MMA Link Club: Lesnar being Awesome, Gonzaga Coming Home, and Parisyan at his Worst

- Gallery: 12 GIFs of Brock Lesnar Being Awesome (CagePotato)

"In honor of Brock Lesnar‘s return to action at UFC 141 this Friday - yes, Friday, make a note of it - we put together a gallery of our favorite animated GIFs of the wrestling/MMA superstar, which you can find after the jump. Welcome back, you scary son-of-a-b--ch. Also check out 11 GIFs of Alistair Overeem Being Awesome."

- Overpraised or Underrated: An Examination of Alistair Overeem's Recent Fight History (MMAFighting)

"Headed into Friday night's UFC 141 main event, the question of just how good Alistair Overeem is remains one of MMA's heated topics. His supporters point out that he's won titles in Strikeforce, DREAM and K-1. His detractors suggest he's done most of that while facing non-elite competition. In some ways, both sides have valid points."

- Top 10 Worst New Year’s Eve MMA Fights in Japan (TheFightNerd)

"As 2011 comes to a close, MMA fans can look forward to one thing – New year’s Eve MMA events in Japan! Truly the best of the best when it comes to events, these super shows usually have great matches with the top talent fighting each other. However, it would not be a NYE show in Japan without a few freak show fights to drag things on. That is why today, only days before the next big NYE event in Japan, we take a look at some of the worst, strangest, and weirdest MMA fights..."

- Gabriel Gonzaga: The UFC is my home (Five Ounces of Pain)

"When heavyweight Gabriel Gonzaga returns to the Octagon next month at UFC 142 he will have been away from the infamous eight-sided cage for more than a year, opting to recompose himself after a pair of losses in 2010 led to his release by taking some time off to focus on his love of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu."

- Moving Past 'Worst Time Ever, ' Karo Parisyan Rediscovering Fire To Compete (FightLine)

"Man, it's pretty bad. I don't even care anymore. Right now, I'm in the worst time of my life… [With] New Year's coming up, I'm in the worst time financially - but, you know what? It's gonna be good. I never cry about it, I'm not gonna cry about it. I'm gonna do what I have to do to come back. I'm a grown ass man and enough is enough. For the time being, my head is just with the family. Trying to get by, and trying to have a New Year's and see what 2012 f---ing brings. - Karo Parisyan"

- Alexander Gustafsson: I'm Getting Closer and Closer to My Dream (BleacherReport)

"Vladimir is a great fighter and one of the best in the world as he'll be a big test for me. He is a big name and has fought against all the best fighters. ... Fans shouldn't forget that it wasn’t too long ago when he fought against Jon Jones. Jones fought him and then Bader and after that he got a title fight so in my mind this means that I am getting closer and closer to my dream. - Alexander Gustafsson"

- New Year's Eve Storylines: Who retires first after a loss, Fedor or Lesnar? (FightOpinion)

"If Fedor loses to Ishii, is this the end for him? The fight scene in Japan is not getting any healthier. Sooner or later, M-1 is going to run out of money marks to pay them to book Fedor. Where do you go then? Would Fedor even care about fighting if he lost to Ishii? If he beats Ishii, at least he can plausibly continue to fight on and just hang around for a few more paychecks. But if he loses, it’s entirely possible that he could announce his retirement after the fight."

- The Top Ten Curiously Interesting Videos that Nick Diaz Favorited on YouTube (MiddleEasy)

"Nick Diaz hasn't exactly embraced social media with open arms. Not at all. It's more like he's been taunting social media and slapped it in its face a couple times. However, the 209er has been an active participant of YouTube for nearly five years. We decided to dive into the NickDiaz209 channel and see what we can truly find out about the former Strikeforce welterweight champion."

- Year of the Beard: UFC 141's Johny Hendricks wants to push Jon Fitch to the limit (MMAMania)

"Oh yeah. It's a huge fight right now. This can make my career, you know what I'm saying? That's what it's all about when you get opportunities like this. How am I gonna handle it? Am I gonna fold or am I gonna come out? That's what I like more than anything, that kind of pressure because, let's face it, Jon Fitch, we know how he's gonna fight and we know what he's gonna do. - Johny Hendricks"

- UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem Complete Betting Odds (5thRound)

"Have the Holidays completely zapped your funds and left your pockets full of nothing but lint balls? Thankfully, the Gambling Gods have released the complete list of investment options for “UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem” to help you recoup some of your losses. Former Strikeforce heavyweight champ Alistair Overeem remains a steady -140 odds-on favorite to beat Brock Lesnar in the night’s featured attraction. Lesnar, on the other hand, checks in as a slight +110 underdog."

- Countdown to UFC 141: 15,000 Viewers (MMAPayOut)

"Dismal ratings for a pretty good Countdown show, which did a good job in introducing the casual viewer to Alistair Overeem. However, the holidays, the early showing of the show and its new spot on Fuel Television may have contributed to such low ratings. We’ll see in 2012 how the UFC and Fox deal with this issue if the low ratings persist."

- The Official “Worst of” 2011 List (MMAConvert)

"Just as every year before it, 2011 had its moments of glory, when for the briefest of instances the sport was elevated to something more than just two dudes (or dudettes) bashing each other. Of course, there were also instances when you just knew you were watching something that people would be talking about years from now, and not in a good way. So! The “worst of” 2011! Enjoy!"

Check out last week's edition: MMA Link Club: Shocking Upsets, Brutal Finishes, and a Holiday Wish List

Photo: Francis Specker