UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem is set to go down live on pay per view on Dec. 30, and you'd be crazy not to be interested. Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem don't necessarily represent the best that the sport of MMA has to offer, but just take a look at the two of them. Did you look? Can you honestly say you don't want to see which one of them is going to explode and shatter into a million pieces when they collide?
The betting odds have been slowly trickling out, and it's worth taking a look, even though the last few events haven't had any action worth taking. Really, the last couple have either been too close or too far apart with no underdog appeal at all. Donald Cerrone is a solid favorite over the Bay Area-based Nate Diaz, so if you're a firm believe in their abilities (not an irrational belief at all), there's some good money to be made there.
Another solid pick, at least in our opinion, is taking Vladimir Matyushenko as the underdog. The guy is on a tear lately, and over the last ... millennium or so ... he's only lost to current light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. Alexander Gustafsson is certainly a promising up-and-comer, but Matyushenko is the definition of dependable veteran. Also tempted to put money on Anthony Njokuani, but let's just assume that odds-makers know something about Danny Castillo that we don't.
Below are some odds, provided by Odds Shark, these ones taken from Bodog.
Main Card
Brock Lesnar (5-2) +115 vs. Alistair Overeem (35-11, 1 NC) -145
Nate Diaz (14-7) +220 vs. Donald Cerrone (17-3) -280
Jon Fitch (23-3-1, 1 NC) -225 vs. Johny Hendricks (11-1) +175
Vladimir Matyushenko (26-5) +250 vs. Alexander Gustafsson (12-1) -325
Nam Phan (17-9) -230 vs. Jimy Hettes (9-0) +180
Preliminary Card
Ross Pearson (12-5) -260 vs. Junior Assuncao (13-4) +200
Anthony Njokuani (14-5, 1 NC) +160 vs. Danny Castillo (12-4) -200
Dong Hyun Kim -400 (14-1-1, 1 NC) vs. Sean Pierson (11-5) +300
Jacob Volkmann (13-2) -265 vs. Efrain Escudero (18-3) +205
Matt Riddle (5-3) -130 vs. Luis Ramos (19-7) +100
Diego Nunes (16-2) -325 vs. Manny Gamburyan (11-6) +250