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Brock Lesnar Vs Alistair Overeem: Is it a Good Move? UFC NEWS

By Siri Karri

It feels so good to be baccckkk!!! (Eminem fan). Finals week is over and I am ready to let audiences bask in the mediocrity of my opinionated writing.

Perhaps because it’s my place to be the everlasting pessimist, or maybe I simply have no soul? Either way, I didn’t realize that the Brock Lesnar (5-2) vs. Alistair Overeem (35-11) card was coming up so soon at UFC 141. At less than 3 weeks away, the MMA world is salivating at the thought of two of their biggest stars (almost literally) colliding on the Octagon. I have no doubt that the fight will be exciting and the result will definitely make the highlight reel.

My question is, however, is it a good business move?

There’s no question that the main event of UFC 141 has so much star power that the gravitational field it produces could suck in small aircraft. Overeem is known in the combat world well over, whether it be for his hulking physique or his spectacular fight record in both K-1 kickboxing and mixed martial arts recently. Brock Lesnar carries the moniker of “Baddest Man on the planet” and despite his crushing defeat at the hands of Cain Velasquez, his absurd wrestling pedigree and a physique that makes me think that Bruce Banner is his father.

However, we have a prime example of what happens when two hard hitting heavyweights square off during the UFC’s first Fox event. The much anticipated event only lasted a minute when Junior Dos Santos smashed Cain Valesquez with an overhand right for the knockout win. Exciting as it was, it wasn’t an accurate portrayal of either fighter’s skill set and many Valesquez fans feel as though his stock will drop unfairly considering the competitive heavyweight title picture.

At least they produced an interesting fight.

My main issue comes from the fact that Overeem is coming from Strikeforce. In my opinion, Strikeforce is definitely a legitimate organization but the fact is that none of the fighters get enough mainstream exposure. As a result, they sometimes have more to lose than rookies during their first fight in the UFC because they have so much expected of them . . . yet they don’t have the fan base to carry them if things don’t go their way.

I love Cung Le to death, but his devastating loss to Wanderlei Silva in his opening fight means that he is reduced to average contender status after a HUGE career in Strikeforce. His fan base in the UFC isn’t near that of Chael Sonnen, Vitor Belfort, or Brian Stann and he might find himself scrounging around in the UFC’s middle ranks despite his insane fighting pedigree. Jake Shields barely escaped this fate as well after winning a controversial decision against Martin Kampmann to earn a title shot with Georges St. Pierre.

So placing Overeem against open of the UFC’s cash cows is risky for him . . . to say NOTHING of Lesnar.
Even if you hate certain UFC fighters, there’s a lot of reasons the company loves them. They do a damn good job promoting themselves, they put fans in the seats, and they’re usually talented enough to back up their talk. Think about Michael Bisping, Chael Sonnen, and Tito Ortiz and tell me I’m wrong.

The problem comes in that people hate fighters not just because they’re annoying . . . but because they’re GOOD. I assure you that people wouldn’t care as much about Michael Bisping if he was twice as annoying but only half as good as he is now. Compare him to Wanderlei Silva . . . whose record in the UFC stands at a lackluster 3-4 and at one point was 1-3. If Michael Bisping posted a 1-3 record, his ass would be out the door as opposed to Wanderlei who continues to draw fans with his charismatic personality and draw big fights.

That’s the danger now: Brock Lesnar’s status as a badass was hurt after his first round demolition at the hands of Valesquez. Many questioned his heart, his dedication and his skill and the very realistic scenario of a first round knockout at the hands of Overeem would shatter Lesnar’s aura of intimidation. The only way the UFC can win from this is if Overeem and Lesnar get into a brutal, multi-round back and forth war . . . which isn’t out of the question. The more realistic outcome however is that Lesnar goes to sleep within 2 rounds or Overeem gets outwrestled and battered in the same amount of time.

To kill a cash cow or to kill a legend? That’s the dilemma Dana White has inadvertently put himself into at UFC 141.

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