| UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 The poster for UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem | ||||
| Promotion | Ultimate Fighting Championship | |||
| Date | December 30, 2011 | |||
| Venue | MGM Grand Garden Arena | |||
| City | Las Vegas, Nevada | |||
| Attendance | 13,793[1] | |||
| Total gate | $3,100,000[1] | |||
| Buyrate | 750,000[2][3] | |||
| Event chronology | ||||
| ||||
UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem was amixed martial artspay-per-view event held by theUltimate Fighting Championship on Friday December 30, 2011, at theMGM Grand Garden Arena inLas Vegas, Nevada.[4]
The UFC returned to a 10 p.m. ET start with this event.[5]
UFC 141 was the last event to feature preliminary fights live onSpike TV.[6]
This event markedBrock Lesnar's return to MMA action after being out for over a year due todiverticulitis. The lead up to the fight was rife with controversy regarding his opponent,Alistair Overeem. In November 2011, both competitors were required by theNSAC to comply with out-of-competition drug testing. Lesnar delivered his sample screen on November 21, while Overeem delivered his on November 23. The screen, however, did not meet the standards of the commission. Overeem submitted a second test through his personal physician – which was also deemed unacceptable – before flying out of the country. Overeem was ultimately given a conditional license for the fight by the committee during a meeting held on December 12, 2011.[7]
The winner of the main event was expected to faceJunior dos Santos in a bout for theUFC Heavyweight Championship.[8] After being defeated by Overeem, Lesnar announced his immediate retirement from the UFC.[9][10]
T. J. Grant was originally scheduled to faceJacob Volkmann at this event but was forced to pull out due to an undisclosed injury, and was replaced by returning veteranEfrain Escudero.[11]
Matthew Riddle was scheduled to faceLuis Ramos, but the bout was cancelled only moments before the fight due to Riddle being ill.[12]
Ramsey Nijem was scheduled to faceAnthony Njokuani at the event but was forced to pull out due to an undisclosed injury, and replaced byDanny Castillo.[13]
| Main card | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight class | Method | Round | Time | Notes | |||
| Heavyweight | Alistair Overeem | def. | Brock Lesnar | TKO (body kick and punches) | 1 | 2:26 | |
| Lightweight | Nate Diaz | def. | Donald Cerrone | Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Welterweight | Johny Hendricks | def. | Jon Fitch | KO (punch) | 1 | 0:12 | |
| Light Heavyweight | Alexander Gustafsson | def. | Vladimir Matyushenko | TKO (punches) | 1 | 2:13 | |
| Featherweight | Jimy Hettes | def. | Nam Phan | Decision (unanimous) (30-25, 30-25, 30-26) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Preliminary card (Spike TV) | |||||||
| Featherweight | Ross Pearson | def. | Junior Assunção | Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 30–27) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Lightweight | Danny Castillo | def. | Anthony Njokuani | Decision (split) (29–28, 28–29, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Preliminary card (Facebook) | |||||||
| Welterweight | Dong Hyun Kim | def. | Sean Pierson | Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) | 3 | 5:00 | [a] |
| Lightweight | Jacob Volkmann | def. | Efrain Escudero | Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Featherweight | Diego Nunes | def. | Manny Gamburyan | Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | [b] |
The following fighters received $75,000 bonuses.[14]
The following is the reported payout to the fighters as reported to theNevada State Athletic Commission. It does not include sponsor money and also does not include the UFC's traditional "fight night" bonuses.[15]
