· “UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem” Results And Recap

The much anticipated heavyweight clash between Strikeforce Champion Alistair Overeem and former UFC champion Brock Lesnar was seen by most in an interesting light. The idea heading into the bout between a wrestling champion and kickboxing champion was that neither man is super durable. If Brock can score a takedown, he would likely TKO the debuting Overeem. If not, his history of putrescent striking defense did not bode well for the Minnesotan.

Lesnar mainly seemed content when the two behemoths entered the cage. The Dutchman looked extremely calm as Lesnar, showing improved striking, was unable to take him to the ground in his sole attempt. Like many of Overeem’s foes, Brock’s ultimate undoing came in the clinch range. "The Reem," known for his brutal knees, badly hurt Lesnar on two separate occasions with knees to the body. After a stiff kick to the liver, Lesnar tumbled to the ground in pain and Overeem mercilessly beat on him until referee Mario Yamasaki stepped in to make the save, calling the fight at 2:26 of the opening stanza.

Overeem now sets his sights on UFC Champion Junior Dos Santos in a boxer vs Thai fighter clash. Immediately after the bout, Lesnar announced his retirement from MMA.

As expected, it was a thrilling lightweight affair when Donald Cerrone and Nate Diaz stepped into the cage. Both men took the center of the cage and began swinging. It was apparent from the start, however, that the volume of punching of the Stockton native, from the very first exchange, would dictate the fight.

Diaz dominated cowboy throughout the first round, busting up the lip and nose of the Colorado native. Cerrone, a notoriously slow starter, came to life in the second round, utilizing his Muay Thai to kick the legs out from the Gracie brown belt, even dropping Diaz with a high kick. Never one to back down, Diaz continued to come forward with his voluminous punches, wobbling Cowboy near the end of the round. Both men continued with their aggression into the third, but the story remained much the same, Diaz’s unceasing wave of punches continued, leading to a 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 unanimous decision.

In what can only be described as a changing of the guard, Johnny Hendricks annihilated Jon Fitch in a mere 12 seconds. Hendricks uncorked a massive overhand right on Fitch’s chin, sending him stiff to the mat. It took one more punch to put the consensus number-two welterweight in the world away. Fitch, upset that he didn’t get a chance to recover, clearly had little to complain about as he took down referee Steve Mazaggati after he came in to make the save.

Alexander Gustafsson simultaneously continued to climb the light heavyweight ladder, and lived up to his nickname, "The Mauler." Gustafsson connected with a short left jab, dropping the veteran Vladimir Matyushenko and simply assaulting him with punches, forcing Yves Lavigne to come to "The Janitor’s" mercy at 2:13 of the opening period.

In what was easily one of the most dominant performances in UFC history, Jim Hettes blitzed Nam Phan with his incredible grappling prowess in the main card’s featherweight opener. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu purple belt, almost finished the TUF veteran early in the fight, and aside from his usual slick submission skills, displayed an impressive arsenal of accurate ground-and-pound. Phan managed to survive, only to hear the judges’ lopsided 30-25, 30-25, 30-26 decision.

In his featherweight debut, Ross Pearson outpointed Junior Asunncao by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28). It was a tepid start to the bout as Assuncao stayed on the outside, attacking intermittently. The Brit awoke in the second stanza and soundly outstruck the Brazilian, dropping him in the second. The story remained mostly the same through the final belt, as "The Real Deal" used his superior boxing to outclass the capoeira master.

Stepping in on short notice, Danny Castillo used his superior wrestling to to outmuscle Anthony Njokuani through much of their bout. It was not, however without some resistance from the Nigerian, who nearly knocked out the Alpha Male product with a brutal right in the second period at the final bell. The judges gave "Last Call" a 29-28, 29-28, 28-29 split decision.

Bouncing back from a deflating first round loss to title challenger Carlos Condit, Dong Hyun Kim dominated Sean Pierson en rout to a unanimous 30-27 decision. The South Korean, known primarily for his judo, "Stun Gun" showed greatly improved boxing as he managed to slip in and out and use his long limbs to out land the Canadian for the duration of the bout. The Judoka absolutely crushed Pierson with a leaping front kick, shades of Lyoto Machida, and almost ended the bout at the end of the second period, almost finishing the bout via knockout.

Efrain Escudero’s return to the Octagon did not go as the MMA Lab product would have liked. Jacob Volkmann outwrestled the Mexican for the greater portion of the fight, showing positional dominance and sharp guard passing skills. It was not until the third that "Hecho En Mexico" managed some offense and he locked the Minnesota native in several deep chokes. Volkmann managed to survive serious peril and make it to the final bell. In the end, "Christmas" took home a win with the judges scoring the bout 29-28 across the board.

Diego Nunes looked to chop down Manny Gamburyan in a featherweight thriller. While Gamburyan found his range in the second, stunning Nunes, the Brazilian managed to keep the battle at a distance for much of the third. When the judges rendered their decision, the Nova Uniao product took a unanimous 29-28 over the Armenian.

Full Results:

Main Card

• Alistair Overeem def. Brock Lesnar via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 2:26
• Nate Diaz def. Donald Cerrone via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Johny Hendricks def. Jon Fitch via knockout (punches) - Round 1, 0:12
• Alexander Gustafsson def. Vladimir Matyushenko via TKO (punches) - Round 1, 2:13
• Jim Hettes def. Nam Phan via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-26)

Undercard

• Ross Pearson def. Junior Assuncao via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
• Danny Castillo def. Anthony Njokuani via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Dong Hyun Kim def. Sean Pierson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Jacob Volkmann def. Efrain Escudero via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Diego Nunes def. Manny Gamburyan via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)