Yes, it’s true: Former WWE superstar Brock Lesnar has signed a two-year deal with the UFC and is set to make his debut on Feb. 2nd at UFC 81.
Lesnar will be fighting former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir, in what should be a good test for both competitors.
Mir comes into the fight with a win over Antoni Hardonk. No disrespect to Antoni, but he was fed to Mir.
Before that fight, Brandon Vera made Mir look well below average.
The match against Brock could be good for Mir; it will put his name back in the headlines as the man who could stop "the next big thing."
On the flipside, Mir may not have what it takes to get the job done after his unfortunate motorcycle accident.
Lesnar, for his part, wants to prove that he's more than just a professional wrestler—and that he has the potential to be a big star in mixed martial arts.
Lesnar's record as an All-American amateur wrestler was an impressive 106-5. After his high-profile WWE career, Brock's name may well be the most famous in the UFC.
Lesnar looked impressive in his K-1 MMA debut, making short work of Min Soo Kim. But will he really be the next big thing—or just another professional wrestler who can talk a big game?
Only time will tell. Roll on Feb. 2nd!
17 comments Last one added about 1 year ago — Leave a Comment
Dave Nemetz about 1 year ago
The record of athletes from other sports jumping into the ring (er, Octagon) in UFC and other MMA leagues is less than stellar. Granted, Lesnar's background prior to WWE was in real wrestling, but even that doesn't prepare him for the type of fighting he'll need to be ready for in MMA. Frankly, I just don't see it working out for him. Face it, he's just another high profile name jumping into MMA because it's starting to get a lot of mainstream press (and $$), but he just doesn't know what he's in for.
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Kolby Rosemeyer about 1 year ago
well coming from some MMA fights and also I am sure he is training at a gym somwhere an awesome wrestler like himself ,not WWF or WWE but actual wrestling, can round out his skills rather easily so he might be something more than you are giving credit for. But size isnt everything in this game so he isnt going to beable to rely on his pure strength. I think it will be an interesting fight.....
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Corey Ellis about 1 year ago
Only time will tell. Lots of athletes with amateur wrestling backgrounds have jumped into mma with success. He could either do really well, mediocre, or really bad. I personally think he'll do alright, but never reach that top tier level. I'm pullin for ya brock!
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
i wonder if Brock could pass a drug test . After all he did come from the wwf
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
i wonder if Brock could pass a drug test . After all he did come from the wwf
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
i wonder if Brock could pass a drug test . After all he did come from the wwf
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
i wonder if Brock could pass a drug test . After all he did come from the wwf
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Anthony Capetola about 1 year ago
I am just going to point out that after meeting Brock in Vegas I became a lot more intrigued by the possibility of his MMA career. Like most, I was skeptical at first, but after meeting with him and Dana White and Joe Rogan I could see where Brock's career will be quite strong. They are training him towards becoming a more well-rounded fighter. You have to understand that this man is a mountain and he can easily overpower his opponents, even opponents with many years under their belts. Only time will tell, but after meeting and speaking with him myself, I have a positive outlook on his career in the UFC.
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george house about 1 year ago
lets get rowdy rowdy piper in here for a death cage match, yehawww. there is a certain level of pathetisism reached when the ufc pulls from the magical land of steriod freaks. put him up against Nogueira and watch everyone turn him from "the next big thing" to "the next person to have their arm broken."
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Lawrence Soto about 1 year ago
Brock is the "next best thing" for MMA. When he arrived in WWE with that nickname many people doubted he skill level and ability level but they all were soon proven wrong. When Lesnar and Mir step into the octagon i have a bad feeling that it will be alot like the Mir Hardonk fight in that they are just feeding Lesnar for now so he can get over the "Octagon shivers" and start making a bigger name for himself. That fight Lesnar had against Min Soo Kim, Lesnar physically destroyed him in what was it 69seconds?...The only other person that I feel like Lesnar is going to have to look out for will be if Kimbo ever finds his way into the UFC. I really dont think that there is a fighter out there that can stop Lesnar, i could be wrong and Mir might manhandle him, but with his impressive showing over Kim who knows how dominate Brock can be.
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george house about 1 year ago
i am trolling at this point. lawrence, i just watched that min soo kim fight with brock, and wow was that pathetic. yeah he really destoryed him, by mounting him in the center of the right and rabbit punching the side of his head. min soo did do the only defense a fighter can do at that point, tap. spectacular display of................nothing. he has had ONE pathetic fight and "you really dont think that there is a fighter that can stop lesnar." you could be wrong, and you are.
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Lawrence Soto about 1 year ago
We'll find out in Feb.
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Dorothy Willis about 1 year ago
Why, oh why couldn't Brock's first octagon fight have been with Tim Silvia. I would love to see Tim have to work with someone more his size, and I am sure that Lesnar could man-handle him as easily as Randy Couture did. Now that would be my idea of a good match!
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Fletcher Johnson about 1 year ago
Brock vs. Mir is going to tell us a lot about Brock and what he can bring to the sport. He's definitely got the wrestling down, as his background speaks for itself. It'll be interesting to see how he can handle himself with a guy who has some pretty solid jits. Now, no one is going to try and contend that Mir is the same guy prior to his motorcycle accident but I don't think he is going to be the total mail-it-in opponent that most people are probably thinking he's going to be. Now, with that said, I hope that Lesnar is the real deal. He would bring some much needed athleticism and size to the heavyweight division and hopefully get guys like Brandon Vera to drop down to Light-heavy. Let's just be glad they didn't decide to bring back Arlovski for Brock's introduction to the Octagon! That'd be a much more difficult fight in my opinion!
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Well, lets think of this... Most guys, including myself, have either wrestled, boxed, or taken martial arts, at one point in their lives. Personally I've done them all. And anyone else who has, knows that each is designed to counter itself, basically. For instance, a sprawl into an armbar is designed to counter a shoot-in for a takedown, in wrestling. A right cross can counter a right hook etc.
Brock has a wrestling background. So yes, he'll be effective on the ground... but remember, wrestling is designed to Pin... for the most part. Personally I won a match with a headlock and I smothered my opponents face with his own arm until he couldn't breathe and tapped. But that's thinking outside the box. But a half-nelson, or a tilt isn't going to get the job done when the name of the game is "win by any means necessary".
Also, adding to that point, he'll obviously want to take the match to the ground, where Mir (A black belt in Jui Jitsu) will be much more effective in hurting Brock than Brock will be in attacking with a simple cross-face or double arm-bar. I think that Mir will be looking for the arm-bar... and I'm not talking a wrestling one, like the double I just mentioned. I mean the one that broke Tim Silvia's arm. Anyone that's wrestled knows the difference between the two.
I can't wait to see the match. And I'm pulling for Brock. I really am. But I don't think he knows what he's gotten himself into with UFC.
Mixing Martial Arts is dangerous in and of itself (each is not designed to defend against the unique attacks of the other). But mixing a Black Belt in Martial Arts and an arrogant Mat Wrestler is really going to be a mess. LoL
What do you guys think?
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
well as you all saw frank mir made short work of lesnar in there fight no doubt lesnar is a beast his size and strength is awe inspiring but it takes much more than that to succed in UFC will he last maybe maybe not only time will tell but he has to learn quickly that this is the "real" fighting league not the "scripted" fighting league
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
he couldnt make it in pro wrestling as was let go he couldnt make it in pro football when he tried out and was cut by the vikings and no he wont make it in the UFC he should try acting like hulk hogan and the rock 2 other former "wrestlers" that lost there touch
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