Brock Lesnar was just 1-0 in MMA when he approached Dana White and said, “I want to fight in the UFC.” His first fight in the company was against Frank Mir, a former heavyweight champion. Brock Lesnar has guts. And that’s not a diverticulitis joke.
[caption id="attachment_146" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Lesnar called it quits on Friday. Photo by Esther Lin, MMAFighting.com"]
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Now that Lesnar has retired from MMA, following his one-round drubbing by Alistair Overeem at UFC 141, we can look back and examine his short foray into MMA. One thing was constant: Brock Lesnar was always a polarizing figure. His brash persona and showmanship carried over from his days as a professional wrestler, where theatrics and drama overshadow true combative skill.
Another constant was his level of competition. Because of the large fanbase he had from the WWE, Lesnar was almost a victim of his own fame: he was too big a star to be brought along slowly in the UFC, so he only fought in big fights against tough opponents. Opponents like Frank Mir. Opponents like Cain Velasquez. Opponents like Alistair Overeem. Lesnar couldn’t fight scrubs because his name wouldn’t allow it.
In the span of eight fights, Brock ran a gauntlet of UFC titleholders, MMA veterans, and kickboxing champions with only a collegiate wrestling background and freak athleticism to fall back on. For all the technical strides Lesnar made, he was still a relative newbie, swimming upstream in the shark tank of the UFC’s heavyweight division.
Brock Lesnar simply got beaten down by Alistair Overeem at UFC 141, succumbing to a liver kick just two minutes into round one. The South Dakotan’s grappling skills are formidable, but his last three fights showed some serious holes in his standup, holes that you would expect from a guy that learned how to strike on the job. UFC commentator Joe Rogan summed up Lesnar’s UFC 141 performance after the bout.
"The question was, 'If the fight stands on its feet, if Alistair stops his shot, what is Brock Lesnar gonna be able to do?'" he asked. "And the answer was just nothing."
Brock was an easy target for critics because of his days in the WWE. “He’s not a real fighter,” people would say. "He freaks out when he gets hit," others criticized. Did he have some embarrassing moments toward the end of his career? Yes. But you don’t come back from two bouts with diverticulitis to compete with the best heavyweights in the world if you’re not a fighter. He racked up some serious accomplishments over just eight fights. He has a UFC belt to prove it.
Brock Lesnar’s absence from the MMA scene will be a significant one. He was easily the biggest pay-per-view draw in the sport, and he brought a whole new group of fans to MMA. And lets face it: when Brock was fighting, you’d watch, whether you wanted to see him deliver a beating or receive one. Alistair Overeem agreed.
"I think he shouldn't walk away, because love him or hate him, it's always something when Brock's fighting," he said post fight. "He's a guy who goes for it. I think he achieved a lot in a short span, and it would be a shame if he stops now."
Liking Brock Lesnar is one thing, but respecting what he did for the sport is another. As his last fight fades from memory, we’ll look back on a polarizing character who gave us countless unforgettable moments, both thrilling and agonizing. He gave us a lot in just eight fights. He gave us all we could stomach. And no, that’s not another diverticulitis joke.
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