UFC
Alistair Overeem guarantees UFC 141 fight with Brock Lesnar won't reach the third round
Dec 15, 2011 - 12:05:51 PM Alistair Overeem guarantees UFC 141 fight with Brock Lesnar won't reach the third round

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Alistair Overeem is ready to make a statement in his UFC debut on Dec. 30 against Brock Lesnar, and he continues to believe the fight will be a quick one. In an extended video preview for the UFC 141 event, Overeem guaranteed that the fight wouldn't hit the third round.

"I'm gonna beat up Brock Lesnar, and it's gonna take me no more than two rounds to do that," he said. "I would put my money on a knockout in the first round, but personally I can guarantee a knockout in the second."

The 2010 K-1 Grand Prix Champion and Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion brings a dangerous striking game into the fight, and it's that skill set, along with Lesnar's poor reactions in the past to getting hit, that Overeem believes gives him the edge.

"He's a very strong guy. He has strong wrestling, excellent wrestling, excellent takedowns," Overeem said of his opponent. "[But] Brock definitely doesn't like to get hit. I'm gonna hit him. I'm gonna hit him as hard as I can. And, I'm pretty good at it."

Ultimately, Overeem thinks his experience plays into his favor as well, as he feels he's seen it all throughout a 12-year career.

"I come to this confident in my experience," he said. "I've already had some really important fights; I've already been to hell and back; I've already seen a little bit of everything."

Finally, he gave fans one last thing to think about heading into UFC 141 later this month.

"I can just say one thing: if you guys think Cain Velasquez hits hard, wait till you see what I'm gonna do to him."

Penick's Analysis: Overeem is a very difficult opponent for Lesnar to face here. Overeem's not the wrestler that Velasquez and Carwin were in Lesnar's last two fights, but he's got a good jiu jitsu game, and he's just as dangerous a striker as those two were. If Lesnar can't impose his will, and hasn't improved his ability to react to getting punched in the face, this will be another bad fight for him. However, Lesnar is a resilient fighter, and his brute strength and technique on the ground will be a massive test for Overeem as well. That's what makes this such an intriguing fight, because right now there are a lot of different ways this fight can go.

[Alistair Overeem art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]