Behind the UFC 141 Numbers: Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem fight complete statistical breakdown

This Friday night (Dec. 30, 2011), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will stage its final event of the year as Las Vegas, Nevada's MGM Grand Garden Arena plays host to UFC 141: "Lesnar vs. Overeem."

The main event of the evening will feature two of the largest and most dangerous men in all of mixed martial arts (MMA) as former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar makes his return to the Octagon against former Strikeforce heavyweight champion -- and Octagon newcomer -- Alistair Overeem.

It's a marquee match up that is one of the most highly anticipated pairings that MMA fans have seen in quite some time. It's also a fight that carries significant importance, with the victor going on to challenge current heavyweight kingpin, Junior dos Santos, in the near future.

Could there be a better way to "pre-game" for your New Year's Eve party than to watch these two behemoths try to take each other's heads off in the cage? I didn't think so.

After the jump, we'll examine the numbers and try to determine who will have the statistical advantage when the cage door closes at UFC 141.

Check it out:

Lesnar and Overeem share some similarities, mainly in relation to their respective statures. On Friday night, they will share the Octagon. However, they share no common opponents.

Still in the "Christmas Spirit" of giving, the benevolent fellows at CompuStrike were kind enough to analyze some fight footage of both of these heavyweights and to also share its findings with us. We've, in turn, passed the gift on to you.

The numbers are based on averages acquired from watching six of Lesnar's fights and nine of Overeem's.

Here's what CompuStrike crunched when it looked at the striking aspect:

Total Strikes:

Lesnar -- 43 of 73
Overeem -- 50 of 77

Percentage:

Lesnar -- 59 percent
Overeem -- 65 percent

Total Power Strikes Landed:

Lesnar -- 33
Overeem -- 33

Total Non-Power Strikes Landed:

Lesnar -- 10
Overeem -- 17

It's not surprising that "The Reem" takes the lead in this first stretch of the race. However, it's closer than you may have suspected.

How about the arm strikes when isolated from the rest of the striking information?

Here's what it looks like:

Total Arm Strikes Landed:

Lesnar -- 5 of 14
Overeem -- 6 of 11

Percentage of Arm Strikes Landed:

Lesnar -- 36 percent
Overeem -- 55 percent

Power Strikes Landed:

Lesnar -- 3
Overeem - 4

Non-Power Strikes Landed

Lesnar -- 2
Overeem -- 2

There's a large disparity in accuracy. Again, no shocker.

What about kicks and knees? You'd think Overeem, a K-1 kickboxing champion in 2010, would be light years ahead in this regard.

Check it out:

Total Leg Strikes Landed:

Lesnar -- 4 of 5
Overeem -- 10 of 12

Percentage of Leg Strikes Landed:

Lesnar -- 80 percent
Overeem -- 83 percent

Power Leg Strikes Landed:

Lesnar -- 3
Overeem -- 7

Non-Power Leg Strikes Landed:

Lesnar -- 1
Overeem -- 3

Again, the statistics are pretty much what you'd expect.

Last, but not least, the ground game may be the most interesting category to examine. Most pundits agree that for Lesnar to get the advantage, he'll need to take the fight to the ground. However, Overeem is quick to point out that he is no slouch on the mat. He does own 19 submission victories in his career.

This is what the statistics look like when checking out each fighters' success on the canvas:

Ground Strikes Landed:

Lesnar -- 34 of 54
Overeem -- 34 of 54

Percentage:

Lesnar -- 63%
Overeem -- 63%

Power Ground Strikes Landed:

Lesnar -- 27
Overeem -- 22

Non-Power Ground Strikes Landed:

Lesnar -- 7
Overeem -- 12

Takedowns:

Lesnar -- 9 of 13 for 69% (actual numbers, not averages)
Overeem -- 12 of 16 for 75% (actual numbers, not averages)

Submission Attempts:

Lesnar -- 2 (actual numbers, not averages)
Overeem -- 6 (actual numbers, not averages)

Dominant Positions:

Lesnar -- 9 (actual numbers, not averages)
Overeem -- 6 (actual numbers, not averages)

It does appear that Lesnar will hold the edge if the fight hits the ground, but not by a large margin.

What do you think, Maniacs? After checking the numbers, do you feel like Lesnar should be the underdog? Who ya' got in this one?

Bring on the comments!