At UFC 141, the curtains closed on one of the most fascinating careers in MMA history.
Former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar officially announced his retirement from the sport following a first-round TKO loss to heavyweight phenom Alistair Overeem.
As the dust finally settles on his fight career, Lesnar leaves a plethora of questions behind that will never be answered. Was he pushed too fast through his career? Could more experience and a shake-up in coaching help patch obvious holes in his overall fight game? Did his full potential go unrealized?
Upon entry into the promotion, the UFC didn’t waste any time in matching Lesnar up against the upper-echelon sharks of the heavyweight division.
With only one professional bout to his name, Lesnar was pitted against former heavyweight champion Frank Mir in his UFC debut in February 2008. He was submitted in the first round, but it was still a very impressive performance that turned heads in the MMA community.
Lesnar wasn’t just some random celebrity with hopes of cashing in on his fame. He was a legit competitor with the right athletic background to be something special in the sport.
After the loss to Mir, the UFC opted to keep the Lesnar train at full speed and paired him with wily MMA veteran Heath Herring. It was a stiff test for the MMA rookie, but he passed with flying colors, earning a lopsided unanimous decision.
The point of no return for Lesnar came when he defeated MMA legend Randy Couture for the UFC heavyweight title in November 2008.
Looking back on Lesnar’s career, he never got the opportunity to rise through the ranks and truly develop as a fighter. His current fight record stands at 5-3, but his experience against upper-echelon opposition makes that number feel somewhat distorted.
Junior Dos Santos and Cain Velasquez, who are widely considered the top dogs in the heavyweight division, competed inside the octagon for over two years before finally receiving title shots.
Physically, Lesnar was blessed in many ways. It’s rare to see a heavyweight of his size move around with such explosiveness and fluidity.
Unfortunately, he never developed into the striker he needed to be to realize his true potential. Was it coaching, or was it an innate fear of getting hit?
Lesnar is the only person who can truly answer that question.
Still, it’s interesting to ponder the kind of fighter Lesnar could be if he were able to stand his ground in the pocket and amount some form of an offensive threat.
It may not be a case of whether or not Lesnar was pushed too fast. Lesnar was kind of in the wrong place at the wrong time. The UFC heavyweight division was in a dark place during Lesnar’s arrival. There weren’t many household names, and the world was searching for that next breakout heavyweight superstar.
Whether he wanted to be or not, Lesnar quickly became that guy.
No one can predict the future. If we turned back time and slowed Lesnar’s progression, it could’ve helped or hampered his MMA career. As a former world champion, he leaves the sport knowing he achieved more than anyone ever thought he could.
There are all-time greats that go uncrowned throughout their respective careers.
To his fans, Lesnar will always be “The Baddest Dude on the Planet.”
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