Lesnar proved his win over Couture was no fluke over his next two fights, both wins. But he was still competing against the most decorated fighter in UFC history. From a matchup standpoint, Couture was the perfect foil for Lesnar’s championship run.
And Couture has never been a submission wizard from his back. He was a serviceable boxer but lacked the power to actually hurt Lesnar on the feet. Couture didn’t have the wrestling edge, so he could neither force the fight to the ground, nor keep it standing. Haters will cite the fact that Couture was tailor made for Lesnar. Nobody will match Lesnar’s accomplishment in any UFC weight class in the next 20 years, if ever. I’m going to go out on a big, sturdy, safe limb. Can you imagine anyone defeating Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones, Anderson Silva or any other reigning champ after three career fights? Those things happened back in the dark days of the UFC, when fighters were one-dimensional, part-time fighters, not world class athletes dedicating their lives to the sport of mixed martial arts. In my opinion, it is the single-most impressive accomplishment in sports. Say what you will, but that is a jaw-dropping feat. And for the record, he had exactly zero amateur fights before turning professional.
BROCK LESNAR FIRST UFC FIGHT PROFESSIONAL
Brock Lesnar won the UFC heavyweight championship in his fourth professional fight. Three fights later, he defeated Randy Couture for the UFC heavyweight championship. It was an easy, first-round win over a grossly overmatched opponent. Lesnar fought just one time before signing a contract with the world’s biggest and most competitive MMA promotion, the UFC. Yet, his foray into the sport was anything but normal.
Lots of accomplished collegiate wrestlers do the same thing, so it was a natural progression in his athletic life.
With his football stint over, Lesnar turned his attention to mixed martial arts. Shockingly, he earned playing time in a couple of preseason games and was a late cut with the Minnesota Vikings. But the guy hadn’t played a down of football since high school. That would have ranked first among defensive tackles at the 2011 NFL Combine. Lesnar’s 40-yard dash time was reportedly 4.7 seconds. Sure, he had elite NFL size, strength and speed for his position. He wanted to play defensive tackle in the National Football League.
And certainly not the semi-pro version that some bar room heroes play on weekends. Then, after his three-year competitive hiatus, Lesnar decided that he wanted to play professional football. It was pure acting-albeit physically demanding and, oftentimes, physically deteriorating acting, but acting nonetheless. Remember, though, that his time in the WWE included no actual athletic competition. He had to maintain his sculpted, 270- to 290-lb frame for the audience, while also learning crazy acrobatic sequences that were part of his stuntman-like performances. The gargantuan heavyweight then spent the next three-plus years of his life accumulating millions of dollars from playing a starring role in the world’s most popular male soap opera-World Wrestling Entertainment. He won national championships at both schools and ended his collegiate wrestling career with a 106-5 record. Lesnar was a four-time All-American collegiate wrestler-twice at Bismarck State College and twice at the University of Minnesota. That may read like hyperbole to some, but consider facts. Brock Lesnar is a unique athlete, the once-in-a-generation type.
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