Last night, Brock Lesnar earned respect as a mixed martial artist, at UFC 91. Lesnar beat Couture via TKO in Round 2, becoming the UFC Heavyweight Champion. Lesnar landed a straight right that dropped Couture, and finished "The Natural" with hammerfists at 3:07 of round two.
Both fighters gave a great showing and, as far as I can tell, it could have gone either way. Brock is truly a monster, being quite difficult for Couture to handle, but he also showed signs of fatigue by the end of the first round. "The Natural" definitely made him work for it.
It seems that much was done to distance the new champ from pro wrestling; however, when it comes to Lesnar, UFC has a lot to thank the WWE for.
Lesnar is now one of the UFC's biggest money draws. And a substantial portion of people watch Lesnar because (a) they want to see a pro wrestler succeed in MMA, or (b) they think Lesnar is a complete joke because he's a "rassler" and are willing to pay to see him get taken out. (And there are a significant number of people who believe that Lesnar has no business in MMA because of his stint as a pro wrestler.)
If it weren't for the WWE run, Lesnar would be just another big MMA fighter. He would not be the money draw he currently is. If it weren't for name recognition, there would little chance that they'd put an obviously green fighter with a 2-1 record in the main event with one of their biggest stars.
Yes, Lesnar is talented and has the tools to make it in MMA even without his name. But he got to where he is now because of his name, not because of his skills. If he were just another fighter, he'd still be in the lower/midcard fighting his way to the top.
Lesnar and UFC have a lot to thank Vince for. They're making a lot of profit based on all the money and time Vince put into building him up.
Lesnar is now one of the UFC's biggest money draws. And a substantial portion of people watch Lesnar because (a) they want to see a pro wrestler succeed in MMA, or (b) they think Lesnar is a complete joke because he's a "rassler" and are willing to pay to see him get taken out. (And there are a significant number of people who believe that Lesnar has no business in MMA because of his stint as a pro wrestler.)
If it weren't for the WWE run, Lesnar would be just another big MMA fighter. He would not be the money draw he currently is. If it weren't for name recognition, there would little chance that they'd put an obviously green fighter with a 2-1 record in the main event with one of their biggest stars.
Yes, Lesnar is talented and has the tools to make it in MMA even without his name. But he got to where he is now because of his name, not because of his skills. If he were just another fighter, he'd still be in the lower/midcard fighting his way to the top.
Lesnar and UFC have a lot to thank Vince for. They're making a lot of profit based on all the money and time Vince put into building him up.
Many MMA fans seem shocked that Brock Lesnar was able to defeat Randy Couture. It was unthinkable that a former pro wrestler could step into the octagon and walk out as the UFC Heavyweight Champion. What many of these people fail to realize is that Lesnar was a very successful amateur wrestler. In high school, he managed to have a 33-0 record in his senior year. Lesnar later attended the University of Minnesota on a full wrestling scholarship for his junior and senior years of college. He won the 2000 NCAA wrestling championship, as a heavyweight, after placing second in 1999. Prior to joining the Minnesota Golden Gophers, Lesnar also wrestled at Bismarck State College in Bismarck, North Dakota. Lesnar finished his amateur career as a two-time NJCAA All-American, two-time NCAA All-American, two-time Big Ten Conference Champion, and the 2000 NCAA heavyweight champion with a record of 106-5 overall in four years of college.
That's what made this fight so interesting; he came from a background very similar to Couture's. Brock Lesnar won the UFC Heavyweight Title in his fourth fight, just like Couture did in 1997. If he continues to improve with every fight, he may be well on his way to becoming a dominant force in MMA, for years to come. Congratulations to both Lesnar and Couture for a top-notch performance. I doubt we've heard the last of Randy Couture.
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