UFC 141

UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem

Company type	Pay-per-view event
Industry	Mixed martial arts
Founded	December 30, 2011 (2011-12-30)
Headquarters	Las Vegas , United States
Area served	Worldwide (pay-per-view)

UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem was a mixed martial arts pay-per-view event organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on December 30, 2011, held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Background

With this event, the UFC resumed its 10 p.m. ET pay-per-view start time.

UFC 141 was the last occasion where preliminary bouts were broadcast live on Spike TV.

This card featured the comeback of Brock Lesnar, who had been sidelined for more than a year due to diverticulitis. The lead-up to the fight involved controversy surrounding his opponent, Alistair Overeem, particularly concerning out-of-competition drug testing requirements imposed by the Nevada Athletic Commission. Overeem initially failed several tests that did not comply with the commission's standards but was eventually granted a conditional license on December 12, 2011.

The victor of the main event was anticipated to earn a title shot against Junior dos Santos for the UFC Heavyweight Championship. Following his defeat by Overeem, Lesnar announced his immediate retirement from competition.

T. J. Grant withdrew from his scheduled match against Jacob Volkmann due to injury and was substituted by experienced fighter Efrain Escudero.

A bout between Matthew Riddle and Luis Ramos was canceled shortly before the event because of Riddle’s illness.

Ramsey Nijem also pulled out of his fight with Anthony Njokuani due to injury and was replaced by Danny Castillo.

Bonus awards

Each fighter awarded bonuses of $75,000:

• Fight of the Night: Nate Diaz vs. Donald Cerrone
• Knockout of the Night: Johny Hendricks
• Submission of the Night: Not granted

Reported payout

The reported fighter earnings submitted to the Nevada State Athletic Commission, excluding sponsorships and UFC "fight night" bonuses:

• Alistair Overeem: $380,000 (including a $190,000 win bonus) defeated Brock Lesnar: $400,000
• Nate Diaz: $74,000 (including a $37,000 win bonus) defeated Donald Cerrone: $30,000
• Johny Hendricks: $52,000 (including a $26,000 win bonus) defeated Jon Fitch: $60,000
• Alexander Gustafsson: $32,000 (including a $16,000 win bonus) defeated Vladimir Matyushenko: $40,000
• Jim Hettes: $16,000 (including an $8,000 win bonus) defeated Nam Phan: $8,000
• Ross Pearson: $40,000 (including a $20,000 win bonus) defeated Junior Assuncao: $8,000
• Danny Castillo: $38,000 (including a $19,000 win bonus) defeated Anthony Njokuani: $12,000
• Dong Hyun Kim: $82,000 (including a $41,000 win bonus) defeated Sean Pierson: $8,000
• Jacob Volkmann: $32,000 (including a $16,000 win bonus) defeated Efrain Escudero: $10,000
• Diego Nunes: $24,000 (including a $12,000 win bonus) defeated Manny Gamburyan: $18,000