UFC 141 Results: Brock Lesnar and the Most Underachieving Fighters of All Time

There have been so many pedestrian fighters in UFC history who were supposed to dominate their respective divisions that my head starts to hurt when thinking about them.

In due part to Dana White and the UFC's promotion-driven reign as MMA's gatekeepers, a handful of fighters stand out among the rest.

Some have done a decent job at etching their names into UFC history with a couple of significant victories, but for the most part, they've been duds.

Here are the five most over-hyped, underachieving fighters of all time.  Ironically, they've all stepped foot inside the Octagon within the past three years.

5. Jake Shields

Obviously, the verdict on Jake Shields fighting in the UFC is still up in the air, but his legacy so far is everything short of legitimate.

Shields brought a 13-fight win streak into his UFC debut against welterweight contender Martin Kampmann at UFC 121. 

But most of his key victories came via Strikeforce talent, which more or less serves as the UFC's farm system, barring a few fighters here and there (Gilbert Melendez and Luke Rockhold).

Since his split-decision victory debut, Shields got dismantled by Georges St. Pierre in a five-round title fight and got his clock cleaned in a first-round KO defeat at the hands of Jake Ellenberger.

Now while controlling St. Pierre is no cakewalk, Shields' performance was anything but spectacular.  It finally looked like he was unable to lay on his opponent and wait for a submission, which pays tribute to the talent and athleticism that the UFC incorporates.

Heading into the future, the guy who was ready to take St. Pierre's crown needs to regroup and prove why so many people consider him one of the best fighters in the world.

Sometimes fighters just can't handle the biggest stage in MMA, and Shields may be one of those guys.

4. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, or just Sokoudjou, was suppose to dominate the UFC light heavyweight division when he made his Octagon debut at UFC 79.

Key words being "suppose to."

Sokoudjou was never able to hone his standup skills in a division that offered an array of styles and fighting abilities.

And while his first fight came against Lyoto Machida, which is a tough pill to swallow, Sokoudjou never got going at 205 pounds.

Following his loss to Machida via submission, "The African Assassin" went 1-1 during the rest of his UFC career, including a second-round TKO loss to Luiz Cane in October 2008.

Besides being a talented striker who came into the UFC with key knockouts over Rogerio Nogueira and Ricardo Arona, Sokoudjou's UFC career lasted a grand total of five rounds.

Since then, the 27-year-old has fought for nearly 10 different fight organizations around the world.

3. Mirko Cro Cop

There's one word that encapsulates Mirko Cro Cop's 10-fight UFC career.

Heartbreaking.

Crop Cop was, and still is, considered one of the best heavyweight fighters in MMA history.  His reign in PRIDE is more or less legendary. 

But despite his career success in an organization that got swallowed by the UFC, Cro Cop's abilities inside the Octagon seemed to diminish from his debut in 2007.

The main reason for his lack of success was his digression in kickboxing.  It's as simple as that.  The Croatian was never able to land those nasty head kicks that made him famous overseas, which led to more knockouts against Cro Cop than for him.

Key losses to Gabriel Gonzaga, Cheick Kongo, Junior dos Santos, Frank Mir, Brendan Schaub and Roy Nelson pretty much wrapped up his four-and-a-half-year career.

Lets chalk this one up to old age and the inability to adapt to American combat sports.

2. Brock Lesnar

Following his retirement after losing to Alistair Overeem at UFC 141, many people are going to put Brock Lesnar's career under a microscope.

And while I'm not trying to take anything away from one of the most athletic heavyweights of all time, Lesnar's UFC career was anything but successful.

Sure he was able to win five fights, including three title bouts in which he defended heavyweight gold twice, but the ex-WWE champion never seemed to adapt to the talent he faced inside the Octagon.

As I mentioned before, Lesnar is an athlete.  He used sheer athleticism and an All-American wrestling background to overpower his opponents in the cage. 

But once he secured multiple takedowns, it was obvious that true MMA skills never seemed to grace his arsenal.

Stubby punches, awkward standup, unorthodox strikes and the inability to stay healthy always seemed to threaten his success in the UFC.

And after watching his performance against Overeem on Friday night, healthy or not, Lesnar's lack of discipline and on-the-spot talent never looked more suspect. 

To be honest, besides his submission of Shane Carwin at UFC 116, Lesnar's career in the most competitive sport in the world can be wrapped up in this short sentence.

A man-beast who used brute strength, intimidation and size to wear out unsuspecting opponents, until he met his final demise.

1. Kimbo Slice

Bottom line: Kimbo Slice was never supposed to win in the UFC.

People wanted it more than anything, but the Internet superstar was simply that, an Internet fighter turned professional hype-man.

Honestly, it was probably unfair to crown Slice as a legitimate MMA fighter after just four fights, which was all it took before Dana White and company decided to roll with the street brawler on The Ultimate Fighter.

Regardless, Slice was still heralded as "The Next Big Thing" in the sport.  A heavyweight force with the well-known name and mass appeal who can bring more fans to the UFC than ever before.  Win or lose, his popularity grew by the round.

But in a sport that rewards talent over popularity, Kimbo's momentum in the heavyweight division and the MMA community ran thin.

To bad, I liked Slice.  At least he's boxing and still cramming his iron fists in dudes' faces.

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