UFC 121 Results: Is Brock Lesnar's Loss to Cain Velasquez Bad for UFC?
Brock Lesnar made his highly anticipated debut in the Ultimate Fighting Championship on February 2, 2008, at UFC 81 in a bout with Frank Mir, which he lost.
Lesnar was a WWE hero, and it was highly questioned whether his wrestling success would transfer over to Mixed Martial Arts. Brock proved that he was indeed worthy of championship status, after a brutal beating of Heath Herring, and finally earning the Heavyweight title against Randy Couture in UFC 91.
However, Lesnar was beat down by Shane Carwin, despite retaining his belt in his last bout, and it was the first time the UFC world saw that he was, in fact, vulnerable.
Cain Velasquez delivered a beating far worse that Carwin's on Brock Lesnar last night, which leads us to this question: Is Brock Lesnar's loss bad for the UFC?
PPV Sales
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Brock Lesnar has been publicized as an unbeatable mammoth who mauls his way through opponents and simply can't be beat.
His pay-per-view bouts draw upwards of one million subscribers, nearly twice the amount of buyers for cards featuring champions such as Georges St. Pierre or Randy Couture.
People want to see him fight. There is something about Brock Lesnar that people cannot turn their eyes from, and that mystique is what brings in pay-per-view buys. But what if he keeps losing?
What Kind Of Fighter Can Beat Lesnar?
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Many UFC fans believed that Shane Carwin really won the fight at UFC 116 when he was on top of Brock Lesnar, using debilitating ground and pound. However, he got gassed in the second round, which allowed Lesnar to tap him out.
Cain Velasquez is very similar to Carwin, but his endurance and cardio allowed him to set the pace of the fight and dominate as long as he wanted to. Lesnar came out of his corner strong, but with every takedown of Velasquez, he had something up his sleeve to counter it.
Velasquez did basically the same thing as Carwin, but Velasquez was simply to powerful for Lesnar to overcome.
Cain Velasquez's Marketability
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The UFC sold this fight as Brock Lesnar vs. Potentially the first Mexican Heavyweight champion ever. The UFC already has a mainstay and a solid fan base in the United States, Canada and Europe, but Mexico generally favors boxing over mixed martial arts.
The De La Hoya days are over, and the UFC could potentially be tapping into a completely new market and demographic in the Hispanic community. Maybe the UFC brings the Velasquez-Dos Santos bout to Mexico?
Brock Lesnar's Future Marketability
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Now that "the baddest S-O-B around" was completely dominated, the boring, humble North Dakotan needs to go back to the drawing board.
Brock Lesnar has suffered his second defeat in the UFC, and was exposed in his last two fights. Who does he fight next, and how does the UFC promote it?
Lesnar was a huge draw, because of the mystique he had around him; his size, power, and attitude gave him marketability. Similar to Kimbo Slice, the internet phenom, who grew to stardom, and eventually given a shot on "The Ultimate Fighter."
But once Slice was defeated, he was gone and forgotten. After his last two fights, Lesnar is no longer a headliner for a card, and unless he can retain the belt, he may be another flash in the pan.
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