First his top-class kickboxing ability brought him championship glory in both K-1 and mixed martial arts. Then in a 20-year career Alistair Overeem has been one of the hardest hitters in MMA; in UFC 141 he made short work of Brock Lesnar...

UFC 141 in Las Vegas was host to the most highly-anticipated heavyweight matchup in recent times, when the Dutch 'Demolition Man' Overeem took on former UFC division champ and NCAA Division 1 wrestling stand-out Brock Lesnar.

The bout had all the makings of a classic striker-versus-wrestler contest, with both men being considered among the best in their primary disciplines. Lesnar's doubters cited the big man's tendency to cover up and retreat when he got hit, and Overeem was exactly the kind of champion who was going to try and put a beating on former wrestling star. 

The Dutchman proved those sceptics correct, exploiting his opponent's weakness in the stand-up department and dispatching of Lesnar at the midway point of the very first round. Before finishing a fallen Brock with a series of punches to the face, the K-1 star brought the 265lb behemoth to his knees with a lethal liver kick. 'Ubereem' landed the shot with perfect precision, turning his hips into the technique to deliver maximum power, causing the UFC's biggest pay-per-view draw to clutch his side and fall back against the cage, dropping to his knees in pain.

He may look like a monster of a man, but Alistair Overeem isn't all brawn and no brains. The Reem is an experienced fighter who puts a lot of planning into his performances. At the UFC 141 post-fight press conference, he told reporters that, the night before the fight, he had said to his fiancé: “I'm going to finish it with a liver kick.” Whether you believe the new number-one 250lb contender's tale of prediction or not, there is no denying his elite-level capabilities in combat.

‘The Demolition Man’ is known to have possibly the most powerful legs in all of fight sports, having stopped numerous adversaries with his deadly kicks and knees. When asked if his liver strike against Lesnar was the best shot he had ever pulled off, Overeem answered: “I've had a couple of other nice shots... I had a really nice liver kick, the same one actually, on [Gokhan] Saki.” He also referenced his left hook KO against former K-1 champion Badr Hari as another favored finish.

For those with little or no experience in combat sports, be it in sparring or an actual contest, the idea of being finished with a simple strike to the body might sound like something that only the weakest of warriors would succumb to. In actual fact, as any individual who has experienced it will tell you, taking a solid shot to the liver is actually one of the most painful things a fighter can experience in competition, aside from letting Frank Mir get a hold of your arm.

Before the fight, The Reem gave another frighteningly accurate prediction, stating: “I have a prediction; after our fight, [Brock is] going to retire.” With one expertly executed liver kick, Alistair turned his words into reality. After his defeat at the hands of Overeem, Lesnar was reported to have said to his now former boss, UFC president Dana White: “I think my rib's broken. I don't know what a broken rib feels like, but if it hurts worse than this I don't want to feel it.”

Postscript:

Overeem defeated Stefan Struve, Roy Nelson, Junior Dos Santos and Andrei Arlovski in successive fights to earn a shot at the Heavyweight championship. However he lost to Stipe Miocic by a first round KO in UFC 203. His last fight saw hime defeat Alexey Oleynik by a first round TKO. Overeem is currently #6 in the UFC Heavyweight rankings.