The Lesnar Discussion

The Lesnar Discussion
Posted by: Marcus

My first foray into Youtube videos met with mixed reception, partially due to the choice of discussion in a video version of my previous article, entitled The Fedor Discussion. Part of the reason I think the article and accompanying video have been received this way is that the audience seems to think that it's not fair for me to be so analytical of one side of Mixed Martial Arts without being observant of the goings-on in the UFC. To counter that train of thought, I decided to write an article about the career of Brock Lesnar, who has become one of the biggest topics of controversy in MMA since he first arrived in the sport.

First off, a little background. Brock began his athletic career in Webster, South Dakota, wrestling in High School, where he compiled an undefeated record of 33-0 in his senior year, fetching him a scholarship to the University of Minnesota. From there, he placed second in the NCAA in 1999, placed first in 2000, and in four years of college, compiled a record of 106-5 in his collegiate career, and was one of the most impressive athletes in the Big Ten at the time.

From then on, he went the path of professional wrestling, becoming a part of the WWE for a few years, which is where he made a name for himself as an entertainer, participating in many exciting matches for the promotion. After his stint there, and ensuing lawsuit with Vince McMahon, Brock tried his hand at playing for the Minnesota Vikings, where he was a late cut, and then as a professional wrestler for New Japan Pro Wrestling. After the lawsuit finally died, Brock decided that he wanted to try his hand at MMA.

Here is where things became controversial. For a long time, MMA fans have been hostile toward professional wrestlers in "their sport" because they do not want MMA to become a freak show like professional wrestling is. Professional wrestlers like Giant Silva, Yoshihiro Takiyama, and others fail to make waves in MMA, and thus are seen as wastes of space, seemingly in the ring because of an accused Japanese fascination with gigantic people. Because of Brock's past in the WWE, people allowed that to overshadow the fact that he was such an accomplished amateur wrestler, which was evidenced in his first MMA fight, which was a first round stoppage over Min Soo-Kim.

After his initial foray into MMA, Brock spoke to Dana White about entering the UFC to fight in America, and was granted his first shot against Frank Mir at UFC 81. Lesnar seemed to be doing very well against Mir in the opening of the bout, but referee Steve Mazagatti stopped the bout to stand both fighters up after an unintentional fist to the back of Mir's head. This was a controversial move, considering that Mazagatti gave no prior warning to Lesnar, and also took a complete point from Lesnar's score on the first offense. After the fight resumed, Lesnar contined to punish Mir, but was caught in a heel hook, and tapped out at 1:30 of the first round. Though disappointing, Mir was complementary to Lesnar at first, saying that he had never faced anyone that big that moved so quickly, and Dana White later commented that Brock, "showed a lot of credibility in that fight."

In his second UFC fight, Lesnar captured a win over veteran Heath Herring, in which he broke one of Herring's orbital bones with an incredibly powerful straight right punch, and then won the decision with a final score of 30-26 from all three judges. After this fight, controversy followed Lesnar into a bout with the legendary Randy Couture, who was the current Heavyweight champion. Though many did not believe that Brock deserved the bout (Dana White maintained that stuffing Herring's momentum after his win over Cheick Kongo validated the match choice) he went on to have what many consider an incredibly competitive bout until Randy was dropped by a hard right hand in the second round.

After that bout, Brock was put on a path to a rematch with Frank Mir, who had handed him his only loss in his career. At the biggest MMA event to date, UFC 100, Brock defeated Mir by TKO in round 2, solidifying himself as the undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion. Though he showed much improved wrestling technique, chin, heart, and patience in the bout, his excellent performance is overshadowed by the antics afterwards, where Brock's emotions got the better of him, cursing in Frank Mir's face (as a response to Mir's constant trashing of Brock's skill and accomplishments in pre-fight press) and giving the crowd the finger after they began to boo him. With this performance, Brock became both incredibly respected by MMA competitors, but infamous with the fans.

With all of that said, there are a few questions that remain with Brock Lesnar that need to be addressed. The first of which is the question of legitimacy. Truthfully, I see no reason to think that Brock should not be given credit for having so many accomplishments in such a short amount of time. Though he does not have a flawless record, what he does have is an impressive one, considering even in his only loss he showed solid technique and ability, even though he was finished by Mir. The only fighter he has faced that could be considered to be a "tomato can" would be Min Soo-Kim, but victories over Herring, Couture, and Mir still speak volumes. Though his antics at UFC 100 were downright deplorable, his actions during the fights speak for themselves.

The second question most poised by fans is whether or not his technique is sound, and if it is overshadowed by how powerful he is. Though it is undeniable that Lesnar is an incredibly powerful man (he is forced to cut 20 pounds to make the 265 pound weight limit, and is known for his monstrous strength) he does have the wrestling credentials to show that he does have a great base in amateur wrestling, which has proven to be a great base for many MMA fighters, such as Randy Couture, Mark "The Hammer" Coleman (whom was originally slated to face Lesnar instead of Herring) Rampage Jackson, Chuck Liddell, Frankie Edgar, Sean Sherk, TUF 8 winner Ryan Bader, and many others.

Truthfully, the finishing question poised is whether or not he could defeat Fedor Emelianenko, which brings me back to the original article that I've become infamous for writing and making a video of. Truthfully, I myself have no idea whatsoever if Fedor could beat Brock, or vice versa, and there's a reason why. That reason is because Fedor signed with Strikeforce instead of the UFC. I think Fedor is missing out on great competition, and because of this, Lesnar has an opportunity on his hands. There are several fighters that Brock can face, such as Shane Carwin, Gabriel Gonzaga, Cain Velasquez, Frank Mir in a rubber match, Gilbert Yvel, Junior Dos Santos, and Antonio "Minotauro" Nogeiura, and training for and learning to fight against these men will make him into a much better fighter than he is already. Truthfully, I think that, in relation to Brock, Fedor is missing out on being in possibly the biggest match of MMA history, and that's a shame.

To conclude, Brock Lesnar, as of right now, is a credible fighter that is exciting to watch, and whether you love him or hate him, is here to stay for a seemingly long time.