Lesnar Respects Overeem, But Didn't Know Of Him Before He Joined UFC Roster

By Mark Wayne | December 28, 2011

It might surprise some to hear that Brock Lesnar really didn't have much of an idea as to who Alistair Overeem was until he was approached with a fight against him. Though most MMA fans - not even just the hardcores - are familiar with the hulking Dutch belt collector, he might as well have been fighting on another planet as far as Lesnar was concerned.

For often seeming larger than life, Lesnar is a guy that likes to keep his world pretty small. He'll say it over and over again: he focuses on his farm, his family and hunting, until he's approached with a specific fight. When Overeem joined the UFC's ranks he drew Lesnar first, and that's when Lesnar started paying attention.

"I mean, I really didn't look at other people outside of the UFC heavyweight division," Lesnar said recently in a media scrum (props to MMAWeekly for the video). "I'm not a guy that sits around and ponders about that kind of stuff. For me, I sit around and ponder about white tail deer and hunting and my family, things like that. Not, 'Oh, my dream match up would be a fight with so-and-so.' But, obviously, this is a guy who's threatening. You don't get into this company and into this division if you're not a threat. This isn't bingo hall fighting, or your local fight stage. It's the real thing and anything can happen. I feel the greatest I've felt in a long time and I've actually just sat and pondered about how good I feel and how fortunate I am just to be back here."

Lesnar will face Overeem this Friday, December 30, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Check out the full video of his media scrum below.