There's little mystery about what happens Friday night when Brock Lesnar faces Alistair Overeem at UFC 141.
If the fight hits the mat for an extended period of time, Lesnar wins it. If Overeem stays on his feet and it's a battle of strikes, Lesnar's in for a long night.
Lesnar says no one has been able to avoid his takedowns, but that's not entirely true because both Shane Carwin and Cain Velasquez did so in spots and battered Lesnar. They're also both former high level college wrestlers. Overeem is not, but he is powerful and very experienced.
Muhammed Lawal, a light heavyweight with Strikeforce, knows his wrestling and says that Lesnar can't just run across the cage and tackle Overeem.
"He has to Chael Sonnen or Jon Fitch him, and close the distance right away with a jab or a fake. Just keep him guessing," Lawal told "The MMA Insiders" on ESPN1100/98.9 FM in Las Vegas (0:40 mark). "He has a tough task with Overeem. All he has to do is be Overeem, He can keep the fight close and use his knees or keep his distance with leg kicks and a good 1-2."
Lawal, a former star on the international wrestling scene after a decorated career at Oklahoma State, further explained the fakes.
"If I were Brock, I would establish a good jab, fake ... jab, fake ... fake, jab. Look to shoot off the fakes. You know in wrestling. if the person doesn't respond to your fakes then you shoot next time. If the person responds to your fakes then you throw punches," said Lawal.
If Overeem can read those fakes, Lesnar is going to be left with few options.
"It's going to be very important for Brock to set up his takedowns because without the setups, he's getting knocked out or hurt," Lawal said. "Overeem is the wrong person to shoot on out of the blue."
Watch UFC 141 right here on Yahoo! Sports
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