Alistair Overeem still hopes to fight Brock Lesnar, blames UFC losses on old training team

It's easy to understand why a fighter like Luke Rockhold can't get past his knockout loss to Vitor Belfort, but I still can't figure out why Alistair Overeem is so hung up on a Brock Lesnar rematch, considering he laid waste to the WWE headliner back at UFC 141.

And Lesnar retired from mixed martial arts (MMA) nearly three years ago.

That victory marked "Demolition Man's" first as a UFC fighter, but he would stumble in his next two fights after getting knocked out by Antonio Silva (UFC 156) and Travis Browne (UFC Fight Night 26). As far as the blame game? Well, his old training partners had a little something to do with that.

From his conversation with Sportskeeda:

"I do think that my losses were contributed to by my team at that time, because you need to have good sparring partners, good coaches that take care of the direction of the fight, the overall training regimen. I do think that was lacking in the two losses. But then again, it is sports and as you saw with Spain, who were world champions twice and we (Netherlands) destroyed them completely and couldn't even get through to the finals. But that's what happens, you are on a winning streak and then people change, teams change, people get better, new opponents arise and I did drop the ball a few times because you are condemned to do that. But everyone can be assured that I am always working hard, always training hard, put together the right team behind me and I do feel that a new title reign is coming soon for me... I do believe that Brock Lesnar will be coming back, I don't want to call it from retirement, but he is a huge draw, big guy, sells tickets. So that's a fight I would be interested in."

Not so fast.

Before Overeem can play matchmaker, he first needs to get past fellow heavyweight Ben Rothwell at the upcoming UFC Fight Night 50 event on FOX Sports 1, which is scheduled for Foxwoods Resort & Casino in Ledyard, Conn., on Sept. 5, 2014.

And Lesnar has to give up his cush job in the land of make believe.