Why lesnar will beat overeem

The Debate. Breaking News. Lesnar was smashed by Overeem with a devastating liver kick. While still officially the No. He's scuffled to during his last four fights and most recently wound up on the wrong end of a highlight-reel KO by Francis Ngannou at UFC six months ago. Can you think of a better one?

Now 38, Overeem is going off as a slight underdog to the gritty but unheralded Blaydes, according to OddsShark. He's still among the most decorated strikers in the entire UFC, but he never again reached the heights of his initial victory over Lesnar. Their bout was intended to be a title eliminator, but Overeem didn't make it to his date with then-champion Junior dos Santos at UFC In April , Overeem failed a drug test administered by the Nevada State Athletic Commission and was handed a de facto nine months suspension that knocked him out of consideration for a title shot.

The positive drug test confirmed the longstanding suspicions of fans who had watched him morph from a beanpole light heavyweight early in his career to a hulking heavyweight by his mids. After claiming the Strikeforce heavyweight title from Paul Buentello in November , Overeem spent the bulk of the next four years fighting outside the U. That stretch saw him craft finishes in nine of his 10 wins—eight coming in the first round—while he steadily added to his physical bulk and to his resume as one of MMA's most imposing figures.

By the time he landed in the UFC, his physique befit the "Uberreem" nickname he'd hung on himself a few years earlier.

The former NCAA wrestling champion and fake WWE wrestler kept his unparalleled popularity during his recovery, and Lesnar used the time off to modify both his diet and his standup game, attempting to improve his biggest weakness.

As it turned out, Lesnar couldn't improve enough to contend with the supremely skilled Overeem, who embraced Lesnar afterward. In the co-main event, Diaz backed up his tough talk and rude behavior in a fight that had the sellout crowd on its feet as he battered Cerrone, nearly a 3-to-1 favorite in the MGM Grand sportsbook, for most of the three-round standup fight.

Diaz, the brother of bad-boy welterweight Nick Diaz , picked apart Cerrone's defense for most of the fight, leaving Cerrone bloody after his first loss in seven fights since September Cerrone knocked down Diaz at least a half-dozen times with kicks and leg-whips, but Cerrone refused to fight Diaz on the ground, repeatedly allowing Diaz to get up.

The unusual strategy showed respect for Diaz's ground skills, but also minimized the importance of those knockdown shots in the eyes of the judges, who scored the bout twice and once, all for Diaz. Hendricks ascended to elite status with one sneaky left hook that caught Fitch right on the button, flattening the favored San Jose fighter, whose return from a month absence was stunningly brief.

Early in the pay-per-view portion of the card, Swedish light heavyweight Alexander Gustafsson stopped veteran Vladimir Matyushenko with a perfect left hand midway through the first round. Unbeaten featherweight Jim Hettes got new fans' attention with a comprehensive thrashing of veteran Nam Phan , repeatedly threatening to finish the fight with strikes and ground work. Skip to main content Skip to navigation.

Lesnar retires after first-round loss to Overeem. Leaving on the heels back-to-back losses to Cain Velasquez and Overeem is nothing to be ashamed of. And it certainly is nothing that overshadows, or in any way tarnishes, his brief, albeit wildly successful career.

Nate Diaz does a great job of embracing the heel role. Not among fans. He embraces the heel role among his fellow fighters. His attitude toward his opponents is the same heading into each and every fight.

Diaz acts loathsome toward his foes. He mean-mugs them at every opportunity. He often taunts them during pre-fight staredowns. And he certainly trash talks during fights. Many think that is just part of his Stockton, California bravado.

I think it is largely an act. One that is designed to both enrage his opponent and also put Diaz in the right mindset to enter a locked cage with a man who has trained for months to do nothing but hurt him.

His antics may not impact every bout, but I firmly believe they impacted his fight with Donald Cerrone. He fought Diaz with pure emotion, particularly in the opening moments of the first round. Cerrone lived up to his pre-fight promise and literally ran across the cage and tried to punch Diaz in the face. The Cesar Gracie standout responded by slipping the punch and countering with a sharp, pinpoint combination that forever changed the course of the fight. Cerrone was hurt with the very first salvo.

He never fully recovered. Diaz, by contrast, used his success in the opening seconds as the foundation for a masterful standup performance, arguably the best of his career. By the time the first round was over, Cerrone was a beaten fighter. But the look on his face said it all. There was nothing he was going to do to derail the Diaz train on that night, and I think he knew it.