Lesnar vs. Overeem: Winner of UFC 141 Super Fight Doesn't Deserve Title Shot

When UFC president Dana White announced that Brock Lesnar would return on December 30 to fight Alistair Overeem, the fan anticipation was off the charts because this is a dream fight that most never thought would happen.

But the added stipulation that the winner would get a title shot was puzzling.

There is no denying that Lesnar and Overeem are two of the most popular heavyweights in all of mixed martial arts, but their respective resumes leave a lot to be desired.

Let's start with Overeem.

He is currently the No. 3 heavyweight in the world, according to Sherdog's rankings. He is 10-0 with one no-contest in his last 11 fights, though it isn't as impressive as it seems when you look at who he has defeated.

Overeem's best win during this streak came against Fabricio Werdum, a one-dimensional fighter who begged Overeem to go to the ground with him at one point in the fight because he knew he couldn't win any other way.

The only heavyweight champion in Strikeforce history, Overeem was essentially handed the title in 2007 and defended it once in four years, against journeyman fighter Brett Rogers.

He has yet to go up against anyone that would be in the top five heavyweights in UFC, but one win will put him in line for a title shot.

Now, let's look at Lesnar.

Yes, he is a former UFC champion and has been ranked at or near the top of the heavyweight rankings for years. But when was the last time he fought a good fight?

Shane Carwin tore him apart in the first round of their fight at UFC 116 in July 2010, and the only reason Lesnar was able to win is because Carwin gassed out at the end of the first round.

Carwin's stamina or lack thereof is the only reason that Lesnar won that fight and retained the heavyweight championship.

His next fight was against Cain Velasquez at UFC 121, and he was exposed again. The difference between this fight and the fight with Carwin is that Velasquez had much better stamina and was not going to wear down, so Lesnar couldn't count on another second-round miracle to save himself.

His best win was over Frank Mir at UFC 100 in July 2009.

And what kind of fighter is he going to be after his second bout with diverticulitis?

The odds of him coming back—after 14 months off and a surgery that removed 12 inches of his colon—and being as good as or better than he was before are slim.

So if Overeem defeats a wounded Lesnar, do we really know anything more about him than we did before?

If Lesnar defeats Overeem after so much time off and fighting in less than stellar condition, what does that say about Overeem?

I understand that it is business, and Overeem or Lesnar are going to sell tickets and pay-per-views, but all things being equal, it is difficult to justify giving either man a title shot against Cain Velasquez or Junior dos Santos.