Now that the dust has settled after yet another New Years, it's time to discuss the elephant in the room, the beard bet. Last Friday, as expected (by me and other rational thinkers), Alistair Overeem toppled the often over-hyped Brock Lesnar. In classic form, Alistair worked the body with amazing results, crumbling the giant with a liver kick that had Bas Rutten jumping for joy. I too was jumping for joy for I had just won the first ever It’s MMAzing Beard Bet. As explained just over a week ago, I bet Doctor Law that if Lesnar won, I would shave my beard and vice versa. Now it's time to settle the score.
While it's nice that I won the bet and Doctor Law has to shave his beard, what's even better is seeing a fighter go from living in the shadow of his brother to a house hold name. Thanks to Brock, a whole new fan base knows who Alistair is. Overeem still has a long road ahead of him, but getting that first UFC win is a big step. I think Dos Santos is going to be a challenging match-up, but hopefully I won't read any comments on the internet saying "It's Dos Santos versus some guy."
What I found most shocking last Friday wasn't that Alistair won or that Lesnar quit MMA. It was that no other member of the It’s MMAzing staff picked Alistair. Where's the love for the Reem? Brock is a scary individual, sure, but he's also a guy that never really found his place in the world. Jumping around from amateur to pro wrestling to NFL and now the MMA, he was always great, but never the greatest. He won NCAA championships but never went to the Olympics. He was a WWE Superstar, but never the most marketable guy. I guess he was on the Vikings for a minute too. While he was easily the biggest draw for American MMA fans, he was never the greatest MMA fighter. Alistair, on the other hand, has found his place in the world: being a heavyweight mixed martial arts fighter. I wish Lesnar all the best in whatever he chooses to do next with his life and I hope he continues to live a healthy and fulfilling life (I'm sure the wildlife living in Minnesota disagrees). For Doctor Law, however, it's time to shave his beard.
Sidenote, in a funny turn of events I was forced to shave my beard as well. A new Skynet beard trimmer I've received for Christmas thought I'd look better with a stubble then a full beautiful beard. While I lost my beard due to a mixture of incompetence and poor technology, I'd gladly shave my beard every time if it meant seeing one of my all-time favorite fighters prove to the world that he belongs in the biggest promotion, against the best competition. Much love Alistair; thanks for proving a brother right when he put his beard on the line.... even if I ended up having to shave it off.
After the jump, the most recent episode of "The Reem" which leads right up to the fight.
THE REEM SEASON 2 EPISODE 9: GOING OUT WITH A BANG ! from THE REEM on Vimeo.
What are you talking about. One other member of the staff favored Overeem: me.
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