The Main Card for this event has several interesting bouts and it should prove to be an exciting night of fights. Some of the staff here at MMA Crypt have provided their predictions for UFC 141, which takes place FRIDAY December 30th. Contributing to MMA Cyrpt's Staff Predictions for UFC 141 (main card only) are :

Kickass32 - Crypt Site Moderator, Misfit - Crypt Administrator, Kimurafan - Crypt Site Moderator, Rich Davie - Crypt Administrator, CooperJacob - Crypt writer & CrimsonColts18 - Crypter


Main Card:

Heavyweight Bout:

Brock Lesnar (5-2-0) vs. Alistair Overeem (35-11-1)

Lightweight Bout:

Nate Diaz (14-7-0) vs. Donald Cerrone (17-3-0)

Welterweight Bout:

Jon Fitch (26-3-1) vs. Johnny Hendricks (11-1-0)

Light Heavyweight Bout:

Vladimir Matyushenko (26-5-0) vs.Alexander Gustafsson (12-1-0)

Featherweight Bout:

Manny Gamburyan (13-7-0) vs. Diego Nunes (16-2-0)


UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem Predictions from the staff at MMA Crypt.


Brock Lesnar (5-2-0) vs. Alistair Overeem (35-11-1)

Kickass32 : This is one fight that the fighters styles couldn't be more opposite. Brock is a tough as nails wrestler with little standup to speak of other than pure power. Overeem is the prototypical standup fighter, and although he has a number of submission victories to his credit, he really isn't a threat on the ground. Simply put, whomever fights their fight wins this.
A.O is big and strong, and so is Brock, and I'll give Brock the speed and strength advantage. Overeem looked horrible in his last fight against werdum, while Brock looked bad in his last fight against Cain.
I usually see ring rust as being the great equalizer and a real bitch, but Brock's style of fighting isn't reliant on timing so much, so I actually don't see it playing a factor here. I do see Brock overwhelming Overeem, taking him to the ground and dishing out a very brutal and lopsided beating...ala Mir/Lesnar II.

Brock Lesnar via 2nd rd KO

Misfit : I'll start with, I've been drinking so I apologize for grammar, spelling and overall stupidness. This fight gives me a ton of question marks, but if I have to pick a winner, I'm going to say, Brock, nasty GnP in the first or second. This fight is about which fighter can make their fight happen. I don't think Brock can KO Overeem standing, mostly cause I don't trust Reem's chin more than I respect Brock's hands. But I also look at who each guy has been fighting. Brock has had 1 easy MMA fight against some guy mostly likely with the name Kim in his name. It was ugly, Brock threw ugly ass punches with this thumbs sticking straight out, it was just horrible. But since coming to the UFC, every single fight has been against a damn good fighter and YES, Herring is/was a damn good fighter. So, Brock has really never had an easy UFC fight, Reem on the other hand has made a career out of fighting guys he really has no business fighting. That said, Reem did destroy every single one of those guys just like he should have, no fighting down to his competition UNTIL..., the Werdum fight. Not sure if I just want to call that a bad night or what. But if Reem is that afraid of Brock as he was Werdum, it will be a short night for him as Brock knows how to take the fight to his deep end unlike Werdum, wishing the fight entered his waters. So, I'm saying Brock TKO in 1st or 2nd.

Kimurafan : Friday's main event is a match-up of two men who are heavyweights among heavyweights. Even so, what makes this match-up so intriguing is the fact that both men, despite considerable offensive arsenals, are so glaringly fallible. Lesnar's domineering top control and thunderous ground-and-pound have seen him demolish opponents such as Frank Mir and Shane Carwin, but performances such as his defeat at the hands of Cain Velasquez have led fans to question his striking capabilities and the strength of his chin. On the other side of the equation, Alistair Overeem has long been lauded as a talented striker, an attribute which has only been augmented by his triumph in the 2010 K1 World Grand Prix, but his own suspect chin has been put on display throughout his career. Furthermore, the issue of whether or not Overeem has the level of defensive wrestling necessary to fend off Lesnar's seemingly hydraulic takedowns is perhaps the most significant factor in the upcoming bout. If Lesnar is able to establish himself in the top position and land significant punches, can Overeem persevere? An in-depth study of Overeem's past losses strongly suggests that if he were to be planted on his back by Lesnar, he would likely not be able to find his feet and, if Lesnar were able to connect with heavy shots, would likely be brutally battered. On the other hand, if Lesnar is unable to effectively close the distance and remove Overeem from his footing, one well-placed knee or uppercut may be all it takes to spell the end for him. This fight is incredibly difficult to call as both men have clear paths to victory and fatal flaws that could well lead to crushing defeat. However, it would seem that Lesnar's wrestling ability is impressive enough to plant virtually any heavyweight on the canvas. Even Cain Velasquez fell prey to the Lesanr takedown, even if he did go on to win the fight. Unlike Velasquez, Overeem does not seem to have the guard-game to be able to threaten from his back or frustrate Lesnar's top-game enough to escape to his feet. Once Lesnar secures a clean takedown, he will control Overeem and pound him out for the stoppage victory.

Brock Lesnar - (T)KO - Round 2

Rich Davie : For me, this one appears to be a no-brainer after watching the bout between Overeem & Werdum. If Overeem was so tentative to engage Werdum in the stand-up aspect of the game where Overeem was supposed to be the better striker and Werdum was winning that aspect of the fight in the 1st round, then I don't hold much hope for Overeem going up against Lesnar unless Brock is not 100%. This one should be over early on in the bout, and I doubt it goes past round 2 or 3. I'm gonna say that Brock reverts to his old standard of bum-rushing Overeem to take him down and holding him there to land his patented "jack-rabbit hammer fists" to win the fight by TKO in the 2nd round.

Brock Lesnar by TKO in round 2

CrimsonColts18 : I mean this fight only has 2 ways it is gonna go. #1 Brock gets in and gets the takedown, and pounds him out finishing him within 3 rounds cause he is able to take him down at will basically. #2 Overeem lands 1 good shot on Brock and knocks his ass out. I figure Overeem will land a big shot, Brock will back up and cover up, Overeem will land another big shot on Brock and that will be that.

Alistair Overeem by 1st round KO/TKO

CooperJacob : I wasn't impressed in the slightest at Overeem's performance against Werdum, he looked very hesitant and was unsuccessful in forming any sort of attack. However, Reem has all the characteristics to bounce back with a very solid performance. Lesnar will be at his best I believe, after such a long lay off he will be determined to come back with a bang. This is not going 5 rounds, and if it does it will look horrible in the fifth. Look for Lesnar to use his solid wrestling and overwhelm Overeem, who will come into the later rounds very tired en route to a Brock (T)KO.

Lesnar via 4th round (T)KO

Nate Diaz (14-7-0) vs. Donald Cerrone (17-3-0)

Kickass32 : I guarantee this is fight of the night...guarandamntee it!! This will more than likely be 15 minutes of standup warfare. Cerrone has shown his standup arsenal has been ever improving and Diaz, while more reliant on boxing than a diversified game, has shown he is capable of handling a stand up war.
I just see Cerrone winning the speed battle, and certainly has the power advantage, as well as more stand up weapons coming from his Muay Thai background. It'll be the diversification of Cerrone's arsenal that enables him to out point and punish Diaz.

Donald Cerrone via Unanimous Decision

Misfit : I see Cerrone just killing Nate. Granted, I don't think all that highly of Nate but he did have a DAMN good showing against Gomi but damn near everybody is having a good showing against Gomi now. But seeing what Cerrone did to Siver just blew me away, I think he's reached the next level and is 2 good wins away from a title shot and this will be 1 of those wins. I'm seeing Cerrone finishing this fight in the 2nd, I'm not real sure how but I'm guessin, maybe hoping for a brutal beatdown, ending with a tko of Diaz.

Kimurafan : Come Friday night, these two lightweights may very well steal the show. Both men will be ready for wherever the fight goes, and neither one will be willing to give an inch. Nate Diaz has long been known for his ground-game, but over the past several years Donald Cerrone has been very impressive when fighting from his back. Furthermore, while Diaz has displayed a boxing style which often overwhelms his opponents with the sheer volume of punches he throws, "Cowboy" has made his name with a fearsome Muay Thai arsenal and a granite chin. While Diaz is able to frustrate opponents with his punches, he is rarely able to overcome them based on that facet alone. Cerrone, on the other hand, has shown improved striking in almost every fight he has been in. Diaz will be able to hang with Cerrone on the feet early, but he will fade against Cerrone's superior technique and iron will. Later in the fight Cerrone will likely also showcase his improved takedowns to fortify his performance.

Donald Cerrone - Unanimous Decision

Rich Davie : I don't find this match-up to be all that interesting, and the odds makers apparently don't see this as much of a challenge for Cerrone either. Nate made a nice comeback in his last bout after being on the UFC chopping block, but I don't see him winning this fight... especially after he pissed-off Cerrone by slapping-off his trademark cowboy hat. I believe Cerrone is going to want to put an exclamation point on this win for that silly-ass move by Diaz, and I'm gonna go against the general consensus and predict Cerrone wins by submission in round 2.

Donald Cerrone by submission in round 2

CrimsonColts18 : This one is rather simple too. Donald Cerrone should win this fight. And when he does, what an impressive year for him. If he wins this fight, he will be 5-0 this year, all in the ufc. Very impressive, having said that, he should be able to beat Diaz, but he ain't gonna finish him. I figure it will be a good fight and probably fight of the night, but Nate Diaz doesn't get finished, and he won't here.

Donald Cerrone by decision

CooperJacob : Cerrone has looked at his career best in his last few outings, beating contenders such as Dennis Siver and Charles Oliveira in impressive fashion. Nate, however, dominated a once-great Fireball Kid in his last bout in devastating fashion and looks back to great form despite a two-fight skid prior to the fight with Gomi. This has all the makings of an instant classic in the ever-so exciting lightweight division, and the stare-down at the pre presser made the fight look even more exciting - with Diaz knocking Cerrone's signature cowboy fight off. I predict a frenetic pace in the first two rounds, and the third being dominant for Cerrone.

Cerrone via split/unanimous decision

Jon Fitch (26-3-1) vs. Johny Hendricks (11-1-0)

Kickass32 : I kinda see this fight as a "changing of the guard" fight. Hendricks and Fitch are both very highly skilled wrestlers, with Hendricks being the more decorated at the collegiate level. Hendricks also has a huge power advantage in the striking department.
All Fitch seems to do is win, win ugly, but still win. But I think Hendricks' wrestling wil win out over Fitch's and the striking game will take over, and while Fitch probably has the more technical striking, Hendricks has been improving a lot and the power advantage will win out, I'm going with the upset here.

Johny Hendricks via 2nd rd KO

Misfit : Fitch, via judges. He wins all 3 rounds just like he normally does. Nothing all that exciting but the outcome will be very, very clear.

Kimurafan : On paper, Fitch and Hendricks have similar styles. However, there will be a technique gap between the two men once the opening bell rings. While Hendricks is a more accomplished wrestler and has power in his strikes, Fitch is more polished with his boxing and grappling. Fitch has long been known to mix his strikes well with his takedowns. Meanwhile, we have seen Johnny Hendricks beaten at his own game in his fight with Rick Story. If Fitch gets taken down by Hendricks, his guard is such that he will likely be able to either sweep his opponent or escape to his feet. However, once Fitch is able to put Hendricks on his back, his top control will be more than effective enough to keep Hendricks here while he lands strikes and searches for submissions.

Jon Fitch - Unanimous Decision

Rich Davie : I don't have the animosity against Jon Fitch the way many MMA fans do for his style of winning fights... after all, the whole point of fighting is to win the bout any way possible. That being said I believe with what we've heard as of late regarding Fitch's desire to win by a method other than decision, Fitch will effort to finish the fight on the ground by submission which just might cause him to lose an upset. I'm inclined to agree with Kickass32 and believe that this one has the makings for an upset win by Hendricks when Fitch efforts to deviate from his old tried and true standard of winning. I'm gonna go with the upset pick as well and choose Johny Hendricks by TKO in round 2.

Johny Hendricks by TKO in round 2

CrimsonColts18 : I won't spend time on this one, Jon Fitch will win this fight. He will win it by decision, and be rather dominate in this fight like basically all of his other fights, and it will not lead to the title shot he actually deserves.

Jon Fitch by decision

CooperJacob : Not the most exciting fight on the card, that's for sure, but one of the most intriguing. There are two questions that could be answered here: can Fitch's impressive streak be stopped, or can Fitch finish a fight for the first time in three-and-a-half years. Jon Fitch has promised that he will finish the fight in order to deserve another shot at GSP, but Johny Hendricks is no joke. With only one loss in his career and wins over the likes of Mike Pierce and Charlie Brenneman, Johny has the potential to provide a major upset against Fitch. However, I imagine Jon Fitch will return to his roots in a three-round, borefest that contains a lack of action and overwhelming booing from the audience.

Fitch via unanimous decision


Vladimir Matyushenko (26-5-0) vs. Alexander Gustafsson (12-1-1)

Kickass32 : If not for the Cerrone/Diaz fight, this would be a top contender for FOTN honours. This is a fight that we'll get to see if the Gustafsson hype is for real, and Matyushenko seems to be the guy that the "Hype train" gets tested on, because he played a similar role for "Bones".
Matyushenko is a gamer and a veteran in the game, but I think everything that he does well, Gustafsson does just a little bit better, and training with Phil Davis has really tided up his ground game.
I predict a back and forth affair with both guys eating some big shots that have either of them teetering on the brink at different points in the fight, however I feel Gustafsson's age, and abilities will eventually get him over the hump in this one.

Alexander Gustafsson via 3rd rd KO

Misfit : Gustafsson via some nasty as KO kick.

Kimurafan :

Rich Davie : I think this bout is a toss-up. Matyushenko has the edge in the wrestling and experience departments, but I believe that Gustafsson has the better striking skills. I'm gonna say that Gustafsson efforts to keep it standing early on and goes for the finish by applying pressure and out striking Matyushenko. I'm picking the younger man to win in either round 1 or 2 by TKO.

Alexander Gustafsson by TKO in round 2

CrimsonColts18 : I am pretty sure alot of people are gonna go with Gustafsson in this one, but I think people need to look at it alot closer. I am in no way saying that he can't win, but the janitor doesnt lose except to the elite of the elite. And again, not saying Gustafsson cant be that, I just got a feeling that V-mat doesn't lose this fight. The janitor has fought guys of equal skill or better skill then Gustafsson and beat them, the only person on V-mats level that Gust fought was phil davis, and he lost that. I am picking Matyushenko by decision.

Vladimir Matyushenko by decision

CooperJacob : My favourite clash of the evening featuring two guys on the brink of top-10 status - if they haven't done enough to achieve that already. Both fighters have everything to win here, and this bout will separate the men from the boys. Will Gustafsson prove to be a hot prospect after all? Or will Matyushenko look as brutal as he did in his last fight with Brilz? I have no idea. From my perspective, this fight could be an overwhelming three-rounder for Gustafsson, or a quick finish from the big Belarusian. I'm going to go for the latter, and another quick finish from The Janitor.

Matyushenko via first-round (T)KO

Manny Gamburyan (13-7-0) vs. Diego Nunes (16-2-0)

Kickass32 : The toughest fight of the night for me to call. I can see this fight ending with either guys hand raised, no matter the outcome, I won't be suprised.
Gamburyan's judo may be the deciding factor here, but then again, Nunes' speed may decide things.
I am going to go in the direction that I believe Diego Nunes will imploy a "Bisping" approach to this fight and hit and move the entire fight, occasionally landing the big power shots, and giving manny fits and getting him frustrated.

Diego Nunes via Unanimous decision

Misfit : Manny being Manny, they will go to touch gloves and Manny will attack. I'll be rooting for Nunes but I see Manny grinding out a decision.

Kimurafan : While this fight certainly has the potential to be exciting, the majority of the action will likely be rather one-sided. While Manny Gamburyan certainly has considerable power

Who wins this one ?

Rich Davie : Manny has been plagued with injuries since the early days when he first appeared on TUF, and unfotunately that plague has followed him throughout his UFC career. Manny is also gonna be feeling the pressure to win and avoid the dreadful situation of being a UFC fighter with a potential 3 losses in a row. The majority of this bout will probably take place on the ground, and If Manny makes it through the fight without agravating his past shoulder injury I believe that Nunes wins a unanimous decision.

Diego Nunes by unanimous decision

CrimsonColts18 :

CooperJacob : This is another very exciting match-up with two former contenders in the featherweight division. Manny has lost two in a row and may be on the brink of being cut from the UFC, whilst Diego went three rounds with Florian in his last outing. Gamburyan could have won his fight with Griffin in a very close decision, and Nunes beat former champ Mike Brown in his UFC debut. These two have a wealth of experience in fighting top-10 FWs so will have no problem standing and banging. If this fight stays standing, Gamburyan will win this I believe, whereas Nunes could have the advantage on the ground. Manny has some sick judo throws and takedowns, but he will problem want this to stay on the feet. I predict that this could be fight of the night and that The Anvil will look great and will smother The Gun en route to a decision.

​Gamburyan via unanimous decision