On this date in MMA history, Alistair Overeem retired former UFC champ Brock Lesnar
Thirteen years ago, a former UFC champion made his final walk to the octagon.
At UFC 141 in 2011, Alistair Overeem stopped former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar in a main event at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
The event’s poster touted the size of both men: Lesnar standing at 6-foot-3, 265 pounds, and Overeem 6-foot-5, 256 pounds. Needless to say, the fight wasn’t expected to last long, and it didn’t.
Overeem quickly took control of the center of the octagon, and patiently waited for Lesnar to present an opening. As Overeem pressured forward, Lesnar grabbed a single leg, but quickly let go when he felt resistance.
Soon, Overeem closed the distance and landed vicious knees to the body, putting Lesnar on high alert. Without rushing things, Overeem kept steady forward pressure, and then dug in more hard kicks and knees to the body of Lesnar, who returned to action after a severe bout with diverticulitis.
Overeem needed just 2:26 to take out Lesnar, and send him to retirement from fighting for nearly five years. Lesnar would make one more appearance at UFC 200 in 2016, and then permanently retire from fighting to resume his career in WWE.
You can watch the full fight in the video above, and don’t miss the best photos from the fight below.