Brock Lesnar broke into the Ultimate Fighting Championship with enough flair, hype and anticipation that the public believed he was made for mixed martial arts and not just World Wrestling Entertainment. Although he lost his UFC debut to Frank Mir, the man who runs “Suplex City” went on to rattle off four straight wins and become the undisputed heavyweight champion.
Before his time in the UFC or the WWE, Lesnar was a two-time NCAA All-American wrestler at the University of Minnesota, where he won a national title in 2000. He is part of an exclusive group as one of a handful of wrestlers to win a national championship at the Division I level and compete in MMA:
MMA Record: 5-3
College(s): University of Minnesota
Championship Year(s): 2000
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MMA Record: 18-8
College(s): Oklahoma State University
Championship Year(s): 2005, 2006
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Mark Munoz
MMA Record: 14-6
College(s): Oklahoma State University
Championship Year(s): 2001
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Phil Davis
MMA Record: 18-4
College(s): Penn State University
Championship Year(s): 2008
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MMA Record: 16-10
College(s): Ohio State University
Championship Year(s): 1988
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MMA Record: 17-11
College(s): Edinboro University
Championship Year(s): 2001
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MMA Record: 12-5
College(s): Oklahoma State University
Championship Year(s): 2003
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Kevin Randleman
MMA Record: 17-16
College(s): Ohio State University
Championship Year(s): 1992, 1993
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Ben Askren
MMA Record: 18-0
College(s): University of Missouri
Championship Year(s): 2006, 2007
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Cole Konrad
MMA Record: 9-0
College(s): University of Minnesota
Championship Year(s): 2006, 2007
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Mark Ellis
MMA Record: 1-1
College(s): University of Missouri
Championship Year(s): 2009
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Mark Kerr
MMA Record: 15-11
College(s): Syracuse University
Championship Year(s): 1992
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Bubba Jenkins
MMA Record: 12-4
College(s): Arizona State University
Championship Year(s): 2011
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MMA Record: 1-1
College(s): University of Oklahoma
Championship Year(s): 1981, 1982, 1983
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Kenny Monday
MMA Record: 1-0
College(s): Oklahoma State University
Championship Year(s): 1984
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Mike Van Arsdale
MMA Record: 8-5
College(s): Iowa State University
Championship Year(s): 1988
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Carlton Haselrig
MMA Record: 3-2
College(s): University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown
Championship Year(s): 1987
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Steve Mocco
MMA Record: 5-1
College(s): University of Iowa, Oklahoma State University
Championship Year(s): 2003, 2005
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Gregor Gillespie
MMA Record: 11-0
College(s): Edinboro University
Championship Year(s): 2007
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Darrion Caldwell
MMA Record: 12-1
College(s): North Carolina State University
Championship Year(s): 2009
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Ed Ruth
MMA Record: 4-0
College(s): Penn State University
Championship Year(s): 2012, 2013, 2014
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Rico Chiaparelli
MMA Record: 1-0
College(s): Iowa University
Championship Year(s): 1987
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Royce Alger
MMA Record: 3-2
College(s): Iowa University
Championship Year(s): 1987, 1988
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Sylvester Terkay
MMA Record: 3-1
College(s): North Carolina State University
Championship Year(s): 1993
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MMA Record: 3-0
College(s): Fresno State University
Championship Year(s): 1999, 2001, 2002
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MMA Record: 3-1
College(s): Arizona State University
Championship Year(s): 2003