.While making his prediction for the heavyweight bout involving Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem, scheduled to…
Jon Fitch might be focused on his upcoming bout against Johny Hendricks at UFC 141, but he still intends on competing for a future title shot.
While making his prediction for the heavyweight bout involving Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem, scheduled to headline the event this weekend, Fitch also spoke about the current status of the UFC welterweight division.
“I think things become a mess when the clear number two welterweight in the world, which is me, is injured and out of the mix,” Fitch told Fighting Famous TV. “I have a big fight in front of me with Johny Hendricks and I look forward to fighting him and hopefully putting him away.”
Fitch last entered the Octagon in a pivotal bout against BJ Penn, which saw both competitors fight to a draw. Following the result, while protesting for an immediate rematch with the Hawaiian, Fitch suffered a shoulder injury which has kept him out of action for a majority of the year.
Fitch intends on making a statement in his bout against Hendricks, and retain his contender status, in hopes of earning an opportunity to face either Nick Diaz or Carlos Condit.
“I think with my credentials and with what I’ve accomplished in the UFC and a big fight with Johny Hendricks, I think I should seal a fight with whoever wins [the Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit fight],” he said.
UFC 141 is scheduled for this Friday night, live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
In literal terms, it is a colossal heavyweight fight. Alistair Overeem and Brock Lesnar clash this Friday night at UFC 141 which emanates from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Lesnar, 5-2 overall in his MMA career, stands…
In literal terms, it is a colossal heavyweight fight. Alistair Overeem and Brock Lesnar clash this Friday night at UFC 141 which emanates from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Lesnar, 5-2 overall in his MMA career, stands 6’3″ tall, weighing in at 263 pounds on average. His last fight came over a year ago when he dropped his heavyweight championship to Cain Velasquez by first round technical knock out at UFC 121.
Overeem, with 35 wins and 11 losses with one no-contest in his career, measures 6’5″ tall and tips the scales at around 260 pounds. Born in England, Overeem, a Dutchman, is one of the most feared strikers in the sport of MMA.
What makes this fight so intriguing is the obvious: two monsters stepping into one cage together to see who is the better man.
However, this fight means so much more. This fight dictates the immediate future of the heavyweight division in the UFC.
Lesnar is coming into this fight after yet another long layoff due to contracting diverticulitis for the second time. His return fight after the first illness was a title defense against Shane Carwin, a fight in which he won by submission in the second round after being brutalized for nearly a whole round.
Lesnar came back that night at UFC 116 in July of 2010 in great shape. He looked lean, strong and did not look as if he was severely ill for months.
However, that was Shane Carwin. This time, he’ll be coming back against someone bigger, better, stronger and more dangerous. He’ll be coming back against someone bigger than him and with more experience.
Alistair Overeem last fought on June 18 of this year, defeating Fabricio Werdum by way of unanimous decision. He is coming on Friday evening riding a seven fight win streak, and will not only look to extend it, but will try to become number one contender for Junior Dos Santos’ heavyweight crown.
It is hard to conceive that Lesnar can win this fight. Although he has won when the odds have been stacked against him, Lesnar has not faced someone of the caliber such as Overeem.
With 14 of his wins coming by way of technical knock out or knock out, Overeem is an elite striker in MMA. He is a K-1 kickboxing veteran with a 10-4 record and a 2010 Heavyweight Grand Prix Champion.
With this threat alone, Lesnar is in trouble. One can hope that Lesnar has been working on his boxing in training camp as he was somewhat exposed when being finished by Velasquez. I do not think there is a real chance that, even with training, Lesnar can compete with Overeem here and will be picked apart as long as the fight stays standing.
With that said, can Lesnar, as strong as he is, take Overeem down? Overeem stands about two inches taller than him and although this may not be a huge difference, Overeem has more mass than Lesnar does.
Overeem, who has transformed his body over the course of his career, sports a bodybuilder’s physique. Obviously, more muscle doesn’t necessarily mean anything, but you wouldn’t be wrong if you said Overeem was stronger than Lesnar.
Lesnar will have a hard time trying to manipulate that mass around the cage and bring him down. Lesnar can wrestle Overeem down, as Lesnar himself is an athletic powerhouse, however if the fight does get to the ground with Lesnar in control, Overeem will have the advantage with the threat of submissions.
Overeem has 17 submissions due to technique in his career, some of which are standing guillotine chokes, key locks, armbars and triangle chokes.
Overeem has trained himself and developed into a well-rounded fighter who cannot be counted out in any aspect. With Lesnar’s relative inexperience and with only one submission win in his career, I do not think his skill set can match up with Overeem’s.
Last but not least, although this is not a championship fight, the bout will go five rounds. Both fighters have always come to fight in great condition, but in this case, regarding conditioning, I give the edge to Lesnar.
Lesnar has less mass, although it isn’t that much less, that his body needs to supply oxygen to. He’ll be able to maneuver around the cage a little quicker and in each of his fights in his career, Lesnar has never fatigued as long as the fight went on.
Lesnar vs Overeem is a fight that piques the interest of every fight fan across the globe. With many of the advantages going to Overeem, it is hard to see Lesnar coming out of this fight with a win. Although you can never count out a guy like Lesnar, the experience level of Overeem and danger he poses with his striking will be too much for Lesnar.
Although oddsmakers have favoured Alistair Overeem to prevail over Brock Lesnar this weekend at UFC 141, Frank Mir doesn’t necessarily see the bout going to Overeem, at least not convincingly.Overeem’s size is something to consider when matching up aga…
Although oddsmakers have favoured Alistair Overeem to prevail over Brock Lesnar this weekend at UFC 141, Frank Mir doesn’t necessarily see the bout going to Overeem, at least not convincingly.
Overeem’s size is something to consider when matching up against Lesnar, as he stands 6’5″ and weighs in at 255 pounds.
However, given his experience with Lesnar, Mir believes Overeem’s size and strength will affect his cardio, and his lack of wrestling skills will prevent him from having any success on the ground.
“Are you going to try to tell me he’s going to wrestle with a national champion wrestler for five minutes? His cardio is going to suck [after wrestling with Lesnar for a while],” Mir said during an interview on ESPN Radio. “I’ve seen guys with muscles like that, and that’s why he slows down,” he said.
Mir has faced Lesnar on two previous occasions and is 1-1 against the 265-pound South Dakota native. Mir is the same size as Overeem, and despite being more efficient on the ground, Mir wasn’t able to utilize any offense from his guard.
Mir also pointed out that the Dutchman’s striking skills aren’t as strong as some may think, due to his vulnerability to being hit in his last bout against Fabricio Werdum, and predicted that Lesnar might be able to have some success on the feet against Overeem as a result.
While some critics have pointed to Overeem’s kickboxing and Muay Thai clinch being a key factor to stop Lesnar from taking him down, Mir said Lesnar’s wrestling ability will allow him to dictate the pace and score the take down at will.
“He’ll put his forehead in your chest, and he’s going to run you through. If he’s not able to take you down with that initial blast, he’s going to run you against the cage,” he said. “Then he’s going to rip your legs out from under you. Now, you should have gotten taken down in the middle of the area, but instead, you’ve been taken down against the cage [where it is more dangerous].
In this episode of The Reem, Alistair Overeem does some PR work in L.A. ahead of his UFC 141 bout with Brock Lesnar this Friday and spends some time training with Mark Munoz and company at Reign Training Center.
Shame on HDNet and the Octagon Nation Tour for jacking our swagger (6:08 mark) and props to Overeem for punking the last fan in line at the signing. The dude looked like he was going to cry.
In this episode of The Reem, Alistair Overeem does some PR work in L.A. ahead of his UFC 141 bout with Brock Lesnar this Friday and spends some time training with Mark Munoz and company at Reign Training Center.
Shame on HDNet and the Octagon Nation Tour for jacking our swagger (6:08 mark) and props to Overeem for punking the last fan in line at the signing. The dude looked like he was going to cry.
What’s up with the “Chessboxing” guy? Strange vibes from him. I’m guessing being shell shocked is the least of his issues.
We also finally get to meet Alistair’s dad, who makes an appearance when he catches one of his son’s training session for the first time ever and explains that it’s too stressful to become emotionally invested in his sons’ fighting careers, so he never watches their fights. Overeem explains that he and his siblings convinced their somewhat frail looking pops to move to Holland since he had been living alone in England for the past eight years.
Joining Alistair at the “Alistair Overeem Training Center” to prepare for the fight are Todd Duffee and Jared Rosholt.
If you judge Alistair and Brock’s training partners by MMA Math (and really, who doesn’t?), neither one has a marked advantage over the other, but “The Demolition Man” may have a slight edge, depending on how you carry the 1. Rosholt’s 125-27 collegiate wrestling record is trumped by Lesnar’s teammate Cole Konrad’s 155-13 mark, while Duffee KO’ed Death Clutch hired gun Tim Hague, who choked out Brock’s striking coach Pat Barry.
Finally, the former Strikeforce heavyweight champ expounded briefly on his recent drug testing issue with the Nevada State Athletic Commission, explaining that he did what was asked of him to the best of his ability.
You would be hard pressed to find a larger matchup to end the 2011 campaign for the UFC as Brock Lesnar returns to welcome Alistair Overeem to the sport’s premier organization.