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Quick Thoughts: Alistair Overeem vs. Brock Lesnar by Tom O'Brien September 7, 2011 
With yesterday's exciting news of the UFC's signing of Alistair Overeem, and subsequent announcement of his fight debut bout against Brock Lesnar, MMA Quick Hits thought it wasn't too early to break down the contest. Here are a few quick facts and thoughts on the contest.Alistair "The Demolition Man" Overeem is 6'5 and weighs 260 pounds. His MMA records stands at 35-11, and he has not lost a fight since late 2007. Besides being one of the most feared fighters in MMA, Overeem is an accomplished kickboxer who won the 2010 K-1 World Grand Prix. Alistair is the former Strikeforce and Dream Heavyweight Champion. 
Brock Lesnar is 6'3 and weighs 265 pounds. A relative newcomer to MMA, his record is 5-2. The former UFC Heavyweight Champion is without question the most powerful fighter in mixed martial arts. He has been slowed recently by an ongoing battle with diverticulitis. Whether you love or hate Lesnar, one thing is for sure, everyone wants to see him compete.
The epic confrontation between Overeem and Lesnar is scheduled to take place at UFC 141, December 30 in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Apparently, Overeem was told he could enter the UFC and have a shot at the heavyweight title in his debut. Overeem declined due to the wait involved, and instead decided to accept the December matchup against Lesnar. Looking at the fight on the surface, one might think it's pretty cut and dry; Lesnar will try to take Overeem to the mat and use his wrestling while The Demolition Man will look to keep the fight standing and knock Lesnar out. Lesnar's strategy likely will be to use his wrestling ability to control Alistair and inflict ground and pound damage or go for the submission. Overeem on the other hand is better-rounded than many might think. Of his 35 victories, more have come by way of submission than knockout, 19 to 14 respectively. Overeem has great sprawling ability, so it should be difficult for Brock to take him down. If Lesnar is successful, it will probably be a long fight for Alistair. Brock is probably the only fighter that will have a strength advantage over Overeem, and this will help him keep The Demolition Man under control. But, as stated earlier, Overeem has very good takedown defense. Couple this with his world class striking and it has the probability of being a recipe for disaster for Brock Lesnar. Regardless of the outcome, the build up to the fight will be enormous, and don't be shocked if the UFC breaks its PPV buy record. Lesnar has been involved in 3 or the UFC's 5 largest pay-per-view events including UFC 100 which featured Lesnar vs. Mir II. UFC 100 is the company's highest grossing PPV event of all-time with over 1.6 million buys. MMA Quick Hits can't wait! MMA Quick Hits is loading comments...
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