Showing posts with label Brock Lesnar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brock Lesnar. Show all posts

Saturday, December 31, 2011

UFC 141 Results: The Truth About Brock Lesnar


"But if he is really done with the activity, will Lesnar be remembered like a great heavyweight, or just a memorable 1? There's no denying their star-power, but did he or she accomplish enough to become known as anything greater than a lightning rod along with incredible athletic capability and raw bodily potential? "

Therefore asks Ben Fowlkes from MMAFighting.com. And it's a good one, though I'm not sure I have the answer. Brock Lesnar began his MMA career as a spectacle, and ended it as a sportsmen. Originally slated to fight the 7 ft kickboxer Hong-Man Choi at the K-1 Dynamite USA event in 2007, it's amazing to think his career will be defined by his brief, but significant success in the UFC.

Strangely, individuals questioned that achievement at every change. MMA fans do not take kindly in order to outsiders, and Lesnar had been the worst type of outsider: a previous professional wrestler. What wouldn't it say about MMA if your guy cutting his teeth within the same arena because Doink the Clown were able to win UFC battles?

Lesnar's UFC debut had been a validation for that critics. "Thank a person Frank Mir", they said together. But then he or she beat Heath Herring, as well as his wins influenced skepticism. "Heath appeared terrible, Brock just laid along with him", etc. After that Randy Couture. "Randy had been old", etc. After that Frank Mir. As well as suddenly, the critics had nothing to express.

UFC 100 was an excellent performance, and evidence that Lesnar had been multidimensional. No, he or she couldn't strike, but his capability to neutralize Mir on the floor was a testament in order to his dedication to understand mixed martial arts (a well known fact explored brilliantly within Ben Thapa's piece yesterday). There's a pleasant little flow chart into it all: first these people questioned his abilities, then they asked his character, and today they question their legacy.

The final part is deserving criticism, and I'm not attempting to dismiss it. Their flaws were upon full display from UFC 141. The moment the takedown was not automatically there, and also the strikes began in order to fall, Lesnar appeared as if a deer upon roller skates. However is he "a quitter", as our very own Brent Brookhouse requires?



I understand exactly what Brent is requesting. It's not about whether Brock is any less of the fighter. Only whether his pattern associated with short-lived adventures within other sports reflects the smoothness we've seen of Brock within the cage.

It's a reasonable question, but I disagree with the ones that claim Brock is really a quitter, or which his legacy had been all smoke as well as mirrors. For 1, Brock entered the activity an older guy, and in their 4th professional battle became the UFC HW champ. He beat Couture, that took out Ricky Sylvia and Gabriel Gonzaga earlier: two fighters have been legitimate contenders for his or her time. He guarded his belt two times. And somewhere inside dealt with diverticulitis.

While images associated with Brock on their "death bed" conjured upward by Dana White may be hyperbolic, I'd say their sickness was some his deterioration. At any given time when Brock had been at his complete peak, when gym period was at its most important, Brock could nor fight nor teach. 'Fever, abdominal pain, sudden and severe pain from the abdomen, nausea'... these are just a couple symptoms you can find out about from any healthcare cheat sheet on precisely what exactly was troubled Brock.

And I've no doubt this particular took a cost. There was the most obvious physical toll, along with Brock's age, however there also the actual toll on Brock's much-needed encounter. He fought once last year, twice in 2010, and once in 2011.

In my experience, the truth regarding Brock is he always had a restricted window to achieve success. And in which limited window, their career was stopped on two essential occasions. Would fighting 3 times a year each year until now possess changed anything? Possibly not. But a minimum of we might possess a clearer image associated with Brock the mma fighter.

At the exact same time, Brock's success can also be a reflection from the HW division. In no way a division associated with great depth, HW will be home to flawed fighters about the biggest scale. Brock desired to call himself the mixed martial designer, and he grew to become that. He desired to call himself the UFC champion, as well as he did. Brock doesn't invariably leave a legacy a lot as the heritage that exists upon Brock Lesnar displays the landscape of mixed fighting techinques. MMA hasn't experienced its Cambrian explosion. Such as Brock's game, our sport continues to be raw, uncut, as well as relatively unevolved. But boy could it be fun to view.

UFC 141 Outcomes: Brock Lesnar Retires Following Loss To Alistair Overeem (MOVIE)


Brock Lesnar required one last stop to his belly and crumpled beside the cage, not able to fight back whenever Alistair Overeem pounced.

Lesnar have been finished by the 6-foot-5 Dutch kick boxer within the first round from UFC 141. A couple of minutes later, the UFC's previous heavyweight champion finished their own meteoric mixed fighting techinques career.

Lesnar retired in the UFC after Overeem halted him with 1 vicious kick towards the body at two: 26 of the very first round in their own heavyweight bout Fri night, leaving the actual UFC heading in to 2012 without it's biggest pay-per-view celebrity.

"This is the final time you'll see me within the octagon, " Lesnar stated.

Largely thanks in order to his fame from the career in professional wrestling, the hulking Lesnar (5-3) played a substantial role in growing the UFC's user profile and fan base in the last four years. He or she beat Randy Couture within 2008 to earn the heavyweight name, defending it two times before losing the actual belt to Cain Velasquez this past year.

But Lesnar offers fought just three times previously 2 1/2 years while coping with bouts of the lower-intestinal ailment which nearly killed him or her. The accumulation associated with pain and rehab finally undid Lesnar, in whose famed strength as well as stubbornness couldn't conquer diverticulitis.

"I've had a very difficult few years with my illness, and I'm likely to officially say tonight may be the last time, inch Lesnar said.

Lesnar's return from the 14-month injury absence was a brief, one-sided beating. After taking harm from two knee blows in early stages, he couldn't get over a kick towards the liver from Overeem (36-11), who made the stellar UFC debut in spite of getting cut close to his right eye with a punch from Lesnar.

The 34-year-old Lesnar's statement stunned fans that already realized he faced a hard matchup in the actual UFC's traditional end-of-the-year occasion in its home town. The matchup was a vintage MMA clash associated with styles, with Lesnar's incredible wrestling contrasting dramatically with Overeem's aggresive striking.

"I had no idea he'd do that, (however) am We surprised? No, inch UFC President Dana Whitened said. "Brock Lesnar has made lots of money in his career and it has achieved several things.... He brought lots of excitement to the actual heavyweight division. What he accomplished inside a short period of time is amazing, but I have it. It doesn't surprise me. "

Overeem is 3 years younger but a lot more experienced than Lesnar, hurting the former champion a minimum of twice earlier within the round while Lesnar unsuccessful in his attempt in a one-legged takedown.

"I promised my spouse and my kids basically won this battle, I would obtain a title shot, and that might be my last battle, " Lesnar stated. "But if We lost tonight... you have been great. inch

Overeem will obtain the next shot from UFC heavyweight champ Junior Dos Santos, who watched from the seat near the actual octagon.

Overeem is the champion kick boxer that has fought in multiple promotions in the last decade, winning game titles in Dream as well as Strikeforce with almost unbeatable striking as well as size. He became a member of the UFC within September, finally presenting their formidable skills as well as intimidating physique towards the sport's largest target audience.

"My experience within UFC was, it is huge, " Overeem stated. "I think it is like 100 times larger than Strikeforce. K-1 (stop boxing) is actually big, but this can be a lot bigger. I was a bit blown away, nevertheless am. I loved every second from it. "

White may have given an instant title shot to Overeem when the timing had already been better, but Dos Santos just claimed Velasquez's belt within early November. Overeem made welcome a debut towards Lesnar, even guaranteeing a knockout within the first two models.

"First or 2nd round, I guaranteed, " Overeem stated.

Lesnar hadn't fought against since losing their heavyweight belt in order to Velasquez in Oct 2010, cancelling the bout against Dos Santos final June in Vancouver following another flare-up associated with diverticulitis. The previous NCAA wrestling champ and fake WWE wrestler held his unparalleled recognition during his recuperation, and Lesnar used time off to alter both his diet plan and his standup online game, attempting to enhance his biggest weak point.

As it ended up, Lesnar couldn't enhance enough to deal with the supremely experienced Overeem, who accepted Lesnar afterward.

The undercard in the MGM Grand Backyard featured two problems: Lightweight Nate Diaz received a bloody unanimous choice over Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone along with superior boxing, and Johny Hendricks halted welterweight star Jon Fitch along with one punch simply 12 seconds to their bout.

In the actual co-main event, Diaz (15-7) supported his tough speak and rude behavior inside a fight that experienced the sellout group on its ft as he battered Cerrone, nearly a 3-to-1 favorite within the MGM Grand sportsbook, for the majority of the three-round standup battle.

Diaz, the sibling of bad-boy welterweight Chip Diaz, picked apart Cerrone's defense for the majority of the fight, leaving Cerrone weakling after his very first loss in 7 fights since Sept 2010.

Cerrone (17-4) bumped down Diaz a minimum of a half-dozen occasions with kicks as well as leg-whips, but Cerrone declined to fight Diaz on the floor, repeatedly allowing Diaz to obtain up.

The uncommon strategy showed regard for Diaz's floor skills, but also minimized the significance of those knockdown shots within the eyes of the actual judges, who obtained the bout 30-27 two times and 29-28 as soon as, all for Diaz.

Hendricks (12-1) ascended in order to elite status along with one sneaky remaining hook that captured Fitch (27-4-1) directly on the button, flattening the actual favored San Jose mma fighter, whose return from the 10-month absence had been stunningly brief. Hendricks, the two-time NCAA champ wrestler at Okla State, completely surprised Fitch, who had lost only one fight since Dec 2002.