As big as it gets

As buildups go, the one between Brock Lesnar and the Alistair Overeem is huge. Literally. Let’s call it the Battle of the Bigs.

With a combined weight of 521 pounds -- does it sound more impressive if you equate that to a quarter of a ton? -- the two combatants in the main event of Friday night’s UFC 141 card in Las Vegas are massive.

But that’s a good thing because when it comes to fighting -- whether it’s inside the ring or, in this case, the cage -- fans are always drawn towards the big men. There is just something different about seeing two big guys go toe-to-toe in a standup brawl or, on the canvas, using their massive frames.

Lesnar has been a star in the UFC because of sheer brute size, combined with an impressive physique and his past history in both professional wrestling. He has become a star that the UFC coveted to market its product, but Lesnar is still somewhat of a mystery as far as his true ability inside the Octagon.

He has only had seven professional fights and a total of just six in 4 1/2 years in the UFC through no fault other than health issues. In his last three wins, he put away his opponents without having to go the distance. But coming off a knockout loss to Cain Velasquez on Oct. 23, 2010, he is really an unknown factor going into the bout again Overeem, who is more experienced and more versatile.

Lesnar’s strengths are his size, wrestling ability and athleticism. His maturity inside and outside the cage is an important factor, too, but this particular bout also brings into play his hunger and desire. He has been away from the sport for so long battling a recurring problem with diverticulitis that he goes into this fight with a purpose perhaps greater than at any point in his mixed martial arts career.

Watch two live UFC 141 preliminary fights Friday at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT on all Sportsnet Ontario, Pacific and ONE.

When the UFC moved into mainstream TV with its first prime-time, nationally-televised fight on FOX in November, featuring then-champion Velasquez and challenger Junior Dos Santos, Lesnar was featured as one of the analysts. He had fought Velasquez, so he could give personal insight, but the fact he would potentially be fighting the winner pending the outcome of his bout against Overeem made him a natural for the broadcast.

Additionally, he had name recognition from his professional wrestling background, which is a huge -- no pun intended -- part of his marketability. The fact he is an American and the UFC is trying to broaden its brand makes him that much more appealing. He is really the American Dream in the heavyweight division as far as the UFC is concerned.

Velasquez lost in all of 64 seconds, sucking some of the enthusiasm out of the much-anticipated fight, depending on whether you like the action to be swift or prefer to have it last for at least one round or possibly go the distance. For sheer purposes of television and all that went into publicizing this historic event, combined with it being the only fight shown during the live one-hour broadcast, the quick ending didn’t give the UFC a chance to showcase its product.

Then again, is there anything more dramatic and powerful than a quick decision, particularly when it’s among two heavyweights? It’s almost expected. A definitive ending by knockout or submission is a pure ending. Nothing is left to the judges. There is no bias toward the champion.

This is Lesnar’s chance to reclaim some of the glory he enjoyed in this initial buildup in the UFC. If he loses the fight, it just means he has to work that much harder to move back up in the rankings and hope for a title shot somewhere down the line. He is a bankable commodity right now as a heavyweight whose career in the UFC started so dramatically and clearly demonstrated that he needed more experience if he was to become an impact. And as he started winning, he became just that. The fact he has been MIA for so long has actually helped put aside the last time he fought.

As has been the case throughout his UFC career, he is facing an individual with considerable more seasoning. Overeem, who makes his much-anticipated UFC debut, has a record of 35-11-1 and has not lost in his last 11 appearances. He is a superior striker and kickboxer. He would seem to have the edge on Lesnar’s grappling abilities, so this will be a test of Lesnar’s ability to take the fight to the ground and use his wrestling talents or hope he can stand up to his opponent’s superior skills standing up.

According to a couple sportsbetting websites, Overeem is the favourite at -150 (meaning you have to bet $150 to get $100 back, plus your initial bet.) Lesnar is +120 (meaning if you bet $100, you get $120 in return, plus your initial bet.) The over-under for the scheduled non-title, five-round fight is 1 1/2.

"The type of fighter I am and the type of fighter Brock is, we’re the type of guys that don’t want it to go to the second round," Overeem said. "Judging from his character in his previous fights, he’s going to come in for the kill and so am I. One plus one is two."

Logic would suggest that when you pit experience against hype, the smart money is on the experience. Certainly that is the way Vegas is viewing this match.

"I’ve been cleaning house overseas," Overeem added in response to being established as the favourite.

He noted this is his 69th fight in the last 14 years (he also competed in K-1 kickboxing 14 times) and added that he had fought as many times by the age of 19 that Lesnar has at this point of his mixed martial arts career.

Lesnar said he wasn’t concerned about his lack of experience.

"I don’t even know what my UFC record is, and I don’t care," Lesnar said. "As far as I’m concerned we’re both going to step in on Friday night 0-0."

Overeem, the former Strikeforce heavyweight champion and Dream title-holder in Japan, said the time was right to join the biggest MMA organization in the world.

"I’ve beat everybody outside of the UFC, so this was the logical next step," said Overeem, who added that winning a UFC title would be the "crown" of his career but he was not overlooking Lesnar.

In many ways, it’s a big fight for Overeem, for Lesnar and for the UFC.

Perry Lefko keeps you connected to all the news in the CFL on sportsnet.ca. He is also a regular contributor on other sports, including the UFC.