Brock Lesnar’s UFC career ended tonight due to the strikes of Alistair Overeem. He has looked very, very flawed in three straight fights and tonight looked as though he really didn’t have much of a strategy. Lesnar only really shot for one takedown and Overeem avoided it with relative ease. Lesnar was willing to try to throw punches but we all knew what it meant if it turned into a stand-up fight.
Overeem’s knees to the body of Lesnar were hurting the former champion and Alistair zeroed in on the body. The liver kick that caused Overeem to step backward and crumple was beautiful.
But one does have to wonder if Lesnar simply showed up for one last big paycheck. He didn’t really look hard for takedowns and didn’t really commit to his one attempt at getting the fight to the ground. I’m certainly not saying he threw the fight, but he didn’t look like he was fully there.
- Nate Diaz has really improved a lot over his last few fights. Donald Cerrone was game and really didn’t do that poorly, it was just that Diaz was that much better.
- There’s not a whole lot to say about Diaz vs. Cerrone without getting into a detailed breakdown. Pressure can break guys and it really wore out Cerrone.
- Jon Fitch got blasted out by Johny Hendricks in twelve seconds. It almost seems a little too unceremonious an end to a Fitch’s long reign as the #2 welterweight in the world.
- Hendricks’ win is just another case of the 170 pound division shifting. With GSP on the shelf and the temporary top of the division being determined by Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit and now there’s no Fitch. It’s a new world.
- Alexander Gustafsson is going to be challenging for the UFC title by some point in 2013. He ran through Vladimir Matyushenko like he was nothing.
- Jim Hettes trucked Nam Phan, absolutely trucked him. The only failing he showed in the bout was in his endurance but that happens sometimes when you’re dominating position and throwing punch after punch in round one looking to get the finish.
- Hettes looked great, but I worry that we’re going to see a crazy overreaction to this fight. Phan is a decent stepping stone but let’s not crown him yet. And no, that isn’t the same thing as Gustafsson.
SBN coverage of UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem
More after the jump…
- Junior Assuncao was much better than I expected. He showed good movement and bothered Ross Pearson with his range. Still, Pearson was able to work his way through the trouble and get a very close decision.
- I thought Anthony Njokuani did well enough to earn a decision over Danny Castillo but Castillo was physical enough with his grappling to earn a decision. It wasn’t a robbery but it’s a difference between a guy I love watching fight in Njokuani, a guy looking to do damage, and Castillo who often is just looking to just control positioning.
- I hope Dong Hyun Kim is able to make some more waves and get good card positioning in 2012. He has a load of talent and just straight wore out Sean Pierson.
- Jacob Volkmann beating Efrain Escudero was pretty predictable given what both men brought to the table. Volkmann is never going to be a title challenger but he’s going to be a real pain for a lot of guys.
About the author
