Brock Lesnar To Face Alistair Overeem On December 30thFormer champions will collide inside the Octagon on December 30th in Las Vegas, Nevada. Brock Lesnar will face Alistair Overeem in a battle of former UFC and Strikeforce heavyweight titleholders. The bout was first reported by the L.A. Times and subsequently confirmed by UFC officials on Twitter.

Lesnar will make his return to the cage after a second bout with diverticulitis this year. He has not fought since losing his UFC title to Cain Velasquez last October. Overeem was released from his Strikeforce contract in late July despite holding the promotion’s belt and is unbeaten in his last 11 fights.

Lesnar (5-2-0) became UFC Heavyweight Champion in just his fourth professional fight by defeating Randy “The Natural” Couture at UFC 91. He avenged his first loss eight months later by stopping Frank Mir at UFC 100. Lesnar was then sidelined for a year while battling intestinal disease diverticulitis, which reportedly threatened both his career and life at one point. He returned to action and scored a dramatic come-from-behind submission victory over Shane Carwin at UFC 116, but lost his title in one-sided fashion to Velasquez at UFC 121.

Overeem (35-11-0, 1 NC) is currently the premier heavyweight outside of the UFC and will now look to bring his recent success into his debut for the promotion in December. The Dutch standout became Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion close to four years ago, but only made one defence of his title in May 2010. Last year, he added the K-1 Heavyweight Championship to his mantle and looked to be a favourite to win the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix before he was abruptly released from the organisation this summer.

The blockbuster fight between Lesnar and Overeem represents a clash of styles between a pair of aggressive fighters with very different backgrounds. Lesnar’s wrestling will match up against Overeem’s strong kickboxing skills and underrated ground game in a pivotal bout for both fighters. The winner of the December clash may move on to challenge for the UFC Heavyweight Championship in 2012.

Lesnar and Overeem will face off on December 30th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. While no official announcements have been made, the rare Friday event is expected to be titled UFC 141. The non-title bout will be contested over five rounds.

 

 

(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)

  1. ufc is still around?