Brock Lesnar: 10 Reasons He Will Make A Great TUF Coach
Brock Lesnar is the most polarizing fighter in MMA today. Everyone has an opinion on him, either positive or negative, and their opinion can't be changed no matter what he does inside the octagon.
He is going to make his coaching debut on the 13th season of "The Ultimate Fighter," which will premiere on March 30th on Spike. Many detractors don't like the idea of Lesnar coaching young and inexperienced fighters because he has only been doing MMA for about four years.
Such critics may have a point and can surely present a compelling argument against Lesnar. While he has not been involved in the sport for a long time, that doesn't mean he doesn't know what it takes to be successful in mixed martial arts.
A lot of fans are expecting him to fall flat on his face during his time on the show.
But what if he doesn't? What if he actually knows what he is talking about and can find a way to bring out the best in the fighters that he is coaching?
Give him a chance to do something before you completely dismiss him.
That's what this list is all about. We are going to look at 10 reasons that Lesnar will be successful as a coach on the upcoming season of "The Ultimate Fighter."
Lesnar’s Presence
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Some people, when they walk into a room, just have a certain presence about them. You can’t explain it, but you know it’s there.
Brock Lesnar is one of those people. Whenever he steps into a room everything stops and all eyes immediately turn to him. He will hold the attention of all these young fighters and be able to make his point without wondering whether or not they are going to be listening.
It may not seem like a big deal, but don’t underestimate the value of Lesnar’s presence.
Lesnar’s Attitude
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Following along the same lines as his presence, guys are not going to want to get on the wrong side of Lesnar.
He doesn’t seem like the kind of guy that responds well to a practical joke, or any kind of joke for that matter. I’m not saying that he’s going to go try and knock one of the fighters out, but that doesn’t mean he won’t go off on someone.
Not to go all Remember The Titans on you, but attitude does reflect leadership. He will use his attitude to make sure that these fighters understand that he is in charge and takes that responsibility very seriously.
In fact, don’t be surprised if we see him flash some of his attitude very early on in the first episode of the season just to show these guys who’s boss.
Lesnar’s Personality
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If I knew him personally I am sure that Lesnar would smile and joke with people. However, he seems to be crazy intense no matter what the situation is.
Naturally, when he is fighting someone he is not going to be smiling and laughing about things. But even in interviews he never shows the other side to his personality.
In this format he will probably be able to show all sides to his personality— maybe not every aspect of it, but more than we have ever seen.
He knows that not everyone is built the same. Some guys will need a kick in the ass and other guys will need him to pat them on the back. His personality plays well for selling a fight, and that’s what he will be doing here.
However, bringing in new aspects of his personality can help his image with the public, and it will make him the best possible coach. He will use his personality to get through to each individual fighter.
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Lesnar’s MMA Record
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Yes, Lesnar got the crap beat out of him against Cain Velasquez in his last fight. However, that doesn’t take away from everything that he has done in MMA since 2008.
That year, he entered the UFC and fought against Frank Mir, who at the time was one of the best heavyweights in the world. In that fight, Lesnar overwhelmed Mir but a rookie mistake gave him the loss.
He bounced back from that to win his next four fights, including a win over Randy Couture to win the heavyweight championship.
His MMA record is not as deep as some other fighters, but he has some impressive wins and has been a champion in the past.
These fighters are going to respond to that kind of pedigree and give him their full, undivided attention.
Lesnar’s Perseverance
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A lot of MMA fans question Lesnar’s heart and toughness because he doesn’t really show any emotion and also went into hiding after he lost the heavyweight title.
However, he was able to bounce back from an illness that could have ended his career and possibly his life. He was on top of the world in 2008, making a ton of money and winning championships. That was all taken away when he found out he had diverticulitis.
Fortunately, the problem was found early on and Lesnar was able to make a full recovery.
Inside the octagon, Lesnar has persevered despite critics calling him a freak show attraction. He came back after losing his first fight in UFC. He came back to defeat Shane Carwin, after Carwin had him dead to rights in their fight at UFC 116.
His will and perseverance will bring him instant respect and admiration from the fighters that he is training. Plus, given all that he has been through, he can use that to help motivate these guys to reach their full potential.
Lesnar’s Motivation
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There is a lot at stake for Lesnar, not only on this show but in the fight with Junior dos Santos.
Since he entered MMA at a relatively late age (30), his window of opportunity to make money is fairly short. The easiest way to make money is to have people buy your fights. If Lesnar loses this fight to dos Santos, that will hurt his drawing power and will mean less money in his pocket.
If he wins this fight, he gets a shot at Cain Velasquez. That will be a huge money fight, and it’s his ticket back to the top of the UFC food chain.
He has to be great, not only coaching these fighters but in his performance against dos Santos. Don’t underestimate what this fight means to the career and future of Lesnar.
College Pedigree
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Before Lesnar went into the WWE, he was an accomplished college wrestler.
In 1999, Lesnar finished second in the country in the NCAA heavyweight wrestling championships. In a fun fact, he actually lost in the finals to future New England Patriots offensive lineman Stephen Neal (source: ESPN.com).
In 2000, he would go on to win the NCAA heavyweight wrestling championship. In fact, during his entire collegiate career he was a two-time All-American and Big Ten conference champion, losing only five matches in four years.
His determination in college paved the way for his success in the future, and his college background may help relate to these younger guys who may have questions about themselves and how Lesnar got to where he is today.
Professional Pedigree
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In only four years, Brock Lesnar has been to the top of the mountain. He won the UFC heavyweight championship in his fourth professional fight when he defeated Randy Couture at UFC 91.
He had a meteoric rise through the ranks of mixed martial arts. Fighters are going to turn to him because of how quickly he was able to have big time success in the business.
Not only did he defeat Couture, an MMA legend, but he has defeated other top heavyweight fighters like Frank Mir and Shane Carwin.
It’s not the longest resume in the world, but it still is pretty impressive for someone who has only been in the sport for such a short time.
Professional Pedigree (Cont’d.)
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In addition to his accomplishments inside the octagon, no one has been as successful a businessman as Lesnar has been. Granted, he had a built in advantage coming into UFC not long after being the biggest star in WWE.
But his business savvy makes his accomplishments even more impressive. He is able to draw the most money for his fights because he understands what it takes to sell a fight. Off topic, that’s going to be one of the most compelling reasons to watch this season. Dos Santos-Lesnar alone isn’t going to sell a ton of people; he is going to have to make the fight more compelling so that everyone watching will buy their fight.
Last year, in only two fights, Lesnar’s events drew 2.2 million buys on Pay-Per View. The only other UFC fighter that came close to that was GSP, and he had about 1.7 million. That means a lot more coin in his pockets.
Fighters want to be great inside the ring, but they want to make the most money that they can. No one knows how to do that better than Lesnar.
Lesnar’s Ability
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People are quick to poo-poo Lesnar because they think that he was just given all of his opportunity without really earning it.
They see him as a guy who was famous in a fake sport, but since he draws money we will put him in championship matches. No one actually talks about what he can do inside the octagon.
He’s still very green as a fighter, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have talent and has no knowledge to pass along to other fighters.
As we said earlier, he is an accomplished wrestler and there are few guys in UFC that can match him in that category. He has a pretty good submission game and his power can only be matched by a few guys in UFC, one of whom is dos Santos.
He can teach these guys how to be great wrestlers, and the other guys that he brings along can teach them everything else. It’s not like he is completely without knowledge of the sport. His problem is that he started doing it late in life and pretty much has to make do with what skills he has right now.
That’s not to say his skills are useless; in fact, there is a lot that he can teach these fighters.
All of these factors will make Brock Lesnar a great choice to be a coach on “The Ultimate Fighter.”
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