We preview UFC 141′s Main Card. It’s going to be an historical night of fights and here’s why…
MAIN EVENT
Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem
Lesnar (5-2) a former NCAA Division 1 Wrestler of 106-5. He defeated Randy Couture to win the UFC Heavyweight Title, he defended it against Frank Mir, avenging a previous loss in gruesome fashion and he defended the Title once again in a steller comback against the previously undefeated Shane Carwin, submitting him in the second round. Lesnar has done more than enough to earn the respect of the MMA community at this point and a win over Overeem would be his most significant performance yet.
Overeem (35-11-1) is the current, undefeated, undisputed K-1 Heavyweight Champion, DREAM Heavyweight Champion and StrikeForce Heavyweight Champion. He is the most accomplished Heavyweight athlete in MMA. This is his UFC debut.
The two most athletic Heavyweights in the world are gonna fight one another! It’s King Kong vs. Godzilla! The winner fights for the UFC Heavyweight Title! One way or another these two will fight again. This is the beginning of what will become an exciting rivalry in MMA. It doesn’t get any bigger than this!
Nate Diaz vs. Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone
Diaz (14-7) already owns seven fight bonuses and has never disappointed. winning The Ultimate Fighter, Diaz began to dismantle the Lightweight Division before losing some close Decisions. He briefly spent a year at Welterweight but soon realized Lightweight is where he needs to be. After a flawless victory over Takanori Gomi, Diaz finds himself competing with the very best in the Division and very close to a Title Shot.
Cerrone (11-3-1) has been fighting non-stop since his loss to Ben Henderson and is now on a six-fight win streak. He is considered the top Lightweight in the Division under Champion Frankie Edgar and Contender Ben Henderson. Taking fights to keep busy while Contenders are sorted out, Cerrone is just waiting for his chance to fight for the Title.
How could this not be Fight of the Night?
Jon Fitch vs. Johny Hendricks
Fitch (23-3-1-1) is considered the the best Welterweight in the UFC under Champion Georges St. Pierre. Fitch was on a fifteen-fight win streak before finally being granted a Title Shot. After losing to GSP he has since defeated five more top ranked opponents and battled BJ Penn to a draw, a fight most believe Fitch won. However, Fitch continues to be overlooked by the UFC because he hasn’t finished an opponent in last five years.
Hendricks (11-1) posses some great submission skills and has shown great ability to finish fights when he can. He has a lot of momentum before losing to Rick Story, a win over Fitch would have him jump many fighters in the rankings.
Fitch is a lot bigger, stronger and experienced than Hendricks. Hendricks is greatly over-matched but who doesn’t like to root for the underdog?
-Seriously UFC? Fitch vs. Hendricks!? Have you seen our rankings? You guys act like he lost to BJ Penn. Yeah, he doesn’t finish fights. Yeah, uneducated fans may not appreciate his wrestling and ground game. Yeah, he refuses to fight teammates. Yeah, he probably won’t beat GSP if they fought again. But Hendricks? Hendricks has no chance of winning this fight. NONE.-
“The Janitor” Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Alexander Gustafsson
The Janitor (26-5) has been competing in MMA for fifteen years. His defeats have only been at the hands of notable fighters, Jon Jones, Tito Ortiz, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Andrei Arlovski.
Gustafsson (12-1) has finished all but one opponent. Gustafsson has been getting a lot of attention and respect from hardcore fans and is recognized as potentially being the next big threat in the Light Heavyweight Division. He retired Matt Hamill in his last fight.
Both fighters are very well rounded and have some decent momentum behind them. It’s going to be a battle of experience vs. youth!
Nam Phan vs. Jimmy Hettes
Phan (17-9) has quickly become a fan favorite in the UFC thanks to his memorbale wars with Leonard Garcia. He posses some great striking ability and will look to put on a show once again.
Hettes (9-0) is an undefeated submission machine, tapping out all nine of his opponents before ever making it to the third round. Could he be the first to submit Phan?
Both of these fighters are aggressive and should make for quite an opening!
PRELIMINARY FIGHTS
Ross Pearson vs. Junior Assuncao
Anthony Njokuani vs. Danny Castillo
“Stun Gun” Dong Hyun Kim vs. Sean Pierson
Jacob Volkmann vs. Efrain Escudero
Matt Riddle vs. Luis Ramos
Manny “The Anvil” Gamburyan vs. Diego Nunes