Brock Lesnar is the most successful PPV magnate acquisition in the history of MMA, but his second quest for UFC glory will never be achieved again. When Brock Lesnar burst on to the MMA scene in 2007 he not only brought with him the pomp and pageantry …
Brock Lesnar is the most successful PPV magnate acquisition in the history of MMA, but his second quest for UFC glory will never be achieved again.
When Brock Lesnar burst on to the MMA scene in 2007 he not only brought with him the pomp and pageantry synonymous with the WWE but also the fans in their thousands.
Initially the transition from WWE to MMA was going according to the script:
He submitted Min-Soo Kim via punches. The Lesnar express train was derailed momentarily when he came up against Frank Mir, losing via kneebar submission.
After that minor hiccup the Lesnar express was back on track, he won a unanimous decision against Heath Herring and in only his fourth fight as an MMA pro and in only his third fight for the UFC he defeated Randy Couture via TKO to become the UFC heavyweight champion.
The Lesnar express made a brief stop at UFC 100 where he would avenge his only loss thus far. In the rematch, Lesnar annihilated Mir winning via TKO. At that point it seemed to the MMA world that the Lesnar express was unstoppable—they were wrong.
After a brief illness with mononucleosis and diverticulitis Lesnar went head to head with Shane Carwin in his first defense of the title. It wasn’t all plain sailing and the Lesnar express almost got derailed for a second time, but he weathered Carwin’s early storm winning via arm triangle choke.
The Lesnar express was gradually gathering speed—next stop would be at UFC 121 where he would throw down with Cain Velasquez and ultimately lose his UFC belt. The smaller Velasquez violated Lesnar in a way he’d never experienced before—it was sheer brutality. The Lesnar express was now on standby.
His proposed fight with Junior Dos Santo was called off, as he again succumbed to another bout of diverticulitis. The Lesnar express is now slated for the tracks at UFC 141 where he’ll meet ex Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem.
What Lesnar has achieved to date in MMA most fighters wouldn’t achieve in a lifetime. But I believe the Lesnar express has come to a permanent halt in regards to the UFC heavyweight championship.
And these are the reasons why:
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Fresh off his biggest victory, 24-year-old light-heavyweight Alexander Gustafsson has agreed to face rugged veteran Vladimir Matyushenko at December’s UFC 141.