At UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem, two 170 pound wrestling standouts meet as Jon Fitch (23-3-1; 1 NC; 13-1-1 UFC) faces Johny Hendricks (11-1; 6-1 UFC). This Welterweight fight is the 3rd bout of the PPV card. Fitch is currently the #2 ranked Welterweight in the world according to the USA TODAY / MMA Nation Consensus MMA Rankings, and Hendricks is at #17. The PPV card begins Friday night at the later start time of 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT.

Like all fights in the Welterweight division at the moment, this one was given a little bit of extra relevance a few weeks ago when it was announced that Georges St. Pierre was undergoing surgery and an interim champion would be crowned. GSP has stood dominant over the division, and his absence gives everyone a new chance to move up. Fitch in particular could be a big beneficiary of this move - he lost to GSP back at UFC 87 and, despite being undefeated since, has always been out of the title picture. Could a win here, combined with St. Pierre being on the shelf, finally give Fitch his second shot at the belt?

How do these two stack up?

Fitch: 33 years old | 6'0" | 74" reach
Hendricks: 28 years old | 5'9" | 69" reach

What have these two done recently?

Fitch: D - B.J. Penn (Maj Draw) | W - Thiago Alves (UD) | W - Ben Saunders (UD)
Hendricks: W - Mike Pierce (SD) | W - T.J. Waldburger (TKO) | L - Rick Story (UD)

How did these two get here?

Jon Fitch got here with one thing: wrestling. When it comes to a Fitch fight, you know what you are going to get. That style has earned him a lot of fans thanks to his hard work ethic, but it's also turned off many who like to see more action-packed fights and fighters going for the finish. Regardless of your personal views on his style, there's no denying the results. Fitch has only 1 loss in his UFC career, at the hands of the champion. He is coming in to this fight off a close draw against B.J. Penn at UFC 127.

Hendricks turned some heads in his UFC debut when he swiftly knocked out Ultimate Fighter winner Amir Sadollah. Since then, the wrestler Hendricks has been making his way up the UFC ranks, but he's been doing so almost entirely on unaired prelims. As a result, despite his solid 6-1 UFC record, many UFC fans may not be very familiar with him. In many ways, it's a similar position to the one Jon Fitch was in before he had his main card breakout performance against Diego Sanchez. This is his chance to really establish himself, but it comes against the hardest opponent he has ever faced by far.

Why should you care?

If you're a Fitch hater (and there are plenty of you out there), then this may not be for you. But if you appreciate the wrestling game in MMA, this should be good. Add in the increased divisional relevance, and I am sold.

More UFC 141 preview coverage from Bloody Elbow after the jump.

SBN coverage of UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem

• UFC 141 Judo Chop: Brock Lesnar Evolves From Athlete to Mixed Martial Artist Inside Three Years - Ben Thapa
• UFC 141: Brock Lesnar Complete Career Retrospective Part 2 - Fraser Coffeen
• UFC 141's Brock Lesnar F-5's a Shark for Summer Slam - Matthew Roth
• UFC 141 Video: Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem Stare Down and Weigh-In Highlights - Anton Tabuena
• UFC 141: Brock Lesnar Vs. Alistair Overeem Weigh Ins Gallery And Results - Matthew Roth
• UFC 141: Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Alexander Gustafsson Dissection - Dallas Winston
• UFC 141: Jon Fitch vs. Johny Hendricks Dissection - Dallas Winston
• UFC 141: Dana White On Miguel Torres Backlash, Previous Overeem Comments, Brock Lesnar - Josh Nason
• UFC 141: Brock Lesnar Vs. Alistair Overeem Staff Predictions
• UFC 141: The Existential Crisis That Awaits the Loser of Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem - David Castillo
• UFC 141: Nam Phan vs. Jimy Hettes Dissection - Dallas Winston
• UFC 141: The Laughable Scrutiny That Saved Alistair Overeem vs. Brock Lesnar - Leland Roling
• UFC 141's Brock Lesnar Survives Botched Shooting Star Press at Wrestlemania 19 - Matthew Roth
• UFC 141: Jon Fitch's Trainer Says Fans Who Criticize His Style Don't Understand MMA - Brent Brookhouse
• Bad Boy Presents Bloody Elbow Radio - Episode 116: UFC 141/DREAM Roundtable - Matt Bishop
• UFC 141 On Spike TV: Pearson vs. Assuncao, Njokuani vs. Castillo Dissection - Dallas Winston
• UFC 141 Dana White Video Blog - Day 2 Focuses On Fastest Knockout - Josh Nason
• UFC 141: Brock Lesnar Career Retrospective Part 1 - Fraser Coffeen
• UFC 141 Pre-Event Press Conference: Watch Brock Lesnar, Alistair Overeem Speak - Josh Nason
• UFC 141: Alistair Overeem Says Bout With Brock Lesnar is More Than Wrestler vs. Striker - Brent Brookhouse
• UFC 141: Facebook Undercard Dissection - Dallas Winston
• UFC 141's Brock Lesnar Brutalizes Zach Gowen On Smackdown - Matthew Roth
• UFC 141 Video: Nate Diaz Explains Incident With Donald Cerrone - Brent Brookhouse
• UFC 141 Video: Brock Lesnar Speaks On His Return to MMA Against Alistair Overeem - Matthew Roth
• Countdown to UFC 141 Brock Lesnar vs Alistair Overeem Full Video - Matthew Roth
• UFC 141: Jon Fitch Talks Johny Hendricks, Talent vs. Hard Work - Tim Burke
• UFC 141: Alistair Overeem Takes Pre-Fight Drug Test for Conditional License - Brent Brookhouse
• UFC 141: Dana White Video Blog - Day 1 - Josh Nason
• Luke Thomas Calls Alistair Overeem NSAC Hearing 'Farcical' and Previews UFC 141 on The Fight Fix - Brent Brookhouse
• UFC 141 Video: Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle Create Comedic Gold - Matthew Roth
• UFC 141: UFC Heavyweight Division State of the Union - Fraser Coffeen
• UFC 141 Video: Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem are GI Joes - Matthew Roth
• Frank Mir: Alistair Overeem Will Get Taken Down, and His Cardio Will 'Suck' Against Brock Lesnar - Anton Tabuena
• UFC 141: Alistair Overeem - 'Brock Doesn't Like to Get Hit' - Tim Burke
• UFC 141: Brock Lesnar Makes His WWE Debut On Monday Night Raw - Matthew Roth