June 30th, 2010It’s not a secret that the Heavyweight Division in the UFC was not the most entertaining division for some time.
Some people used to say it lacked depth, some other people used to say that no matter how strong the division was, and who the Champion was, as long as Fedor Emelianenko remained outside of the UFC ranks, there was no way to assess who the real Top Heavyweight in the World was.
Starting with Frank Mir’s motorcycle accident, forcing him out of the game for a long time while being the undisputed Heavyweight Champion, the Heavyweight Division started tumbling.
For some time the Heavyweight Division was in “limbo”, according to fans and bloggers, and Randy Couture leaving the UFC because of contract disputes didn’t make things anymore interesting.
Then a big announcement was made—Brock Lesnar signs with the UFC.
After an awesome run of Interim Championship fights, a grueling unification match between Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir, and the rise of new talent among the heavyweights, now we can honestly say, it is the top heavyweight division in the World.
Saturday July 3rd, Brock Lesnar will face one of these rising stars, Shane Carwin.
And so, I would like to share, with all of you B/R readers, my opinions on how I think this fight will break down.
My prediction for this fight is based merely on a comparison made with all the previous Brock Lesnar fights and opponents.
And this is how it goes…
In this debut fight Lesnar is facing one of the top Jiu Jitsu players in the world, and is also coming back to claim his belt. A belt he never actually lost.
A lot of you will agree with me that Lesnar lost this fight by a rookie mistake. One would think, coming against such a strong jiu jitsu opponent, he would’ve been trained a little better in jiu jitsu defense, but no, clearly that wasn’t the case.
After taking Mir down with ease, and beating him down like a puppy on a ragdoll, the action is stopped by the ref due to alleged blows to the back of the head of Frank Mir, something many of us never agreed on. The fighters were then brought back to their feet after a one point deduction without warning against Brock Lesnar.
We all know how that ended, kneebar locked, Frank Mir ruins Brock Lesnar’s debut.
How does Brock Lesnar matchup against a versed jiu jitsu player?
Not good, minus-one point for Brock.
Heath Herring, a Sambo and Muay Thai player, comes into this fight with a 50/50 record inside the UFC, having lost his first and third fights, and winning his second and fourth fights, with all four fights going the distance.
Herring, the not-so-happy recipient of that infamous New Year’s Eve Kiss, was coming into this fight the underdog, although Lesnar had lost his previous fight.
It was no contest from the beginning. Lesnar knocked down Herring with a lightning fast right hand, and from then on it was all Lesnar.
Many people pointed out Lesnar’s inability to finish this fight was a clear sign that Lesnar was not a definitive force in this weightclass.
I disagree, for in my mind it was just a matter of time and training.
Not trying to take anything away from Herring, the truth is that he wasn’t really cutting it in the UFC, having lost three out of five fights, it’s not a good sign coming from a guy that has won most of his fights by submission.
At this point, it’s clear to me that strikers will not necessarily do well against Brock if they don’t have a good wrestling base to deal with his takedowns and top control.
So, even though Lesnar gets his first win in the octagon, he still has zero points in my book, which is not one, after the first fight he was minus-one.
The biggest fight in the UFC’s Heavyweight Division so far.
Randy Couture defends his title again after defeating Gabriel Gonzaga. Couture is the first actual wrestler that Lesnar faces in the UFC. The crowd roars as Randy goes toe to toe with this behemoth of a human being, avoiding any serious damage on the ground, landing some strikes, getting back up, pressing Lesnar against the cage.
Still, Brock in my book takes the round by a narrow margin, but the electricity in the air was palpable, as Randy Couture wasn’t being manhandled by Lesnar, he was actually in the fight.
Brock ends up winning the fight in the second round by TKO, but despite defeating one of the greatest fighters in UFC history, many started asking themselves how he would perform against a true wrestler who could withstand his power and size.
I would’ve given Brock two points for a win over Captain America, but since Randy gave him such a hard time in the first round, Brock has one point in my book.
The rematch everyone was waiting for. The two fighters going at each other mercilessly in every single pre-fight interview, one of which cost a little ear tug from president Dana White to Frank Mir, for expressions no professional athlete should make.
Now, this fight brings a couple of questions to the table. Has Brock Lesnar trained to defend Mir’s legendary jiu jitsu? Will he be able to dominate Mir like he was doing before the action got stopped by the ref due to the blow to the back of the head?
Before the first fight, Joe Rogan commented that Dave Terrel had predicted that if Mir was to submit Lesnar, it would be with a leg lock, which proved to be true. Many people say that wrestlers are more susceptible to leg locks.
If you take a look at the fight, not a minute into the fight, they swing, they clinch, and immediately Mir goes for a leg lock. I think this was a huge mistake, for I would’ve kept the fight standing up for as long as possible. As soon as I saw how Lesnar reacted I said, “yes, they have trained him to defend from Frank’s submissions.”
Lesnar goes to deliver a disastrous beating to Mir, unifying the Heavyweight Title.
Lesnar versus a jiu jitsu fighter now?
A lot better. Lesnar is now plus-three in my book.
After analyzing all of Lesnar’s fights in the UFC so far, the only conclusion I could reach is that out of all the styles he faced in the octagon, the wrestler gave him the hardest time.
I would not dare to try and take credit away from Randy Couture, but the truth is that the weight, height, and strength difference was too much. Randy still gave Lesnar the hardest time.
Now, looking forward to Saturday’s event, one would have to ask, how will Brock Lesnar deal with another wrestler, almost as huge and powerful as he is, but with a lot of KO power behind his hands, like Shane Carwin?
And let’s not forget, Brock’s chin is yet to be tested.
My guess is…
He won’t, he can’t.
I see Shane Carwin winning this fight by TKO before the second round ends.
And don’t get me wrong, I’m a Lesnar fan, I have actually made money on every single one of his fights, including the first one in the UFC.
I just think Carwin will win…
Thanks for reading and please leave a comment. Remember this is an open community of writers and readers, and we all have the privilege to read and write here. If you disagree, please do so with respect to other people’s opinions.
You can follow me on Twitter @acordero2010 .
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Courtesy of :Bleacher Report – UFC
