Alistair Overeem wants Brock Lesnar, blames team for losses
UFC heavyweight Alistair Overeem is pushing forward with his bizarre pursuit for a rematch with a man he beat with relative ease years ago - Brock Lesnar. The former NCAA wrestling champion retired after getting stopped by Overeem in the first round of their 2011 fight.
The loss was Lesnar's second in a row and followed multiple life-threatening bouts with diverticulitis. It seemed clear (and Lesnar went on to say as much) that the giant's heart and mind were no longer in fighting.
Lesnar has returned to pro wrestling and Overeem has had uneven results in his UFC career. After beating Frank Mir last winter, Overeem called Brock Lesnar out.
Other than wanting an easy, big-name fight against the the last guy he'd managed to beat before Mir (a drug suspension and two straight KO losses halted the Dutchman's progress after beating Lesnar), Overeem's reason for calling out Lesnar seemed a mystery. Unfortunately, Overeem decided to reiterate his desire to fight Lesnar again, in a recent interview.
"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," Overeem said.
No other serious fight fan would be interested in a rusty, sluggish Lesnar rematching Overeem again so it's likely "The Demolition Man" will have to fight others instead. In fact, Overeem is scheduled to take on Ben Rothwell at the UFC Fight Night 50 card Sep. 5.
As for his readiness for that bout, the kickboxing champion believes he'll be ready because he's with a new team - Team Jackson/Winkeljohn. Overeem blamed his coaches and former teammates - largely, the Blackzilians of South Florida - for his last two losses.
"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," he explained.
"I do think that was lacking in the two losses."
Do you think Overeem's losses were, in large part, the fault of his coaches and teammates? Or, was his incredible arrogance (against Antonio Silva) and chin-first, open guard on the feet (against Travis Browne) more to blame?
Let us know in the comments section.
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