On December 30 the Ultimate Fighting Championship will put on the final event for 2011 when they present UFC 141: Lesnar vs Overeem live in their hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. The main event will be a well anticipated clash of Heavyweight titans when former division champ Brock Lesnar takes on the most experienced opponent he's ever faced in Alistair Overeem. The co-main event is almost guaranteed to be an entertaining exchange between two mean-mugging and possibly equally matched Lightweights when Stockton, California's own Nate Diaz takes on former WEC contender Donald Cerrone. The midway bout will be a meeting of two former collegiate wrestlers in the Welterweight division when perennial contender Jon Fitch takes on rising prospect Johny Hendricks. The second bout will be a Light Heavyweight meeting when strong veteran Vladimir Matyushenko takes on rising prospect Alexander Gustafsson. And the opening bout will be a meeting of Featherweights when fan favorite Nam Phan takes on undefeated prospect Jim Hettes with both fighters coming in fresh off their first wins in the promotion.
Main Card Bouts:
Brock Lesnar (5-2-0) vs Alistair "The Demolition Man/The Reem" Overeem (35-11-0(1))
Nate Diaz (14-7-0) vs Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone (17-3-0(1))
Jon Fitch (23-3-1(1)) vs Johny Hendricks (11-1-0)
Vladimir "The Janitor" Matyushenko (26-5-0) vs Alexander "The Mauler" Gustafsson (12-1-0)
Nam Phan (17-9-0) vs Jim "The Kid" Hettes (9-0-0)
Main Event: Lesnar vs Overeem (HW)
The Main event will be a clash of Heavyweights with opposing styles when former UFC Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar takes on former Strikeforce Heavyweight and former Dream Interim-Heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem. The winner of this bout will become the division #1 contender and move on to face new champion Junior dos Santos in his first title defense. Lesnar comes into this bout following the loss of his title via Rnd1 TKO to now former champion Cain Velasquez at UFC 121: Lesnar vs Velasquez. Overeem comes into this bout going 10-0-0(1) in his last eleven fights with the last three including his first Strikeforce title defense with a Rnd1 TKO over Brett Rogers, becoming the Dream Interim-Heavyweight champion with a quick Rnd1 KO over Todd Duffee, and avenging a loss to Fabricio Werdum as part of the Semifinals of the Strikeforce World Heavyweight Grand Prix at Strikeforce: Overeem vs Werdum II. This bout is considered a classic striker vs grappler match-up with both holding elite credentials in their respected disciplines. In the stand-up, Overeem is the heavy favorite with a Muay Thai/kickboxing background that includes winning the K-1 2010 World Grand Prix championship and having developed some solid knockout power with his increased size and muscle mass over the years. While having no credentials of his own as a striker, Lesnar is not one to underestimate when striking with some of the biggest hands in the division that pack enough knockout power on their own. Though he has no real technique to his striking, Lesnar is no slouch and does have some decent striking for somebody who still somewhat new to the sport, though his biggest weakness is that he is still not as comfortable with getting hit, especially by somebody who can match his own power. When it comes to the advantage when grappling, the advantage will clearly go the way of Lesnar with a decorated collegiate wrestling background that comes with his great strength and work ethic in the gym. With such a strong wrestling base, Lesnar's takedowns are considered by many analysts to be near unstoppable combined with the ability to clinch his opponents against the cage and lean his weight on them which alone can drain their energy. Though seen primarily as a striker, Overeem does have some skills on the ground as a submission grappler and won the 2005 ADCC European championship. For this bout the gameplans will be simple enough to predict. Lesnar will look to intimidate Overeem with his wrestling to make him cautious and uncomfortable when striking, and will look to get the fight to the ground as soon as he can to control the fight, smother him, and land some powerful ground-&-pound. Overeem will look to intimidate Lesnar with his striking and be ready to sprawl-&-brawl to avoid takedowns, and be prepared to work off his back to get the fight standing the moment he is taken down. With this bout being scheduled to go five rounds, the fight will likely be in Lesnar's favor if it goes past Rnd2 and more into the later rounds with him possessing the better cardio compared to Overeem. Though many analysts will look down on Lesnar's chances and put the odds in favor of Overeem with the better stand up, a lot of fighters and fans feel that Lesnar will have the edge in this fight with even division champion Junior dos Santos saying he has more tools to win the fight.
Co-Main Event: Diaz vs Cerrone (LW)
The co-main event will showcase two polarizing and entertaining Lightweights when TUF5 winner Nate Diaz takes on former WEC and rising UFC contender Donald Cerrone in a bout that could progress the victor up the ranks and become eligible for possible title contention. Diaz comes into this bout following a Rnd1 Submission win over former PrideFC Lightweight champion Takanori Gomi in a bout where many analysts say he put on his greatest performance to date at UFC 135: Jones vs Rampage that earned Submission of the Night. Cerrone comes into this bout on a career high riding a six fight win streak with the last four including his promotional debut with a Rnd2 Submission over Paul Kelly that earned Fight of the Night, a dominant Unanimous Decision over Vagner Rocha, a Rnd1 TKO over highly touted Charles Oliveira that earned KO of the Night, and a recent Rnd1 Submission over Denis Siver at UFC 137: Penn vs Diaz that earned Submission of the Night; all of these bouts have occurred within this year alone. For the advantages in this bout, many analysts and fans see this fight as possibly even between the two in comparison of their skill sets. Comparing their stand up, the technical boxing and added kickboxing of Diaz will be pitted against the technical kickboxing and Muay Thai of Cerrone. Seeing the technique that both fighters demonstrated in their most recent bouts, the advantage when striking could be neutral with both always coming forward and at most times being more technical than their opponents. When comparing the skill sets on the ground, both could again be considered equal. Both fighters are even considered to have some of the most active and offensive guards in the Lightweight division always looking for submission attempts and keeping their opponents from getting dominant positions, which sometimes makes their opponents think whether it is safer to stay standing with them or go to the ground. With such fast paced grappling, aggressive offense and defense off their backs and atop, including twenty-three submission victories between the two of them, the advantage on the ground could go either way. With such equal and dangerous skill sets, this bout is an obvious candidate for Fight of the Night and a late entry for Fight of the Year for sure.
Fitch vs Hendricks (WW)
The midway bout will be a meeting of Welterweights and former collegiate wrestlers when perennial contender Jon Fitch takes on rising prospect Johny Hendricks. Fitch comes into this bout going 5-0-1 in his last six fights that includes Unanimous Decision wins over Akihiro Gono, Paulo Thiago, Mike Pierce, Ben Saunders, Thiago Alves, and going to a Majority Draw with former UFC Lightweight/Welterweight champion B.J. Penn at UFC 127: Penn vs Fitch. Hendricks comes into this bout riding a two fight win streak with a Rnd1 TKO over T.J. Waldburger, and a Split Decision over Mike Pierce at UFC 133: Evans vs Ortiz II. Though this is a bout of wrestler vs wrestler, this could turn into a stand-up only affair with the probability of both fighters' ground skills being neutralized. For the advantage in the stand up, Fitch may be seen as the favorite training at the American Kickboxing Academy for much of his career with skilled strikers like Cain Velasquez, Cung Le, Josh Koscheck, Mike Swick, and Marius Zaromskis. Though Fitch's gameplan is always to take down every opponent and grind them for a decision victory, many analysts and those close to him say his striking is underrated and still is yet to be seen in action. Though still developing in the sport, Hendricks is progressing strongly with his own striking possessing some heavy hands and looking to land some strong punches. With a more technical game Fitch will be the favorite in the stand-up. For the advantage when grappling, that could go back-&-forth. Fitch is a longtime veteran and is known solely for his wrestling in MMA always wanting to take his opponents down and do nothing more, while Hendricks looks to mix up his striking more and land some strong ground-&-pound. Comparing their collegiate wrestling careers, Fitch was a walk-on for the Purdue wrestling team and became team captain, while Hendricks competed at Oklahoma State University where he became a 4x NCAA1 All-American and won three Big 12 Conference championships in a row from 2005-2007. Comparing their credentials, Hendricks is considered the superior wrestler, though with his experience in the sport Fitch is a favorite knowing how to mix in strikes and drop for a takedown instantly. The gameplan for Fitch will likely be not to stay standing with Hendricks for too long and use his usual strategy of take down and lay-&-pray to secure another win. The gameplan for Hendricks will likely be to keep the fight standing to test Fitch's stand up, be prepared to defend takedowns, and may actually look to prove his own wrestling against a veteran and make a statement in the division. With these attributes, Fitch will be a heavy favorite among analysts, though Hendricks will be a favorite among many fans who dislike Fitch for his style.
Fitch has been looked down upon by countless fans for his strategy of always taking an opponent down and using his usual lay-&-pray to grind out a decision victory, though that has also worked against him turning many fans away and making UFC brass disinterested in giving him a title shot being considered a "boring fighter." Hoping to get to a title shot on wins alone even if they are not exciting in any way, Fitch was promised a title shot after his second win over Alves, but seeing that he stuck with his usual performance UFC President Dana White decided to withdraw the opportunity. Hendricks will be coming into the bout as the heavy underdog according to odds makers and analysts, but will have plenty of support from fans who want to see Fitch end up in a real fight.
Matyushenko vs Gustafsson (LHW)
The second bout on the card will be a meeting of Light Heavyweights between a veteran and a rising prospect when former contender and former IFL Light Heavyweight champion Vladimir Matyushenko takes on the young Swedish talent Alexander Gustafsson. Matyushenko comes into this bout riding a two fight win streak that includes a Rnd1 TKO over Alexandre Ferreira, and a quick Rnd1 KO over Jason Brilz at UFC 129: St. Pierre vs Shields. Gustafsson comes into this bout riding a three fight win streak that includes a Rnd2 Submission over Cyrille Diabate, a Rnd1 Submission over James Te-Huna, and a Rnd2 TKO over TUF3 alumni and late replacement Matt Hamill at UFC 133: Evans vs Ortiz II. This will be a test for both fighters with Matyushenko hoping to get into title contention once again, while Gustafsson looks to break into the upper echelon with his lone defeat coming at the hands of undefeated contender Phil Davis. For the advantage in the stand up, it will be a match-up between the heavy handed boxing of Matyushenko against the powerful kickboxing of Gustafsson. Showcasing his still dangerous striking dispatching two tough opponents within the first round in his previous wins prior to this bout, Matyushenko will not be taken lightly by the young Swede, though he will be the favorite with his ever improving skill set. With a large frame and aggressive style, Gustafsson has shown improvement in every bout landing powerful shots and dispatching Matt Hamill in impressive fashion. Though Matyushenko will have a large advantage in experience, Gustafsson is a big favorite with a striking game that both excites and improves in every bout. For the advantage when grappling, it will be a match-up with the wrestling background of Matyushenko taking on the aggressive BJJ game of Gustafsson. With an experienced background in Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling, Matyushenko knows how to take opponents down where he can land some powerful ground-&-pound. Gustafsson knows how to use his large size and strength to force his opponents to the ground and land some powerful ground-&-pound of his own and looks for submissions. The gameplan for Matyushenko will likely be to close the distance and pressure Gustafsson looking to clinch against the cage and look for takedowns to control him on the ground. Gustafsson will look to impose his will pressuring Matyushenko and imposing his size on him when clinching, keep him at the end of his punches to avoid his power shots, and look for takedowns himself to control him on the ground and look for submissions. Overall Gustafsson is a heavy favorite in this bout with more divers striking and an imposing ground game.
Phan vs Hettes (FW)
The opening bout on the card will be a meeting of Featherweights when fan favorite and TUF12 alumni Nam Phan takes on undefeated and dangerous young submission grappler Jim Hettes. Phan comes into this bout following his first official UFC win avenging the controversial loss to Leonard Garcia with a Unanimous Decision at UFC 136: Edgar vs Maynard III that earned Fight of the Night. Hettes comes into this bout riding a nine fight undefeated win streak including his most recent bout with a Rnd2 Submission over TUF12 alumni Alex Caceres at UFC Live 5: Hardy vs Lytle. For the advantage in the stand up, Phan will be the favorite with ripping precision body shots that can take the energy out of his opponents and a disciplined background in striking disciplines with a black belt in Karate and a 2nd degree black belt in Quyen Dao. Hettes will be a big underdog in the stand up with little experience striking and showing great intent on getting the fight to the ground as soon as he can. For the advantage when grappling, Hettes will be a big favorite with a background in BJJ and Judo, and is made no secret with with all nine of his victories coming by way of Submission with six in the first round. Though not seen as the better grappler in this bout, Phan is also a black belt in BJJ and can defend himself well against submissions when ending up on the ground. With this appearing to be a striker vs grappler match-up, the pace and turnout of the bout will be decided on who can control where the fight goes. The gameplan for Phan will likely be to keep the fight standing and involve stalking Hettes towards the cage where he can land his best body shots and try to pick him apart and be prepared to defend against takedowns, avoiding the body clinch especially. The gameplan for Hettes will likely be to time his takedowns and body clinch Phan to not allow him the space to deliver body shots and take him down. With Phan being the veteran in this bout and putting on an impressive display in his previous bout, he will be a big favorite in the odds and among fans.
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