Bleacher Report - Brock Lesnar

Demystifying Fighters' Heights, Auras, and Egos

Jung Soo Kim — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 03:24:38 -0500

You all know what I am talking about. I possibly cannot be the only one cracking up every time I see Shane Carwin listed as 6'3" in the UFC tale-of-the-tape segments. In a recent episode of Inside MMA, he was even listed as 6'5"! In fact, I have seen occasions where even Joe Rogan laughs at the inaccuracies.

I once pictured Carwin trying to walk towards the Octagon wearing high heels (make them pink). The sheer ridiculousness of the idea had me laughing hysterically.

It is quite ironic to think that a guy nicknamed "the Engineer" cannot measure his own height properly, but a man's ego can do wonderful things. Sometimes, it's not even his fault. The industry will always make their models look bigger and better.

The list is just starting.

I have seen Randy "the Natural" Couture listed as tall as 6'2". Then I saw the old man literally look up at Brock Lesnar's gigantic head, and I realized, Couture ain't 6'2". He's my size—around 6'0"! Lesnar is at least 6'3", if not 6'4".

I have noticed that this kind of statistical error is usually predominant in the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions of the UFC.

It's not difficult to understand. Bigger, heavier guys draw more attention and more Pay-Per-View buys. Fabricating stats is nothing new to organizations such as the NBA, NFL or even MLB. Even high school coaches do it.

A casual fan, when told that Carwin is 6'5" and 260 pounds, will cry out, "Holy Moly, now that's a big son of a gun!" Reveal that he's 6'0"-6'1" and 260 pounds and the same fanatic will show only half of the excitement.

It is why Greeks made gigantic statues of their idols; the alpha-male should be stronger and bigger and be perceived in such a way. We all cheer for David to beat Goliath, but secretly in our hearts, we aspire to resemble Goliath and envy him.

In no way am I trying to diminish any of these fighters' reputation, but the truth just has to be told. That's it.

One might dispute: "How can you trust someone like me?"

Well, I think I've done my fair share of research and nosing around. Comparing Pride FC stats with UFC stats has helped, and getting good photos without deceiving camera angles also helps. So here goes...

Quinton Rampage Jackson is a solid 6'0", and not 6'1" as publicized.

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua is only 5'11". Wanderlei Silva and Rua are basically identical in height and many photos have proven this. Add in Rashad Evans.

Fedor "the Last Emperor" Emelianenko is also at a comfortable, but somewhat disappointing 5'11". He seriously looked like a midget next to Andrei Arlovski, who is a legit 6'4" fighter.

Lyoto Machida, Keith Jardine, and Rich Franklin are solid 6'1" fighters. Vitor Belfort is a very strong 6'0".

K-1 sensation Mirko "Crocop" Filipovic is only 6'1", and is identical in height to his nemesis Gabriel Gonzaga. Add in matador Cain Velasquez to the mix, and Frank Mir.

Chuck Liddell and Anderson Silva are at a good 6'2".

Silva is a particularly funny example because back in Pride, he was listed as short as 5'11". Even in his early UFC fights, he was still a lowly 5'11", but then the vitamins and nutritious hamburgers in America apparently did him some good.

Silva grew an astounding three inches during his meteoric one-year rise in the UFC middleweight division.

Forrest Griffin is 6'3"—something that the UFC got right. Cheick Kongo and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira are 6'4", with Junior Dos Santos being somewhere between 6'3" and 6'4". Brock Lesnar is also somewhere around there.

I can go on, but I think I have made my point.

UFC still has a long way to go in getting their fighter's heights right, and they may never even attempt to correct the "facts" they have right now. Some are minimal errors that can be understood, but Shane Carwin at 6'3"?

You gotta be kidding me. He stands victorious while all of his opponents are lying on the mat; that's what matters. Carwin is human-sized, and in fact is a human, believe it or not.

Perhaps this is why I love MMA. It shows how imperfect we are. Meanwhile, Kobe Bryant might be able to play a game without making a single mistake, and Tiger Woods might play a flawless game of golf. Apparently, in a YouTube video, Woods can even walk on water, but in the world MMA, no one is perfect. No one can be perfect.

Disregarding a few flash knockouts that end in a matter of seconds, every fighter leaves the Octagon or ring in a bruised or battered state.

We will cheer for our fighters, regardless of whether they are 5'5" or 6'5". As long as they bring a good fight, we will pay, and we will watch.

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From Couture to Fedor:10 Things I Love About MMA

Der Mac — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 12:18:23 -0500

The Knockout: Probably the most exciting thing to happen in a fight is for someone to get knocked the F**K out. Obviously knockouts happen in other sports, such as boxing, but what makes MMA knockouts so exciting is the variety of different KO's. From Gonzaga knocking out Cro Cop with a head kick, to Wanderlei Silva destroying Rampage with knees, to Fedor coming from behind to knock Rogers unconscious. Nothing gets the crowd more excited than a knockout and its usually discussed for days after. Sometimes the ground game is sacrificed in favour of a stand up battle due to crowds getting on the backs of fighters who take it to the ground. But can you blame them for wanting to see a Bispingesque KO?
The Upset: One of the greatest things about any sport is that you can never underestimate the underdog. MMA is no different. Upsets keep fighters on their toes. They know if they take a fighter lightly they could end up suffering a humiliating defeat. Just ask GSP. Matt Serra's upset over Georges St. Pierre sent shockwaves through the MMA universe. Serra had only earned a title shot by winning a T.V show, but about three minutes into the fight Serra was crowned the new UFC welterweight champion. Afterwards GSP got grief from the media and fans until he avenged that loss at UFC 83. Other upsets include Gonzaga beating Cro Cop, Couture beating Liddell and Pulver beating B.J Penn.
Jiu-Jitsu: If you like the ground game, then you probably like jiu-jitsu. Its a very skilled and very techinacal form of martial art. When you get two BJJ black belts in the octagon together, and it hits the ground the fight will become a chess match, to see who makes the first mistake. Most submissions come from jiu-jitsu, with a great amount of successful fighters having their base in jiu-jitsu. While most fans look to see a knockout in an MMA match, there is nothing better, in my opinion, than a well executed triangle-choke, armbar or gogoplata. Some of the best submission wins include B.J Penn's rear-naked choking of Joe Stevenson, Fedor's kimura sumbission of Randleman after being dropped on his head, and Antonio 'Minotauro' Nogueria's armbar on Mirko Cro Cop.
The Fedor Debate: Whether you're pro-Fedor or anti-Fedor, everyone has an opinion on the controversial Russian. Is he a hero for doing what so many other fighters fail to do and turn down Dana White and the UFC, or is he a coward for not joining the best and most popular MMA organisation in the world. All I can say is that he is great fighter, the best in the heavyweight division (although I would personally place him third behind Anderson Silva and GSP on pound-for-pound rankings) but I really hope, in the not too distant future that he finally joins the UFC.
The Ultimate Fighter: The show that brought MMA into the mainstream(although its not all the way there yet). It brought a whole new audience to the UFC and turned it into a million dollar company. It also had the added bonus of producing some of the best fighters in the sport today such as Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans and Diego Sanchez. Although the talent level seems to have dropped in recent series, its popularity is as high as ever with the current series enjoying high ratings (at least until Kimbo Slice got beaten). Although some people have called for the show to be axed, I see no reason for the show to disappear so long as there is still a handful of quality fighters still coming through the show.
Randy Couture: The fighter that has provided me with more memorable moments than any other fighter in Mixed Martial Arts. The guy is 46 years old and still going strong, beating fighters half his age. From Couture upsetting Liddell, to him beating the Phenom, to giving Tito a spanking, there is no other fighter like The Natural and there never will be. Probably his most memorable moment from Randy was when he came out of retirement to destroy Tim Sylvia at 43 years of age. I think Joe Rogan summed it up best when he said "That guy is my hero." Here's hoping for one more memorable moment from Captain America by going on to capture the light heavyweight title. If he gets a title shot, I know I wont be betting against him.
Former WWE Stars Becoming MMA Stars: From being a kid who loved "fake wrestling", I really enjoy former WWE stars transitioning into MMA (although wrestling has gone down the toilet these days). A lot of people give them stick for their prior employment. That just makes it even better when they come in and do well where, supposedly, their not welcome. Fighters like Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley are great athletes and have already proved that they deserve to be accepted into the MMA community. Because he's going about becoming a Mixed Martial Artist the right way, Im particularly looking forward to seeing what Bobby Lashley can do. Hopefully one day he could become the UFC heavyweight champion, hopefully by beating Lesnar.
New Challengers To The UFC: It's widely known that the UFC is the premier organisation in the world of MMA. They have the majority of the best fighters, they have the best production, they have the most events and they bring MMA to new places that may never have had a UFC event before. But the UFC has always had competition. It used to be Pride, some even saying Pride was better than the UFC, but they got bought by the UFC. Next it was Afflicition but they went under because of Josh Barnett and his attempt to gain an advatage over Fedor. Now its Strikeforce with its acquisition of Fedor Emelianenko. Although Dana White doesn't want to see anyone try and compete with him and the UFC, a healthy competition motivates the UFC to put better shows and to constantly look out for top talent before Strikeforce is able to aquire them. Also the probability is, based on past events, that the UFC will eventually come out on top and will hopefully be able to aquire all of its top talent, including Fedor.
MMA Coming To Ireland: MMA is my favourite sport besides football/soccer. I love the fact that it is being embraced by so many of my countrymen. The UFC has already held two events in Ireland, UFC 72 in Belfast and UFC 93 in Dublin, and I hope that they can come again in 2010 and many more times after that. Who knows? Maybe Strikeforce may wish to expand outside of America and decide to put on a show in Ireland with Fedor headlining. That would be a dream come true. The number of MMA fighters is also growing in Ireland. I think its only a matter of time before an Irish fighter makes an impact in the MMA world.
Rich Franklin (A.K.A. Your Favourite Fighter): Everyone has a favourite fighter that they instantly liked from the first moment they saw them fight and destroy whomever they were fighting. Mine was Rich Franklin, and from the first time I saw him fight I instantly became a fan of his and still am to this day. The first fight I saw him in was when he beat Ken Shamrock (at the time I was fairly new to the UFC and seeing Rich destroy someone I saw in the WWF and heard was a fairly good fighter, I,ve since realised he's not that good, made me an instant fan). Im not saying that Rich is the greatest fighter ever, but I still love watching him fight. We all have that fighter that we will defend to the death no matter how many times he loses or how overated he might be. Im personally hoping that he can go on one more title run and win that light heavyweight belt. COME ON ACE.

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The Great Debate Part Two: Is Brock Lesnar No. 2?

Moses Maddox — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 02:00:37 -0500

At the beginning of this season, the USC Trojans were ranked No. 3 in the NCAA standings. They received an inordinate about of air time about things they did that ultimately didn't matter.

The Trojans were anointed as BCS National Title contenders, but fast forward 12 weeks later, they are out of contention and considered a major disappointment.

The "experts" assumed that even though USC had lost a huge amount of players, it was USC and their rosters were stacked from top to bottom, so even though they were depleted, they were given the benefit of the doubt.

Why? Because it is USC.

Big names will always get the benefit of the doubt, big names will always get the big push. It is why Mike Tyson was still a pay-per-view draw in 2005 against an unknown Kevin McBride, even though Evander Holyfield pretty much ended his career in 1997.

I don't know if we as the viewing public actually want these names to be successful, yet we are enthralled by them, we can't help but watch.

Enter Brock Lesnar.

In my article yesterday, I took an in-depth look Fedor Emelianenko's last three opponents to see if he is still the No. 1 heavyweight fighter in the world.

Though I haven't reached an answer that I am satisfied with, I have come to the conclusion that not only do we have to look at Fedor's recent activity, but we have to look at the others who are ranked with him.

According to MMA Weekly, Brock Lesnar is rated as the No. 2 Heavyweight in the world. In the name of journalistic integrity, I have to look into this, even though, admittedly, I'm sure this horse has been beaten to death. So time for me to get my shots in.

Lesnar's record only has Min-soo Kim, Frank Mir, Heath Herring, and Randy Couture. I have to read that again. I've read and re-read it since the last Mir fight; Min-soo Kim, Frank Mir, Heath Herring, and Randy Couture. Then I look at MMA Weekly, Sherdog, and ESPN; and I wonder...How?

In an effort to put things into a clearer perspective, I don't think looking at who Lesnar has fought is going to answer any questions, I think it is better to look who was fighting who during the same time period as Lesnar.

Or better yet, I think since the overall consensus is Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, we should do a head-to-head comparison.

Most say that Nogueira is the best heavyweight in the UFC, or deserves a higher ranking. Yet, if you look at his record since entering the UFC, you will see that he is 3-1, with wins over Tim Sylvia, Randy Couture, Heath Herring, and a loss against Frank Mir.

Compare that to Lesnar's 3-1, with wins over Frank Mir, Randy Couture, and Heath Herring, with the lone loss coming in his debut against Frank Mir. What does that mean?

It means that we are doing the same thing with Noguiera that we are doing to Fedor. We are recognizing his current skill set along with his fighting history as a whole to determine his current standing now.

Of course, we can say that in the Mir fights, Nogueira was beaten by a staph infection way before Mir ever landed a punch, while that may be true, when you step in the Octagon, you step in knowing the risk, and knowing the possible outcomes.

But doesn't anyone think that Big Nog stepped in the cage thinking he would lose? We will talk about Big Nog in another article, but it is food for thought and something to talk about. But with "Big Nog" and Lesnar possessing comparable UFC records, how is Lesnar rated No. 2 in the world?

Did Brock Lesnar deserve his title shot before avenging his loss against Frank Mir? No.

Is Lesnar in the position he is because he is a name and carries with him a following? Yes.

However, to say that Lesnar is ranked No. 2 in the world RIGHT NOW, is to say that Lesnar is ready to fight Fedor RIGHT NOW. And that is false.

I am not doubting Lesnar's abilities or potential, but to put it simply, he wasn't exactly winning the chess match to Couture before catching him with that overhand right.

It wasn't that Lesnar set up that knock out, it was more a result of Couture bobbing when he should have been weaving.

He lost to Frank Mir because he was too busy trying to set himself up to deliver those Cro-Magnon hammer fists and forgetting he was fighting a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt.

In the second Mir fight, he was more measured, but the final take down was because Frank Mir was trying to deliver a jumping knee while Lesnar was going for a single.

I am critical of these fights because I am concerned about how they win, not if they win.

Lesnar didn't impose his will on Couture, he slightly had the upper hand in the second Mir fight, meaning the only fight he truly dominated was the Herring fight.

Besides fighting the best fighters to be No. 1, it is also about how they win. To play the devil's advocate from yesterday's column where I was critical of who Fedor fought, how he won gave him the argument of still being ranked No. 1.

If Brock Lesnar wasn't Brock Lesnar, he wouldn't be any higher ranked that Cain Velazquez, who has more fights in the UFC, and won all of them in a more impressive fashion.

Though an argument can be made about who Velasquez has fought, and I will later, we are witnessing a parallel in the growths of two fighters.

Yet one has been more dominating in his wins, while the other has fought stiffer competition. Can one really rank Lesnar above someone like Velazquez?

Based on pure experience and quality of wins, Brock Lesnar is not the No. 2 heavyweight in the world, but that is not to say that 2010 won't solidify him as a contender for the top dog in the heavyweight division.

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