Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem: Who Exactly is Alistair Overeem?

You may have heard a little something about Brock Lesnar's return to the Octagon, slated for this December at UFC 141. The funny thing about MMA, though, is that you have to have an opponent.

For close observers of the sport, Alistair Overeem is a well-known heavyweight. But for the casual fan, his name doesn't carry nearly the cachet of Lesnar's. So who is Alistair Overeem?

I guess we should start at the beginning. Overeem was raised Dutch, but born in England to a Dutch mother and Jamaican father. He is 35-11-1 in his MMA career, but to this point that career has not included any engagements on the sport's biggest stage, the UFC.

It is, unquestionably, a rather large hole in 'Reem's resume, a hole torn ever wider by his perceived inability to deliver victories against top-flight competition. While he tears through lesser opponents almost at will, he has been stopped (often in dramatic fashion) against those who can stand up to his power, including Chuck Liddell, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.

The derision some heap on Overeem's plate as a result is counter-weighted by the 31-year-old's vast potential. A former grand prix champion in K-1, the world's foremost kickboxing promotion, Overeem probably possesses the most electric and well-rounded striking game among today's crop of heavyweights. He is also a strong submissions artist, gaining 17 of his 35 wins by tapout.

So to sum up, when Overeem is on his game, there are few fighters who are more dangerous. But his heart and his will have repeatedly come into question as a result of his failures in the biggest moments (not to mention his propensity for receiving knockouts as well as dishing them out).

That is why UFC 141 is a high-risk, high-reward equation for Overeem. He will be making his UFC debut after a controversial exit from the Strikeforce promotion, in which he declined a fight. And if there's anyone he won't be able to bully, it's Lesnar.  

But if he can defeat Brock under the lights, we'll see a rather large orangutan come flying off Overeem's back. With that burden lifted, the sky would be the limit.