Brock Lesnar and 5 Fights That Proved Size Matters (Video)
Brock Lesnar is a very big man. I hear, he's more easily seen on satellite than some of the smaller countries in Europe. Cain Velasquez is...well, not as big. Microscopic if you ask me!
All jokes aside, size is a significant issue in MMA. Whether it be an issue of height or weight, each fight introduces a new struggle.
In the wake of UFC 121, we've been hearing a lot about Brock Lesnar's size, and all of the advantages it brings him. Mixed martial artists and fans alike are faced with the question of how important size is frequently, but never as much as in the lead up to UFC 121.
With Lesnar's entrance into the forefront of MMA we all seem to be scrutinizing size a lot more than we used to. What I think some of us forget is that this was just as big of an issue 10 years ago.
Lesnar is of course, a special case all in his own, worthy of his own classification. However, there have been other fighters before him to utilize size just as well.
In many of these scenarios we've seen that size really can play a big role in how a fight plays out. Some of these fights have ended in controversy, others decisively in one way or the other.
The fact is this: sometimes the smaller they are, the harder they fall.
Here are five fights that proved why size matters.
Number 5: The Case Of The PRIDE Grand Prix 2000
1 of 6When Mark Coleman debuted in the UFC, everything began to change. He was a 265 lbs., muscular, man-beast.
He was able to use a mixture of raw power, size, and wrestling prowess to toss around guys like Dan Severn and Don Frye. Igor Vovchanchyn took another road to stardom.
Building his popularity as a renowned striker throughout Europe and Japan. He was a small heavyweight standing only 5'8, but he packed a punch.
When the two met, the terms were a bit lopsided. Mark Coleman hadn't fought his prior fight due to forfeit, while Vovchanchyn competed for 15 minutes against Kazushi Sakuraba.
Still, after seeing Coleman's performances against strikers such as Maurice Smith and Pete Williams, Vovchanchyn was still given a strong chance at winning the bout.
These hopes turned out to be short-lived as "The Hammer" totally smothered Igor and pounded him into submission. He was too big to be shaken off and made sure to try and knock Ice Cold out cold.
Video: A Tribute to Mark Coleman, skip to 3:00 to see how Coleman bullied his way to victory
Number 4: How Mark Hunt Ended Five Years of Dominance
2 of 6Wanderlei Silva fought in the PRIDE Middleweight Division at around 200 lbs. When he fought Mark Hunt at PRIDE Shockwave 2004 he didn't find himself facing a 200 lb opponent. He didn't find himself facing a 220 pound or 240 lb or even 260 lb opponent. Coming into this bout Wanderlei was in fact outweighed by 80 lbs against Mark Hunt.
Wanderlei relied on his ground game to escape Hunt's K-1 level striking, but the problem in doing so was the effort exerted to put a 280 lb man down. Once on the ground it became an issue of controlling an opponent of that size.
Silva was visibly exhausted from the effort exerted, and left himself open to more offense from Hunt than I believe he would've against an opponent of his size. It was these bursts of offense from Hunt that would see him take a split decision victory that night.
Though the decision was highly controversial and could've gone either way, it was Mark Hunt's size that I believe gave him the victory that night.
Video: Silva vs. Hunt at PRIDE Shockwave 2004
Number 3: When GSP Became a Prodigy In His Own Right
3 of 6Georges St. Pierre and BJ Penn are two names that have floated around the MMA pound-for-pound rankings for some time. It was inevitable that they would meet in the octagon some day, and when they finally did, many were surprised by the outcome.
Though St. Pierre was the larger man, it was believed by most that BJ's vast skill set could neutralize that issue. In their first bout, that proved true in the first round, but as the fight progressed GSP was able to turn the tide.
In their rematch at UFC 94, BJ's newfound dedication and increased cardio was looking to be a major issue for St. Pierre. He had recently avenged his TKO loss to Matt Serra, but people still questioned him after he was so thoroughly dominated by a much smaller man in their first fight.
In typical GSP fashion, however, he rose to the occasion at UFC 94. He not only defended his title, but used his weight advantage coupled with his wrestling skills to keep Penn constantly on the defensive.
He could use his weight to dominate in the clinch, press through Penn's guard, score amazing takedowns, and eventually earn himself a TKO victory due to corner retirement.
Video: The Inside MMA recap of UFC 94
Number 2: The Fight That Put The "Bad" Into a Huntington Beach Boy
4 of 6There isn't much to say about this one. Evan Tanner in some ways was small for a middleweight as shown by his fight against Yushin Okami.
Tito Ortiz on the other hand is essentially a big guy who fits very well into the light heavyweight division, or as Ken Shamrock would call him, "a monkey." Maybe gorilla is better suited, but who am I to argue with Ken?
Coming into their face off at UFC 30, both men looked good in their last two outings and both only had two losses.
The difference being that Tanner had two losses in 25 fights, while Tito had the same number after only eight. Tanner was seen as a legitimate threat, and by all means he had the record to prove he was.
However, after only 32 seconds into the first round, Ortiz proved to be too big and too strong for even the experience of Tanner to counter.
Video: Ortiz vs Tanner from UFC 30: Battle on the Boardwalk
Number 1: This Time, Bigger Did Mean Better
5 of 6I know what you'll think when you first see this. "This isn't MMA." I understand that, but this fight is extremely important when you speak about size advantage.
In the world of K-1, Ernesto Hoost truly earned the nickname "Mr. Perfect". He's beaten Jerome Le Banner, Mirko Cro Cop, Andy Hug, Peter Aerts, Ray Sefo, Mark Hunt, and many others. He holds 97 wins, 62 of which coming by knockout. Bob Sapp on the other hand is just a really big guy who wins fights by throwing wild blows.
This match up looked to be a recipe for disaster, but Bob Sapp did the unthinkable when he completely bulldozed Hoost.
He bull-rushed him, threw wild haymakers, shoved him, backed him into the corner, absorbed all of the shots thrown at him and then dropped Mr. Perfect three times for a TKO stoppage in their first match up after only three minutes.
When they had a rematch, Sapp did much of the same but managed to knock Hoost out about three minutes into round two.
This fight proved something most of us are taught isn't true, sometimes bigger is better. Sapp's size and strength completely overpowered everything Hoost had to offer. Sapp was just too big.
Video: Hoost vs. Sapp from K-1 World Grand Prix 2002 Final Elimination
The End
6 of 6
There are always going to be bigger fighters that have the ability to handle smaller ones. This doesn't mean that Brock Lesnar will be able to do the same at UFC 121, but it does mean that there is a possibility it can happen.
In reality, there are weight classes for a reason; some people are too big for certain competition. When you can find means around that barrier however, many more options become open to you.
Every extra pound helps when shifting for a take down, trying to maintain mount, putting force behind punches, or even just for the intimidation factor.
Though Brock Lesnar and UFC 121 aren't unique to the world of mixed martial arts, they offer up so much more than any of their predecessors.
Nobody as big as Brock Lesnar has ever gone against competition like Cain Velasquez. Nobody until now has even rivaled Lesnar in size. Thus far it has paid off for him, and come Saturday we'll see if it continues to do so
.jpg?w=600 "Most Likely Post-June 1 Trade Candidates 👋")
