10 Reasons MMA Needs Brock Lesnar More Than Brock Lesnar Needs MMA

Brock Lesnar's MMA career may have been short, but it sure was sweet.

The former collegiate wrestling champion made a big splash in the MMA scene following a successful career in professional wrestling.

Lesnar used his celebrity status to obtain the UFC Heavyweight strap in just his fourth MMA fight.

As quick as his rise was, so too was his downfall. Highlighted by some serious beatings at the hands of Cain Velasquez and Alistair Overeem, Lesnar retired from MMA following his UFC 141 loss.

With his retirement, Lesnar left a huge void not only in the heavyweight division, but in all of MMA and the UFC as well. Dana White may not say it publicly, but there's no doubt he'd love to have Lesnar back under the UFC banner.

The only problem with that is MMA needs Lesnar more than he needs MMA. Look beyond his poor showings in his final three fights and realize what Lesnar brought to MMA was much more than what occurred once the cage door closed.

Brock Can Go to WWE

Prior to making his mark in MMA, Brock Lesnar became a worldwide superstar under the WWE banner. A natural athlete, Lesnar's transition into professional wrestling was a smooth one, and for a time, he truly was "the next big thing."

One of the major thoughts of what Lesnar would do once he announced his retirement was that he'd return to WWE. The "It Begins" videos were going on, and much speculation was made about who the videos referred to; some believed it was Lesnar.

Lesnar could return to WWE on a "legends schedule" that would prevent him from doing all the travelling that he hated to do while in the promotion. He'd be an instant star and would give the current WWE product an edge.

The WWE won't be challenging the UFC for ratings and money anytime soon, but Lesnar would provide the WWE with an instant boost to their faltering PPV numbers.

Brock Lesnar Is Big-Time Money in MMA

By putting Brock Lesnar's name anywhere on a fight poster, Dana White was pretty much guaranteed a million PPV buys, or fairly close to it.

Lesnar brought with him a slew of WWE fans over into the MMA world that paid to see their former superstar perform.

His name resonated with thousands of people who didn't know what MMA was prior to seeing Lesnar perform. His words made people want to tune in, and his fighting style kept them coming back for more.

Even if Lesnar were competing in a non-televised fight, people would buy the PPV just for a chance to watch the big man compete.

There's a saying in advertisement that is "sex sells." Well, in MMA, "Brock Lesnar sells."

Brock Lesnar Could Go into Coaching

Brock Lesnar wasn't as big of a hit on The Ultimate Fighter as we thought, but with the years of wrestling experience under his belt, he could go into coaching.

Lesnar is a man who loves competition, but not necessarily all the publicity that comes with it.

By coaching a wrestling team, he would be able to still do some of the things he loves while avoiding the major media. And I'm sure a number of Division I colleges would be lining up to get a star like Lesnar to boost their wrestling program.

His coaching style may revolve around chicken salad and chicken ****, but there's definitely a lot of knowledge that any young wrestler could benefit from.

The Heavyweight Division Lacks Character

Take a gander at the current top heavyweights in the world. Notice anything about them?

Very few, if any at all, have charisma. Top heavyweights like Junior dos Santos, Cain Velasquez, Shane Carwin, Fabricio Werdum and even Alistair Overeem are a little bland at times.

The lone exception in the UFC is Frank Mir, but that still leaves only one in the heavyweight division in the UFC.

There's a certain quality in superstars that makes them seem like larger-than-life personalities. Call it "pizzaz" or just say "they have it," and it's true with Brock Lesnar.

He may have made a lot of enemies by opening his mouth, but make no mistake, when Lesnar opened his mouth, people listened.

Brock Lesnar Has Already Made His Money

Brock Lesnar may have made well over a million dollars each time he fought, but he isn't exactly hurting for money.

Unlike legends of the past like Ken Shamrock, Lesnar doesn't fight to live. He loves the competition and enjoys going out to the cage to prove he's the better and bigger man.

Having accomplished in three years what many fighters fail to do in a lifetime, Lesnar could walk away from the sport without a regret or have the burning desire to come back.

He's made plenty of money from the WWE and has plenty of other avenues to pursue a career in. Don't expect Lesnar to call Dana White up any time soon saying that he has a house payment that needs to be made.

The UFC Could've Used Him to Build Up Their Younger Stars

One of the ways promoters go about using big-name fighters who can't cut it is to have them go against one of their top prospects.

A win over an established name is one of the best ways for a fighter to go from heralded prospect to serious contender overnight.

Brock Lesnar could've been that name that other fighters used to catapult them into stardom. Dana White knows he can make a star out of almost anyone, so it's not inconceivable that he'd use Lesnar's name to build up some of the younger fighters.

As an example, look at Kimbo Slice's stay in the UFC. White made his money off him and sent him packing even though he was a legitimate draw. White could've done the same with Lesnar, but instead of dropping him, just feed him to the younger guys and make a new wave of stars.

Brock Lesnar Gave MMA a True Celebrity

Besides losing a lot of PPV draws, the UFC also lost one of the few celebrities on their roster. Many of our favorite fighters are big names in the MMA world, but Brock Lesnar was someone you could put on any nationally televised program.

He can be this rough-and-tough MMA fighter, but at the same time, he can play the public relations angle and speak well enough to promote MMA as a legitimate big-time sport.

When most people who dislike MMA think about the athletes, most imagine nothing more than sloppy bar room boxing. Lesnar was an example that not all fit that mold and was respected enough in the media for people to take him seriously.

Brock Lesnar Has His Own MMA Gym

One of the nice things about Brock Lesnar's MMA career was that he had his own gym. He didn't need to move or travel all over to train with different coaches. Instead, Lesnar used his money to buy his own coaches and have them come to him.

Although the gym won't be focusing on getting Lesnar ready for another fight, he could use it as a business and make decent money by getting other fighters to come in.

He would be making money and have the ability to stop in and train with the guys whenever he wanted. Lesnar wouldn't need to worry about getting his hours of training in, and instead, could come in to help prepare other fighters.

Running his own gym gives him a way to have constant cash flow and still compete once in a while.

The UFC Has Lost Its Top 2 Draws

Losing Brock Lesnar is bad enough for PPV sales. Combined with the injury to Georges St-Pierre, and the UFC has some pretty big shoes to fill.

By losing their top two PPV draws in roughly the same time period, the UFC is scrambling to find stars to fill the void left by Lesnar and GSP.

Jon Jones figures to be the easiest person to insert into the limelight. He's certainly a polarizing enough figure to draw fans who love him and fans who hate him into watching a PPV.

But one would doubt the ability of Jones to draw anywhere near the million viewers GSP and Lesnar draw routinely.

Brock Lesnar Could've Been the Great American Heavyweight Champion

Doing the always-popular comparison of MMA to boxing, you can notice that there's a void of Americans near the top of the rankings.

Sure there is Cain Velasquez and Frank Mir near the top in the UFC, but the UFC has already made Velasquez their "Mexican champion," and Mir isn't considered a top contender by many MMA fans.

It's no secret that fight fans love the heavyweights. Having Lesnar as a champion could've filled the void in combat sports that's honestly been around since Mike Tyson's fall from grace.

A lot of boxing analysts and coaches think that the sport needs an American heavyweight to rise to the ranks, and the same is true of MMA.