Lesnar vs Overeem: Which Fighter Has More to Prove in UFC 141 Mega-Bout?

You have to hand it to the heads in the UFC offices. They came up with a good way to finish the year in style.

That way, in case you aren't in the loop, involves former UFC Heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar squaring off against former Strikeforce Heavyweight champ Alistair Overeem at UFC 141 on Dec. 30. The bout was first revealed by The Los Angeles Times on Tuesday.

Good deal, don't you think? I think so too. It's a clash between two of the most preeminent titans mixed martial arts has to offer, and the winner will get a shot at the UFC Heavyweight belt, which will be the in the hands of either Cain Velasquez or Junior dos Santos depending on what happens between the two of them on Nov. 12.

So that's what's at stake in this bout. But for both Lesnar and Overeem, there's more to attain here than a simple title shot.

For Overeem, the one thing that is obviously worth noting is that this is going to be his very first UFC fight. He made a hell of a name for himself with Strikeforce, and his accomplishments within the league should certainly not be underrated, but even he agrees that UFC is another animal entirely.

"I already became champion," said Overeem, per USA Today. “This just seems like the next logical step. UFC is regarded as the highest achievable, so of course, that's what I'm going to aim for."

Is Overeem up to the task of dominating in UFC the same way he dominated in Strikeforce? I think so. The competition is stiffer in UFC—or so they say—but Overeem is a very good fighter who is probably going to be able to handle all comers in the Octagon.

UFC thinks so too. Before his bout with Lesnar was drawn up, Overeem was offered a title shot as his very first UFC bout. He turned it down, saying he didn't want to wait for it.

So instead, he'll fighter Lesnar. And he too will enter this bout with plenty to prove.

Primarily, Lesnar merely needs to prove that he is finally healthy. His struggle with diverticulitis, a nasty intestinal affliction, have been well-documented. It kept him out of action for several months in 2009-2010, and a flare-up forced him to bow out of the bout he was supposed to have with Junior dos Santos at UFC 131.

Because Lesnar had to have what sounded like a major surgery, I for one thought he wasn't going to be back in the Octagon this soon. Either I didn't give him enough credit, or he's coming back too soon.

We won't know that for sure until the first moves are made on Dec. 30.

When that moment comes, Lesnar is going to face a whole new set of challenges. The last time we saw him in the Octagon, Velasquez was rearranging his face. Overeem is the kind of fighter who could also pull off such a feat, and he will if he can stay on his feet and out of Lesnar's clutches.

If Lesnar does indeed end up getting slugged into submission once again, that he came back to soon won't be the only complaint people will have. The old rallying cry that Lesnar just isn't a well-rounded fighter will be out again, and in full force.

So given the circumstances, I'd say that Lesnar has much more riding on this bout than Overeem. He's going to be trying to write a new chapter in what is already a very good and very promising career. Lesnar, on the other hand, is essentially going to find out if he still has a career in MMA.

It's going to be a good one, folks. And by the time it's over, we should know a thing or two that we didn't know before.