The UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem fight card is officially underway from Las Vegas, but Minnesotan's have a few hours to get comfortable as Alexandria's own Brock Lesnar won't fight until the main event. Lesnar faces off against Dutch kickboxer Alistair Overeem in a bout that will determine the next contender for the UFC's heavyweight title.
The two fighters weighed in right around the 265 pound heavyweight limit on Friday, but Bloody Elbow's Fraser Coffeen writes that there's more to this fight than simply size:
The story the UFC is using to sell this fight is size. And that's a fair angle to take as both Lesnar and Overeem are absolutely huge Heavyweights. But to me the real story here is that this is for a shot at Junior dos Santos, as the winner will be the new #1 contender for the UFC Heavyweight belt. Both potential match-ups to come out of this are fascinating.
Lesnar and dos Santos were set to meet at UFC 131 as the culmination of The Ultimate Fighter, but Lesnar's health issues pushed him out of that fight - a chance to redo that fight, now with the title on the line and Brock looking to regain his belt would make a great story. On the other side, Overeem has stormed through competition all over the world, and if he beats Lesnar, he will absolutely be deserving of a shot at the champion in what would be a great battle of strikers.
Lesnar and Overeem will likely get underway after 11 p.m. Minnesota time, but there's a whole card worth watching so anyone decides to order the pay-per-view shouldn't be disappointed. For a full list of the remaining fights, along with predictions from the experts, check here.
For more on the UFC, be sure to visit Bloody Elbow as well as MMA Nation.