Brock Lesnar: Will He Ever Be UFC Heavyweight Champion?

Ryan Wales by Senior Analyst Written on August 20, 2008
Heyman_brock_wwe_champion_feature
(Page 2 of 2)

I would have to say yes. Having saw Lesnar in his collegiate wrestling days and thinking about his personality, this is not a guy that accepts losing or defeat. He will do whatever it takes to get better and to be the best. He has always shown that he wants the biggest challenges. What is his biggest challenge? In the UFC it will no doubt be submission defense. If he can stop submissions he will be a champion soon enough.

I personally would like to see him work his standup more. I believe, should he ever fight Big Nog for the title, it would be to his advantage to keep the fight standing as long as possible. I can’t really see him getting knocked out on in the standup by Nogueira, so his only chance to lose would be on the ground. Same thing with Mir. So if Brock can develop his standup some more and keep working his jits, I can definitely see him being the UFC Heavyweight Champion, and a lot sooner than people think.

Robert DesRoche:

Lesnar's wrestling? Without question he is the most accomplished wrestler in the division.  Somewhat relating to wrestling, Lesnar's size? He's easily the biggest man in the UFC.  The chances of Lesnar being put on his back by a take-down is virtually impossible.  The chances of another fighter being able to consistently defend his take-downs seems just as impossible.  And don't forget about Lesnar's speed; he's one of the fastest in the division. He has quick shots which both Mir and Herring could not handle.

Lesnar's stand up?  The word of the day is potential.  The right hand that knocked down Herring was not only powerful (with his huge fist covering about half of Herring's face), but quick.  Lesnar also has the advantage that people will always be expecting him to go for takedowns.  This allows him to fake the shot and unleash with a powerful punch like he did against Herring.  Don't forget some of the thunderous leg kicks he landed to Herring, or those brutal knees to the body from the clinch.  His chin has yet to be tested, but he has a massive head and it's hard to imagine he could be KO'd with any ease. 

 

With work, Lesnar's speed, and power are designed to make him a very dangerous stand up fighter. 

That improved stand up will help him against the great jiu-jitsu fighters.  

Which brings us to the crux of the issue when considering Lesnar's title prospects—his submission skills and his work ethic.

 

Lesnar's training camp says that his work ethic is second to none.  This is why I can't understand any argument against Lesnar becoming an eventual champion.  He has all the natural talent in the world, and he works hard to capitalize on it.  His submission defense was weak in his first fight, but Herring never even challenged it in their second fight, as Lesnar exhibited dominant control.  It's well known that submission defense is easier to learn than submission offense, and that will be Lesnar's focus.  He'll have challenges with Gonzaga, Werdum, Big Nog, and all the other great submission fighters along the way, but I see it as inevitable that Lesnar will learn to overcome even these fighters who are designed to beat him.  Lesnar will be Heavyweight Champion within the next two years.

Ryan Wales:

If you haven’t learned by reading everybody else’s writing, Lesnar is a big, strong, fast, genetic freak show.

He has devastating power that can change a fight with one shot. Lesnar won his fight with Herring the second that right hand landed. Herring was half-blind, shell-shocked and demoralized. 

 Lesnar’s power makes him a guy that you can’t trade punches with, if he lands a shot “on the button” you will wake up the following Monday in a hospital somewhere trying to remember why you jaw is wired shut.

To quote one of my favorite movies: “He has tools, He has the talent.” 

Now he just needs to execute.

 Conclusion:

It seems that most everyone thinks that Lesnar has the potential to be the future of the UFC’s Heavyweight division. He will face some challenges from the other men in the division and there are some very intriguing match-ups on the horizon. We will all have to wait and see if Brock truly has what it takes to the best the UFC has to offer.

 

 

 

(2)
...
Share This  
Crop_45x45
or to post this comment

34 Comments

There are no comments yet. Get the conversation started by leaving the first comment

Loading more comments...
posted just now
  • Loading...
  • Nobody has liked this comment yet
Cancel

This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete

1,094
reads

34
comments

written on August 20, 2008 Opinion

The best newsletter on the web

Subscribe Now

We will never share your email address


CBS Sports Official Partner
Certain photos copyright © 2009 by Getty Images.
Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Getty Images is strictly prohibited.