The ribbon is wrapped around UFC 141 and a nice bow sits on top of the "Lesnar vs. Overeem" pay-per-view (PPV) event.
Last night's (Dec. 30, 2011) mixed martial arts (MMA) action was a huge hit for the fans fortunate enough to catch all all of it on Facebook, Spike TV and PPV, which took place LIVE from "Sin City," as well those who were in attendance at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The main event featured a heavyweight mash-up between two giants as former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar welcomed former Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem to the Octagon. In the co-main event, two top lightweight contenders threw down as Stockton slugger Nate Diaz came in looking to back up the smack talk he'd thrown at Donald Cerrone in the build up to their fight.
As usual, MMAmania.com is already moving forward and looking into the future.
Follow me after the jump as we take a look at what's next for Alistair Overeem and Nate Diaz:
The winner of Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem was promised, in advance, a shot at Junior dos Santos and his newly acquired heavyweight championship belt.
For Overeem, last night's performance was the biggest of his MMA career. After winning the Strikeforce, K-1 and DREAM championship belts, the UFC was the final frontier left for "The Reem" to conquer.
Standing in his way was the self-proclaimed "Baddest Man on the Planet."
Everyone knew Overeem's striking would be key in how this fight went down. Lesnar would have to get the action to the mat if he had a chance. Unfortunately, Lesnar was never able to impose his will the way he planned. He was never able to get anything close to a takedown, and to no one's surprise, he was extremely overmatched in the stand up game.
A first-round body kick to the liver sent the former champion crumbling to the canvas, before referee Mario Yamasaki stopped the furious onslaught of punches and ended the fight.
For his efforts, Overeem will now get a crack at UFC gold in a bout that will pit quite possibly feature the two finest heavyweight strikers in all of MMA as he takes on "Cigano" sometime in early 2012.
It's another colossal heavyweight showdown that is very easy to get excited about.
When it was announced that Donald Cerrone would fight Nate Diaz, fans everywhere were thrilled. What more could you ask for -- two top-flight, 155-pound, trash-talking, packages of dynamite who are willing to compete anywhere the fight takes them?
Yes, please.
When it came down to it, Diaz's boxing was way too crisp and precise for "Cowboy" to keep up with. From the opening horn, Diaz picked Cerrone apart with well-placed punches and stellar stand-up.
To put it in perspective, CompuStrike reported Diaz outstriking Cerrone by a whopping 258 to 66.
Ridiculous.
Diaz proved that he is a force to be reckoned with in the lightweight division and that we probably shouldn't expect to see him leaving the 155-pound weight class again. For his next fight, a rematch against Gray Maynard wouldn't look too shabby. Or maybe a re-match against Clay Guida, who is also currently without an opponent?
Diaz lost to both fighters in his first go-round, but he's a much better fighter these days. Personally, I'd pay to see either fight. The only problem: Both "The Bully" and "The Carpenter" are coming off recent losses.
Perhaps the winner of the fight between Jim Miller vs. Melvin Guillard next month in the UFC on FX 1 maine event is the most logical scenario.
Are you Maniacs pumped about the upcoming title fight between Junior dos Santos and Alistair Overeem? Who do you think Diaz should fight next?
Sound off!
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