UFC 141 (Fri, Dec 30): Lesnar vs. The Reem

[Nemesis21]

I see him going back to WWE, less physical, scripted, and doesn't have to train as hard.

[Elden Payton]

Am I the only one who was pulling for Hendricks ? I'm the only one to pick him in the picks. Should have ranked him higher in my picks.

I was hoping Hendricks would win but I figured Fitch would Fitch him.

Am glad I was wrong, amazing KO.

[K1NG]

+2 on Brock going back to the WWE. The unpredictable nature of MMA is one of the main things that makes it exciting. I haven't really watched wrestling in over 5 years and I know for a fact that it will be Undertaker vs Lesnar at Wrestlemania in 2013.

[SabasRevenge!]

I've been surprised to see a few media outlets call this card disappointing. Sure there was a lot of grinding early on, but that's part of the sport.

The first prelim was quite good and it was good to see Kim loosen up. The main card was pretty damn entertaining. Even Hettes/Phan was great insofar as Hettes put on a grappling clinic and stayed very active. Guys like that remind us that grappling can be a great show as well. The only fight that really bummed me out was the Njoukani/Castillo match. I understand the 29-28 scores, but I hate it when a guy is rewarded for basically holding a guy down and not doing any damage. Njoukani actually did some damage and I think we need judging to adjust accordingly. Hello Martin Kampmann!!

Gustafsson is an exciting prospect who scored a rare jab KO after Vlad basically walked into his fist. I was looking forward to seeing how Gustafsson looked and am excited to see him take a step up. One or two more wins and he's fighting the top guys at 205.

Hendricks/Fitch was a phenomenally satisfying surprise. Everybody and their mother was rooting for Johny in the upset but few (including me) thought it was very likely. Interesting that the betting lines weren't actually that crazy though. I saw Johny fight up in Seattle and got a "Sweep the leg, Johny!" in, so I've got a little soft spot for the guy.

Diaz/Cerrone was easily my fight of the night, especially considering I'm a big Diaz fan. It didn't take long for me to come around on them and their thrilling, unorthodox, highly effective "Stockton slap" style. I was expecting a Cerrone W but pleasantly surprised to see Diaz really turn the corner and prove that he's ready for the top guys at lightweight.

I don't get the complaining about the main event. It was an awesome Bas Rutten/liver kick KO that was set up by a beautifully executed fight by Overeem. Brock's an athletic freak and an entertainer but he's not really a fighter. Lesnar looked like he wanted out of that fighter after eating one knee.

In the end this card showed what god-awful predictions I'm capable of but left me pleasantly surprised with the final results. Guys I was rooting for but picked against: Hendricks, Diaz, Overeem. Not a bad night.

[theSkinny]

You could see in Brock's eyes when he was entering the ring his head wasn't in it.

The kid impressed me a lot, such precise judo,striking and just smothered Pham.

[Headliner]

When Brock started fist pumping to the music, I switched my prediction and said he was going to lose.
You could already see he wasn't into it. When Overeem called a 2nd round TKO and Brock never responded I thought that was fishy. Two years ago he'd be calling for his head.
When I saw him do the fist pump thing it felt like a weak attempt to get a little motivated.

I think he went in there to collect the 400k and retire. If he had won he'd have to keep going, he didn't want to win. That's not saying he could have, just that he didn't even want to. He didn't even go for a takedown. He let go of Reems leg and decided to stand with him instead.

It was a really strange looking fight to say the least.

When you think about it, it must be hard to train like an animal and fight some of the toughest guys in the world for 400K when you could make a Mill just by doing one 20 minute match at Wrestlemania.

[SabasRevenge!]

You could see in Brock's eyes when he was entering the ring his head wasn't in it.

The kid impressed me a lot, such precise judo,striking and just smothered Pham.

I totally agree about Hettes. He dominated Caceres, but Alex is a smaller dude (now fights at 135 I believe). Hettes made Phan look damn silly out there... couldn't get his boxing loose for nothing. I'd like to see them put Hettes up against Pearson next. Both guys fought on that card so the timing would work. Pearson's striking and take down defense would pose challenges for Hettes, so I think it would give us a pretty good indication of where Hettes is really at in that division.

[Elden Payton]

When Brock started fist pumping to the music, I switched my prediction and said he was going to lose.
You could already see he wasn't into it. When Overeem called a 2nd round TKO and Brock never responded I thought that was fishy. Two years ago he'd be calling for his head.
When I saw him do the fist pump thing it felt like a weak attempt to get a little motivated.

I think he went in there to collect the 400k and retire. If he had won he'd have to keep going, he didn't want to win. That's not saying he could have, just that he didn't even want to. He didn't even go for a takedown. He let go of Reems leg and decided to stand with him instead.

It was a really strange looking fight to say the least.

When you think about it, it must be hard to train like an animal and fight some of the toughest guys in the world for 400K when you could make a Mill just by doing one 20 minute match at Wrestlemania.

Great post & I agree.

[cowboyronnie]

Cerrone looked terrible. Move your damn head. You can't counter a guy with a longer reach unless you move. He stood straight up, his neck on a stick. Failure of Greg Jackson. That weirdo ****.

Lesnar actually looked really good. He was moving so lightly, his hands were comfortable. Damn, I can't believe how his footwork looked. It's such a waste, really...all that technical improvement.

He is the man for the workload he took. Fearless. A good character in loss too.

Hendricks vs Fitch...MMA is dumb. Off that fight, in no way could you predict what would happen in another 9 fights between those two. It happens way too much. JDS vs Velasquez, same thing. These aren't fights that measure the skill of the fighters.

[K1NG]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbasbbupBlA[/youtube]