Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem: 5 Reasons Why the Fight Will Be an Epic Fail

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The announcement that former UFC champion Brock Lesnar will fight former Strikeforce champion Alistair Overeem has set the MMA world aflame. Many are excited and think this will be the fight of the year. They are wrong. This fight will be one of the most epic fails in MMA history.

Why will such a hyped up fight be such a disappointment? How can a fight between such strong fighters be a let down? Read and find out, but keep in mind you may lose your enthusiasm for the upcoming bout!

Experience

Alistair Overeem circa 2005, two years before Brock Lesnar's MMA debut.
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Alistair Overeem has had 47 mixed martial arts fights and has been fighting since 1999.

Brock Lesnar has had seven mixed martial arts fights and has been fighting since 2007.

It doesn't take a math genius to figure out that Overeem is VASTLY more experienced than Lesnar, with 40 more fights and eight more years in the sport.

Cage Rust

Brock Lesnar is again coming off of a massive layoff between fights. His last fight was a loss to Cain Velasquez at UFC 121 on October 23, 2010.

The fight with Overeem is expected to take place on December 30th, 2011, over a year after the last fight.

Cage rust is a real phenomenon and it will definitely impact Lesnar in this fight.

Enormous Difference in Striking Abilities

Alistair Overeem is a K-1 kickboxing champion, making him the highest credentialed striker in the UFC heavyweight division.

Cain Velasquez (as well as Shane Carwin and even Frank Mir, to an extent) showed the world that Lesnar is extremely green regarding striking, specifically with his defense, and reacts very poorly to getting hit.

If Lesnar had trouble dealing with Velasquez's hands, how will he deal with the strikes of a man far above Velasquez's level of striking?

Lesnar's Overrated Wrestling Abilities

Brock Lesnar may have been an NCAA Division-I champion, but that was over ten years ago. A stint with the WWE, as well as with the Minnesota Vikings (briefly), was in between Lesnar's collegiate wrestling heyday and his entry into the world of mixed martial arts.

A great example of Lesnar's over-hyped wrestling is the fact that his "unstoppable" take-downs were easily shrugged off by Shane Carwin, a less credentialed wrestler at only Division-II caliber, until Carwin exhausted himself.

Overeem's Underrated Ground Game

The term "underrated ground game" has become a tired cliché in MMA, but in the case of Overeem it's true.

While Overeem is known as a striker, he actually has more victories by submission and once won the European leg of the world-renowned ADCC submission grappling tournament.

If Lesnar manages to take Overeem down, he won't be able to steamroll over "The Reem" like he did to the considerably smaller Frank Mir.

What Does It All Mean?

All of these factors mean that the fight will either be a very quick, one-sided TKO finish or it will be Lesnar laying in Overeem's guard.

There is only one certainty going into the fight: Lesnar WILL shoot for a take-down at some point.

If Overeem can block the take-down(s) then the fight will be over very quickly for Lesnar.

If Lesnar completes a take-down and keeps Overeem on the mat, Overeem will have enough abilities to at least keep Lesnar in his guard, but may not be able to sweep, submit or return to his feet. If this is the case, the fight will be a "lay and pray" fest and fans will be disappointed.

Either way, the fans will walk away dissatisfied. The fight will be over too quickly or be boring and go on for far too long. Neither of these results are epic in any way, besides being an epic fail for a fight that was supposed to be classic.

 

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