UFC 141: Alistair Overeem's 5 Greatest Career Moments

Alistair Overeem has been fighting in the sport of mixed marital arts for as long as most of us can remember.

Overeem first entered MMA in October of 1999 and continues to fight as he will take on Brock Lesnar at UFC 141 on December 30th, 2011.

While "The Reem" has yet to actually fight inside the UFC Octagon, he remains one of the most experienced fighters in the organization today.

Overeem currently holds a career record of 35-11 (1) and hasn't lost a fight since September of 2007.

And as expected, there were many career-defining moments that have assisted Overeem in his journey over the past 12 years.

So, the following slides display the five greatest career moments for Alistair Overeem.

Let's take a look.

Won Strikeforce Heavyweight Championship

Overeem had lost four of his last five bouts and was on the worst stretch of his mixed martial arts career leading up to his fight with Paul Buentello at a Strikeforce event in November of 2007.

However, Overeem was still granted the opportunity to fight Buentello as the winner would capture the inaugural heavyweight title.

It was the second round of action when Overeem began to pummel his opponent, landing strikes and knees to nearly every part of Buentello's body.

At 3:42 of Round 2, Overeem was declared the champion via submission by knees to the body.

Defeated Vitor Belfort Twice

It was the opening round of the 2005 Pride Grand Prix Championship as Overeem took the Octagon against highly dangerous Vitor Belfort.

It was nearly 10 minutes into Round 1 when Belfort found himself in an unwanted position as he was submitted via guillotine choke.

But, it was just a little over a year later when the two would cross paths once more at Strikeforce: Revenge.

While Overeem failed to finish Belfort for a second time, he was still declared victorious by unanimous decision.

Win over Fabricio Werdum

Overeem hadn't lost a mixed martial arts bout since September of 2007 leading up to his fight with Fabricio Werdum at a Strikeforce event earlier this year.

It was one of the most anticipated bouts of the entire year as action began in Dallas, Texas.

While Werdum would put up every last effort in attempts to finish off his opponent, Overeem held strong, taking the fight to the judges' score cards and ultimately a unanimous decision victory.

Many believe this was the fight that intrigued the UFC to sign him.

Dominates Brett Rogers

Despite being defeated by Fedor Emelianenko at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers, Brett Rogers earned a title shot against Overeem in his very next fight.

At the time, Rogers was considered to be one of the most dangerous fighters in the world.

However, Overeem proved that to be wrong, as he dismantled Rogers throughout the first few minutes of Round 1.

After taking Rogers down and viciously grounding and pounding him, the referee called a stop to the fight at 3:40 of the first round.

Signs with the UFC

After spending years fighting in different organizations and establishing himself as one of the best fighters in the world, Overeem made the transition to the highest stage in mixed martial arts.

On September 6th, 2011, Overeem signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Overeem is set to take on arguably the toughest matchup in his mixed martial arts career when he squares off with Brock Lesnar at UFC 141.

Signing with the UFC is arguably the biggest moment of Overeem's career.