Brock Lesnar: Ranking The Top 10 Moments of His MMA Career

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Brock Lesnar has had his share of ups and down throughout his career.

And whether we are talking about his early days in the WWE to a brief preseason stint in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings to his current domination in the MMA and UFC, one thing is certain: Lesnar’s been through just about everything possible in sports.

Today, we will be examining Lesnar’s top 10 moments of his MMA career—from his K-1 Gran Prix debut in 2007 to his hyped upcoming bout with Cain Velasquez on October 23 at UFC 121.

If Lesnar can take home the title this weekend over Velasquez at UFC 121, leave no doubt that that victory will easily be in his top three MMA moments.

Without further ado, let’s begin…

No. 10: MMA Most Valuable Fighter (Wrestling Observer Awards: 2008, 2009)

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards officially began in 1983, but the ‘MMA Most Valuable Fighter’ honor was not introduced until 2007.

Randy Couture took home the honor in 2007, with Brock Lesnar winning consecutive ‘MMA Most Valuable Fighter’ honors in both 2008 and 2009.

No. 9: Breakthrough Fighter of the Year (World MMA Awards, 2009)

In the second annual World MMA Awards, Brock Lesnar took home the ‘Breakthrough Fighter of the Year’ honors in 2009.

En route to the 2009 award, Lesnar defeated both Randy Couture and Frank Mir in a span of just nine months to garner the UFC heavyweight title.

No. 8: Best Box Office Draw (Wrestling Observer Awards: 2008, 2009)

Coming in at No. 8 in Brock Lesnar’s all-time MMA moments: ‘Best Box Office Draw’ honors from Wresting Observer Newsletter awards in both 2008 and 2009.

The ‘Best Box Office Draw’ award began in 1997, with only four fighters winning back-to-back honors.

In addition to Lesnar, the other three fighters to win consecutive ‘Best Box Office Draw’ awards were Steve Austin (1998, 1999), Bob Sapp (2002, 2003), and Kenta Kobashi (2004, 2005).

No. 7: Supplement Endorsement Deal: Dynamite Nutrition (January 2009)

In January 2009, Brock Lesnar signed a supplemental endorsement deal with Dynamite Nutrition.

Six months later, fans were able to acquire a CD with Lesnar training footage inside boxes of Dynamite Xpand and Energized Xpand, according to wire reports.

On July 11, 2009, Lesnar represented Dynamite Nutrition en route to his title defense at UFC 100 over Frank Mir for the UFC Undisputed Heavyweight Championship.

No. 6: Beatdown of the Year (Sherdog Awards: 2009)

Sherdog, the largest US website devoted to the sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) according to Wikipedia, and provides MMA related content for ESPN.com.

And in the 2009 Miscellaneous Awards, Brock Lesnar took home the honor of ‘Sherdog’s Beatdown of the Year.’

In 2009, Lesnar defeated both Randy Couture and Frank Mir on the road to the UFC Undisputed Heavyweight title.

No. 5: K-1 Dynamite!! USA (June 2007)

Now is when the real fun begins.

Brock Lesnar made his MMA debut in 2007 at K-1 Dynamite!! USA, an MMA event co-promoted by FEG—of K-1 kickboxing and HERO’S MMA events—and EliteXC.

The event shattered for highest verified-attendance numbers for a North American MMA event with 42,757 confirmed spectators, according to Wikipedia.

Lesnar went on to defeat Min Soo Kim by submission just 1:09 into the first round, taking home his first official MMA victory.

No. 4: UFC 87: Seek and Destroy (August 2008)

On August 8, 2008, Brock Lesnar defeated Heath Herring at UFC 87: Seek and Destroy in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Lesnar was originally scheduled to fight UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman at UFC 87, but Coleman was forced to withdraw due to an Achilles tendon injury, according to Wikipedia.

In the heavyweight bout, Lesnar beat Herring by a unanimous decision—with all three judges scoring the fight 30-26.

No. 3: UFC 91: Couture Vs. Lesnar (November 2008)

The highly anticipated fight between Randy Couture and Brock Lesnar took place at UFC 91 on November 15, 2008, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

And with the Couture vs. Lesnar title bout being the main fight of the night, fans did not leave UFC 91 disappointed.

At the 3:07 mark of round 2, Lesnar secured the UFC Heavyweight Championship title via a TKO, according to Wikipedia.

With the win, Lesnar also became the new UFC Heavyweight Champion—marking the beginning moments of a MMA legacy. 

No. 2: UFC 100 (July 2009)

On July 11, 2009, UFC 100 was held in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The main event at UFC 100 featured a rematch between UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar and UFC Interim-Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir.

And one again, Lesnar did not disappoint.

Lesnar defeated Mir at the 1:48 mark of round 2 via TKO, retaining the UFC Heavyweight Championship .

With the win, Lesnar became the Undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion.

No. 1: UFC 116: Lesnar vs. Carwin (July 2010)

The biggest moment, and biggest win, of Brock Lesnar’s MMA career—albeit the upcoming UFC 121 could trump this—came at UFC 116 on July 3, 2010.

UFC 116: Lesnar vs. Carwin was held at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, with the main event featuring a Heavyweight Championship bout between Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin.

It didn’t take Lesnar look to once again prove he is the reigning UFC Undisputed Heavyweight Champion.

Lesnar defeated Carwin via submission (arm triangle choke) at 2:19 of round 2, becoming the Undisputed Champion and winning ‘Submission of the Night’ honors, according to Wikipedia.

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Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at [e-mail]