UFC 141: Beating Overrated Lesnar Does Nothing for Overeem Prospects

There was much hype surrounding the main event of UFC 141 between Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem Friday night.

Overeem predictably stopped Lesnar in the first round, though, and while he is receiving praise for the win, it certainly wasn't impressive.

Because of his background as a champion amateur wrestler as well as a star in the WWE, Lesnar was force fed to UFC fans as a legitimate main event fighter from the outset. 

While he did become UFC heavyweight champion, Lesnar was handed everything and earned little in his disappointing career.

While UFC founder Dana White would have gladly continued to pass off Lesnar as an elite fighter due to the interest he draws, Lesnar thankfully spared fans by announcing his retirement after his latest effortless loss.

I don't want to take anything away from Overeem because he's a very solid heavyweight, but that was true before he beat Lesnar. 

If Overeem gets a title shot because of the Lesnar victory, then good for him, but that win didn't tell us anything new about Overeem, and the same was true when Cain Velasquez beat Lesnar.

Lesnar was never anything more than an average fighter, but his star power blinded many fans from seeing that.  Now that Lesnar is out of the picture, Overeem and other top heavyweights will get to take part in truly competitive bouts that can serve as real measuring sticks.

Although I think Overeem is capable of being a champion, he'll have to prove it by defeating somebody other than a tomato can like Lesnar. 

Despite that, beating Lesnar will probably always be looked at as a signature win for Overeem even though it took little to no effort.

I think we have to be very careful when it comes to anointing Overeem the next great heavyweight. 

The same happened when Velasquez beat Lesnar by first-round TKO for the title last year.  In his first title defense, however, Velasquez was blitzed by Junior dos Santos, getting knocked out in barely more than a minute.

I'm not saying the same will happen to Overeem if he takes on Dos Santos, but the fact remains that Lesnar is a fallacy.

The UFC, from a competition standpoint, will be much better without him, and elite heavyweights will be better off as they won't be forced to waste their time against him.