Tag: UFC 141

Alistair Overeem Turned Down Title Shot in 2012 To Fight Brock Lesnar at UFC 141

ESPN’s Brett Okamoto is reporting, among other details, that Alistair Overeem turned down a UFC heavyweight title fight in 2012 in favor of fighting Brock Lesnar before the end of the year.The reigning king of the 265-pound division, Cain Velasquez, wi…

ESPN’s Brett Okamoto is reporting, among other details, that Alistair Overeem turned down a UFC heavyweight title fight in 2012 in favor of fighting Brock Lesnar before the end of the year.

The reigning king of the 265-pound division, Cain Velasquez, will come back from rotator cuff surgery to defend his heavyweight title against Junior dos Santos at the UFC’s first event on Fox.

The event is slated to go down on November 12, at the Honda Center, in Anaheim, California.

Therefore, it would not be realistic to expect the winner to defend the belt before ringing in the new year.  

Overeem explained to Okamoto his reasoning for taking the fight with Lesnar, who lost the heavyweight title to Velasquez at UFC 121, as opposed to the winner of Velasquez vs. dos Santos. 

“I’m a fighter who wants to fight a lot,” Overeem said. “If I had to wait for a title fight, I’d basically be waiting until next year. They came up with this option and I wanted it.

“I’m very excited to fight Brock. He’s a big guy. We have different styles. I think it’s going to be very exciting for fans.”

The fight with “The Reem” will be Brock’s first fight in approximately 14 months after he was sidelined with his second bout of diverticulitis.  

This time, Brock opted to have 12 inches of his colon removed in hopes of preventing a relapse in the future.  

Not surprisingly, UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta was very supportive of the UFC 141 headlining fight.  

Speaking about the UFC’s long rumored signing of Overeem, Fertitta stated:

“We wanted him to fight for the heavyweight championship but it didn’t work out with that fight happening on Nov. 12,” Fertitta said.

“He didn’t want to wait around. To his credit, he wants to fight the best. Brock is a huge name guy.”

Also worth noting is that the Overeem vs. Lesnar will be scheduled for five rounds, as well as the fact that “The Demolition Man’s” contract with the UFC is an exclusive one. 

In his most recent stint with Strikeforce, Overeem competed with several outside organizations including DREAM and K1, arguably the most prominent professional kickboxing league in the world.   

He was a heavyweight champion within both organizations. 

UFC 141 is tentatively scheduled to take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

Additionally, while it has yet to be formally announced, this bout is expected to be a heavyweight title eliminator.  

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Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem: A Complete Head-to-Toe Breakdown

One of the biggest fights in the history of the UFC’s heavyweight division will occur at the end of this year.Today, the UFC announced that not only have they signed former Strikeforce Heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem, but also that his first figh…

One of the biggest fights in the history of the UFC’s heavyweight division will occur at the end of this year.

Today, the UFC announced that not only have they signed former Strikeforce Heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem, but also that his first fight will be against the promotion’s biggest buy—former UFC Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar.

Both fighters are coming off injuries and will look to prove themselves as one the top heavyweights in the world.

The fight will take place at UFC 141 on December 30 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Here’s how these two former champions match-up in a head-to-toe breakdown.

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UFC: Lesnar vs. Overeem and the 5 Most Anticipated Fights Left in 2011

Today it was announced that Alistair Overeem not only signed with the UFC, but will be facing Brock Lesnar on December 30th. Overeem is perhaps best known for holding the Strikeforce, Dream and K-1 heavyweight championships at the same time, making him…

Today it was announced that Alistair Overeem not only signed with the UFC, but will be facing Brock Lesnar on December 30th.

Overeem is perhaps best known for holding the Strikeforce, Dream and K-1 heavyweight championships at the same time, making him one of the biggest stars outside the UFC.

Lesnar is the former UFC heavyweight champion and MMA’s biggest draw, who has been recovering from a second bout with diverticulitis.

This will be one of the most anticipated fights of the year. Here’s a look at some of the other highly anticipated fights left in 2011. 

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Brock Lesnar: Why UFC Return Will Be Short Lived for Over-Hyped Star

The UFC finally has their biggest moneymaker back, and the over-hyped Brock Lesnar will get knocked out in his first fight back in the federation. On December 30, former UFC Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar will make his second return from a battle wi…

The UFC finally has their biggest moneymaker back, and the over-hyped Brock Lesnar will get knocked out in his first fight back in the federation.

On December 30, former UFC Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar will make his second return from a battle with the intestinal ailment diverticulitis against former Strikeforce Heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem at UFC 141.

As much as people may hate Lesnar, the heavyweight division has been in shambles since his departure and this is the perfect fight to bring the fans back in droves.

The winner of this fight will be in line to challenge the winner of the Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos Championship scrap at the first ever UFC on Fox on November 12.

While Lesnar was in line for a rematch, his time off has led him to have to fight his way back into the main-event picture, and unfortunately for the UFC, their biggest star will get knocked out.

As good as Shane Carwin was, and he damn near beat Lesnar, Overeem is a much better fighter and he will take advantage of Lesnar’s limited abilities outside of wrestling.

Overeem told the Los Angeles Times:

Brock is a big name, a dangerous guy, and this is a dream matchup. Brock’s a big guy, an exciting wrestler with his takedowns. I want to see this fight myself. Overall, I’m a different fighter. A striker, athletic, big. These are going to be two big trucks going at it on a collision course.

The UFC needs Lesnar to draw in the money for their pay-per-views, and as much as he can be annoying, he is the main draw for the company.

If he gets in that ring and gets beat down, the company will be doing itself a financial disservice, but UFC president Dana White doesn’t care.

White is concerned about putting on the best shows for the fans of MMA, and that is exactly what he is doing by pitting Lesnar up against Overeem at UFC 141.

Hopefully both men make it to the match, and we actually get our two super fights in November and December because that would set up a spring World title match between the winners of these two fights.

Check back for more on the UFC as it comes, and check out Bleacher Report’s Mixed Martial Arts Page to get your fill of MMA.

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