Fighters like Nelson, Faber and Mir fired up for tonight’s main event at UFC 141
LAS VEGAS - It's a special main event if the fighters are jacked up about the possibilities and that was clear yesterday at the MGM Grand Garden Garden Arena.
Set up on the concourse with our show on ESPN1100/98.9 FM in Las Vegas, fighter after fighter stopped by and beamed about tonight's fight between Alistair Overeem and Brock Lesnar (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT).
Most said it comes down to the fighter that dictates the style of the fight and all of them suggested that there's no way it goes past the second round.
"Different athletes are well-rounded and then there are athletes that are very good at one particular skill set," Roy Nelson told "The MMA Insiders" show with myself, Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole and fighter/MMA analyst Frank Trigg. "If Brock tries to go in there throwing punches with Alistair, he's gonna lose. If Alistair tries to wrestle with Brock, he's gonna lose. This fight is whoever gets off first."
Outside of the respective camps, Frank Mir probably has the strongest opinion we've heard on the fight. The former UFC heavyweight champ likes Lesnar big and isn't backing off his pick.
"Of all the accolades we can heap on Overeem footwork is not one of them," Mir said. "[...] If he were to land a good shot on Brock he very well could win. But I mean, land a good shot or Brock land his double-leg? What is the higher percentage of what's probably gonna happen?"
Mir also thinks that Lesnar's more comfortable at 266 pounds versus Overeem, who's added the weight over the last four years. That could lead to stamina issues for the Dutchman.
Forrest Griffin says the mystery of the fight will be solved quickly.
"We'll know how the fight's going to go in the first minute," said Griffin. He also pointed that Lesnar's long layoff since Oct. of 2010 could be a factor.
For the last few weeks, Urijah Faber was squarely on the side of Overeem, but now he's 50-50 on the fight.
"The one wild-card in there is that Brock doesn't seem to understand how to take a punch," said Faber.
The featherweight title contender doesn't question Lesnar's chin. It's more about being able to slip, absorb and shake off punches mentally. Trigg and Faber got into an interesting discussion about what needs to be happening in Lesnar's camp.
Faber was quick to point out that Lesnar is a desperate fighter right now and that he will score a takedown at some point in the fight. That's when the ultimate test comes for Overeem.
Watch UFC 141 right here on Yahoo! Sports
