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UFC 141: Will Fans Ever Believe That Alistair Overeem is Drug Free?

Dutch heavyweight powerhouse Alistair Overeem, heads into UFC 141 consciously aware that no matter how many drug tests he undergoes and passes, his cynics will never be truly satiated. The former Strikeforce, K-1 and Dream heavyweight champion was once…

Dutch heavyweight powerhouse Alistair Overeem, heads into UFC 141 consciously aware that no matter how many drug tests he undergoes and passes, his cynics will never be truly satiated.

The former Strikeforce, K-1 and Dream heavyweight champion was once a lean, sculptured 205-pounder.

That, however, changed when “The Demolition Man” went on a three-fight losing streak (Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Ricardo “The Brazilian Tiger” Arona and Antônio “Minotouro” Rogério Nogueira) and decided the best course of action would be to take a shot at the heavyweight assemblage.

Four months after his defeat at the hands of Shogun, The Reem entered the heavyweight fray; submitting Michael Knapp via guillotine choke.

Though he lost his next bout to Sergei “The Russian Mercenary” Kharitonov via KO in September of 2007, Overeem hasn’t tasted defeat since.

At present, he’s riding a 10-fight win streak with one NC to his name.

Save for his loss to Kharitonov and his most recent unanimous decision win against Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum, The Demolition Man has been on a near enough five-year wrecking spree—destroying everything in his path.

Therein lies the qualms—his naysayers have voiced their doubts as to how he could rise from a 205 frame, to gigantean of a heavyweight in such a short space of time.

Overeem’s recent failure to submit a urine sample on time to the NSAC (Nevada State Athletic Commission) ahead of his scheduled matchup with Brock Lesnar on Dec. 30, is bound to have raised a few eyebrows, and I’m sure hasn’t aided his cause, vis-à-vis those who believe his massive bulk is down to the use of AAS (anabolic-androgen steroids).

With that said, the elite striker believes that his frequent drug testing should go some way in satisfying his detractors.

“Another positive is that I’m now the most tested fighter in the sport,” he wrote in a Yahoo Sports article. “I will be tested four times in three weeks, and then at least twice more in the next six months in addition to any testing for my next fight.”

And if, however, that’s not enough to assuage his critics, Overeem believes it’s then out of his hands.

“I have had people—I will politely call them ‘haters’—accuse me of taking steroids since I was a 185-pound kickboxer at the age of 17,” Overeem began. “When I was 20, I’ve fought at a weight of 222 lbs. I am now aged 31 and weigh 35 lbs more. I don’t think 35 lbs is too much to grow in 11 years from a 20-year-old to 31-year-old.”

“Facts are, I have been tested with the commission numerous times before when I fought in the U.S. and got tested in Japan. I always passed any testing, so hopefully now with these next tests coming and the fact of me being the most tested fighter in the sport, the critics may be satisfied. And if not, well, that’s not my problem, that is their problem,” Overeem said.

Either way, The Reem is in a catch-22 situation—if he continues his ascendancy within the heavyweight ranks (in this instance the UFC), the stigma surrounding his muscle gain won’t be far behind.

On the other hand, if he loses, he’ll be labeled as never being that good in the first place.

Though there has never been any concrete evidence to suggest that Overeem has dabbled in steroids, the fans still have carte blanche to opine all they want with regards to whether he is indeed drug free or not—it’s their prerogative.

Still, win or lose, I doubt Overeem will ever be given a fair shake by the fans.

UFC 141 is set for Dec. 30, 2011 at the MGM Grand Gardens Arena, Las Vegas, Nev.

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Frank Mir on the Button: Overeem’s Only Chance Is to KO Lesnar Early in Round 1

Frank Mir knows what he speaks of, being a TKO victim of Brock Lesnar’s takedowns and ground-and-pound (GnP) in their second UFC fight. A reversal of roles less than a year after he submitted the former WWE headliner in their first encounter, whi…

His exact words from this article by Kevin Iole found on Yahoo! Sports:

Hey, if he (Overeem) hits you in the first two minutes, he could knock down a house. I’m not taking that away from him. Is he explosive? Absolutely. But the other guy [Lesnar] has the same thing. Brock is just as explosive, if not more. Brock is just as powerful, if not more. But when you’ve wrestled, are you telling me the striking is going to get easier as the fight goes on? No way. The only way Overeem wins that fight is if he can knock Brock out in the first minute, minute-and-a-half.

He’s also watched outside the octagon how Lesnar himself fell prey to the GnP of Shane Carwin and Cain Velasquez, with opposite results.

Lesnar survived Carwin’s fists and later submitted his challenger to keep his crown. Then, less than four months later, he got pulverized by Velasquez until the referee stoppage sealed his defeat.

Even when he lost his UFC heavyweight belt to Velasquez, Lesnar wasn’t lying when he said, “…I’ve taken a lot of shots. I’ve never been knocked out cold.”

No matter the difference in the outcomes of these two fights, they have one thing in common: Lesnar, indeed, did not get knocked out. He tried to survive each time, without tapping out despite the battery.

Lesnar may get rattled with powerful strikes, but he has shown that he has the resiliency and will to weather them, successfully or not.

Unless Lesnar’s chin has been softened up significantly by all the GnP he’s taken, beating the UFC cash cow via striking will always be a grind.

For Overeem to successfully beat the former UFC heavyweight champion, he has to do a Velasquez and rock him early in any given round (ideally the first), to give him ample time to deal out punishment and eke out a TKO—or maybe even Lesnar’s first KO loss.

Otherwise, if The Reem “only” staggers him late in a round, expect Lesnar to hang on and be saved by the bell. Then, he can recover during the break and rebound in the next five minutes, as he did versus Carwin. (This is unless he gets sufficiently dazed in the prior round and can’t regain his bearings for the next.)

And UFC 141 on December 30th will be a long—or short—night for The Reem, in his disfavor.

Sure, he was able to stuff Fabricio Werdum’s takedown attempts in their Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Quarterfinal fight, but against a top-caliber wrestler in Lesnar?

The Dutch Cyclone, with 19 of his 35 career wins coming by way of submission, can always try to out-grapple the American champion wrestler.

Tough luck, though, as Lesnar learned to avoid getting submitted by the best submission artist in MMA’s heavyweight class in their rematch, the very fighter quoted in this article: Frank Mir.

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UFC 141: Alistair Overeem Set To Send Brock Lesnar Back to the WWE

Come UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) 141, former Strikeforce heavyweight champion and lethal kickboxer Alistair Overeem has set his sights on sending Brock Lesnar back to the WWE.”Lots of fans have spoken to me about the fight and they are very en…

Come UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) 141, former Strikeforce heavyweight champion and lethal kickboxer Alistair Overeem has set his sights on sending Brock Lesnar back to the WWE.

“Lots of fans have spoken to me about the fight and they are very enthusiastic – and they are getting the fight they want to see. I’m going to send him back to WWE,” Overeem said.

The former K-1 and Dream heavyweight champion has only just recently been given the go ahead to compete at the Dec. 30 event, following a misunderstanding with the NSAC (Nevada State Athletic Commission) regarding a urine sample that “The Demolition Man” failed to provide on a specified date.

“There has been a lot going on in the preparation but I am happy with my conditioning, I’m in very good shape, and I’m satisfied, even though there have been a few distractions.”

Still, regardless of the diversions—having to up sticks and move his training camp to Holland to care for his ailing mother, the Dutch behemoth has taken everything in his stride and is now bright-eyed and bushy-tailed to make his Octagon debut for the Zuffa-based promotion.

“I did expect to fight in UFC at one point during my career, but now it is happening sooner than I expected and I am very pleased.”

Apropos his opponent, NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Division 1 wrestler Lesnar, “The Reem” sees the latter as the quintessential opponent stylistic wise.

With that said, he thinks he made the right choice accepting the offer to fight Lesnar rather than wait idly on the sidelines for an eventual matchup with the winner of the UFC on Fox 1 heavyweight championship bout between Junior Dos Santos and Cain Velasquez.

“I think that Brock is a dream fight. He’s the best wrestler in MMA, and he’s against the best striker, which is myself.”

“Actually I chose Brock.” he says. “I would have had to wait for six months for the JDS and Cain winner, but I am a fighter and I want to be active. I was offered a few names, but when I heard Brock I thought ‘Yes’ straight away.”

On the other hand, Lesnar makes his eagerly anticipated return to the Octagon after losing his title to Velasquez and battling a reoccurring bout of diverticulitis.

The wait for what could well turn out to be the biggest pay-per-view event of the year is drawing ever so closer, with the fate and destiny of both combatants lying firmly in the palms of their hands come fight night.

UFC 141 is set for Dec. 30, 2011 at the MGM Grand Gardens Arena, Las Vegas, Nev.

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UFC 141: Top 5 Donald Cerrone Performances Under the Zuffa Brand

Donald “The Cowboy” Cerrone is undefeated in the UFC and with 2011 being the biggest year in his MMA career, it’s only fitting to take a look back at the five best performances of his WEC and UFC careers.To sum up Cerrone’s care…

To sum up Cerrone’s career under the Zuffa brands, I’d have to use the word entertaining and that’s just what you can expect from Cerrone when he throws down with Nate Diaz at UFC 141 in the co main event.

Cerrone made his debut in the UFC in February and won all four of his UFC fights this year. His popularity has grown with brilliant UFC performances, but the hardcore fans already knew how much potential he had from his performances in WEC.

Whether he was throwing down with Rob McCullough, Jamie Varner or Ben Henderson, it was clear that Cerrone had the skills to become a future contender, and he’s proving just that in the UFC today.

These are the top five performances of Cerrone’s career in Zuffa.

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Alistair Overeem Anticipating a Title Bout Against Junior Dos Santos

If there is one cardinal rule in mixed martial arts, it’s to never look past an opponent. Alistair Overeem is prepared to meet Brock Lesnar at UFC 141 next weekend, where the winner will likely slot themselves in for an opportunity to challenge UF…

If there is one cardinal rule in mixed martial arts, it’s to never look past an opponent.

Alistair Overeem is prepared to meet Brock Lesnar at UFC 141 next weekend, where the winner will likely slot themselves in for an opportunity to challenge UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos.

Apparently, Overeem already sees himself standing opposite to the champion in his next bout.

“Style-wise, dos Santos is going to be an excellent fight for me — striker against striker,” Overeem told ESPN.com.

A reigning champion in multiple organizations, Overeem is confident in his skills and abilities to dethrone the Brazilian and believes his experience gives him a distinct advantage over dos Santos as well.

The Dutch striker envisions himself defeating Lesnar in quick and dominant fashion, en route to a future matchup with the champion, where he attributes a lot of dos Santos’ success to his superior boxing.

“I must say that he is very dangerous with his hands. He’s got a lot [of power] in both punches; he’s clever and he’s fast,” he said.

The idea of witnessing the two strikers competing against each other provides for an intriguing bout in the future, but that would require Overeem to walk away with the victory next weekend. Although he hopes to dispose of Lesnar, the win won’t necessarily come convincingly for the 255-pound Overeem.

However, the Demolition Man intends on making a statement in his UFC debut, while making his claim for a UFC title shot.

“I don’t see it going past the first or second round, second round maximum,” he said.

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UFC 141: Nam Phan Tries to Keep the Losing to a Minimum

When Bruce Buffer announced the verdict for Nam Phan’s match against Leonard Garcia at UFC 136, Phan was admittedly feeling uneasy in the center of the Octagon. “I was very scared,” Phan, 28, recently admitted to Bleacher Report. &ldq…

When Bruce Buffer announced the verdict for Nam Phan’s match against Leonard Garcia at UFC 136, Phan was admittedly feeling uneasy in the center of the Octagon.

“I was very scared,” Phan, 28, recently admitted to Bleacher Report. “I was worried about my job, definitely.”

Perhaps, as those familiar with the UFC’s past practices will argue, Phan had good reason to be a bit anxious.

Two months prior to that moment, Phan dropped a three-round unanimous decision to Mike Brown at UFC 133. Before that, Phan—in one of the most controversial decisions of recent memory—lost an extremely close split decision to Garcia in late-2010.

“I was kind of worried that they might not give me the decision,” Phan recalled. “I was just crossing my fingers.”

Fortunately for Phan—and his crossed fingers—the judges unanimously declared him the match’s victor. According to Phan, it was one of the best moments of his young life.

“I felt like my head was going to explode,” Phan said with a laugh. “When I beat Leonard Garcia, I didn’t sleep all night—I stayed up the whole night! It felt great. It was like prom night, again…There’s really nothing that’s that exciting.”

Moving forward, Phan—not surprisingly—is determined to once again have his hand raised in the Octagon.

Phan’s next opportunity to pick up a victory on the biggest stage of the sport is to come at UFC 141 on Dec. 30, when the former The Ultimate Fighter contender is to take on Jim Hettes.

Hettes, who is to make his second appearance in the Octagon, has recorded nine submission victories in his first nine outings as a professional mixed martial artist. Most recently, Hettes, 24, claimed a second-round rear-naked choke victory over Alex “Bruce Leeroy” Caceres in August.

Despite Hettes’ long list of submission wins, Phan, who made his professional mixed martial arts debut more than a decade ago, is confident that a victory to cap off 2011 is within his reach. Or, as per his philosophy as an athlete—“confident mind, humble words,” he told Bleacher Report earlier this year—he emphasized that he will do everything he can to have his hand raised.

Looking past Phan’s match against Hettes on the 30^th, the California product is hoping to once again—again, not surprisingly—experience the thrill of victory a few more times in the UFC’s Octagon in 2012.

“Anytime you win in the UFC is amazing,” Phan explained. “I can’t describe how good it feels…It’s an amazing feeling.”

“I always try to keep the losing to a minimum,” he said with a laugh. “I just hope (2012 holds) more wins. I’m going to do my best for every fight.”

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