Stop, drop and Brock

(Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)

The crowd’s roar was deafening as heavyweight Brock Lesnar’s massive triple XL glove connected with Heath Herring’s face, causing him to summersault backwards. Instinctually, Lesnar stopped momentarily, dropped his shoulders and exploded forward in a blazing display of athleticism and quickness.

It took one right hand and a Goldberg-esque spear for the legend of Brock to reach new heights and the next big thing to arrive in full.

With tree trunk sized legs and a physique reminiscent of Hercules, it would be easy to mistake mixed martial arts fighter Brock Lesnar for a modern day gladiator. And maybe he is.

Like the ancient warriors, Brock is brutally efficient and unmercifully methodical. Once he senses desperation in his opponents, blood and pain soon befall them. His vicious ascension to the top of the UFC’s heavyweight division has been rapid and controversial.

While dominating inside the octagon with brute force, impeccable wrestling and devastating ground strikes, his antics when not fighting have also raised eyebrows and negative press. And whether fans agree with his behavior or not, Brock has become a signature fixture of the UFC and etched his name amongst one of the most relevant in the sport.

Most recently, Brock dismantled Frank Mir in surprisingly one-sided fashion and followed up his victory with a post fight tirade and tantrum. His WWE like antics have created a bad boy persona; one in which Brock feels all the more comfortable. His heel persona is one he can relate to; for it is the same way he acted as a bad guy during his time in the entertainment industry.

Regardless of his image, the fact remains that the mountain of a man has skills. Lots of them. Each fight clearly accentuates Brocks vastly improving array of tools. He seems more comfortable after each octagon outing and is making a name for himself as one of the baddest men in the sport.

As the sport reaches new heights of popularity, Brock will become the face that represents it. Whether that is a positive or negative is irrelevant; what matter is that Heavyweight champion has used brute for to become most relevant superstar in the sport.

Recently, another bad man and arguably the greatest fighter in the history of the sport, Fedor Emelianenko signed a major deal with rival promotion Strikeforce. The organization invested a lot into the signing and their future success may fall squarely on his shoulders.

In an odd parallel, Brock has single handedly taken the UFC and hoisted it onto his enormous shoulders. The rise or decline of the organization is sure to coincide with the success or failure of its newest and biggest star. Whether the world is prepared or not, they are be going to receiving healthy dosages of the champ, because Brock is a rock that doesn’t looking like he is getting dropped anytime soon

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