Brock Lesnar Out of UFC 131 – NO LOSS
By Siri Karri
Brock Lesnar represents a very interesting paradox in the UFC; he was the biggest pay-per-view draw but was also probably one of the most reviled fights in the UFC. Whether fans bought the card to see him fail or to see him win, people saw him. Brock represents the epitome of intimidating; a successful stint in professional wrestling, a 265 lb. frame with a sword tattoo across his barrel chest, even the way his face turns blood red when he exerts his considerable physical strength makes viewers lean back in their chair.
So love him or hate him, it’s a little disappointing to hear that Brock has withdrawn UFC 131. Don’t let the title of this article fool you; I genuinely feel for Brock. Diverticulitis, a disease in which small punches form outside the colon, is painful at its best and debilitating at its worst. For a man who makes a living working out 6 days a week and getting punched by men the size of young grizzly bears diverticulitis is a disease that deserves its attention.
So Brock, I hope you a speedy recovery because you are a gifted athlete and I love seeing you in the Octagon. All I’m saying is that you may have gotten off a little bit lucky.
I stand by the aforementioned statement that Brock is a gifted athlete. He is as wide as the door to a bank vault, carries around 265 lbs. of muscle, yet his agility is comparable to wrestlers in the 185 division. Watching Brock charge across the cage at opponents brings back fond memories of Juggernaut from the old X-men cartoons. Unfortunately, Brock shares a weakness similar to Juggernaut in that when he can’t charge across and pummel his opponent, his game plan falls to pieces.
Brock disguised this weakness well for a long time and it wasn’t his fault. For starters, he was the first true “superheavyweight” of the UFC; the first heavyweight whose strength and size was head and shoulders above the competition. He pummeled Frank Mir for a full minute until the jujitsu ace submitted him. He flung Heath Herring across the cage and crumpled Randy Couture with a bucket-sized right hand. After he survived Shane Carwin’s brutal onslaught, it was very easy to imagine Brock as invincible.
But after his one-sided loss against Cain Velasquez, 20/20 hindsight kicked in and fans began to piece together small details about Brock’s previous fights.
Like the way that all of his takedowns were double leg takedowns?
The fact that Frank Mir, a heavyweight with talented but not top-tier stand up, was able to rock him during their 2nd fight?
Or that Shane Carwin, a man with back issues and somewhat robotic standup, was able to drop him with an uppercut from his non-power hand?
If one had noticed all these things they would have known going into UFC 121 that Cain Velasquez, a man with terrific takedown defense and offense and fluid standup, was tailor made to beat Brock . . . which he did. All the fans who love to hate Brock quickly harped on his loss and his exposed flaws while new fans jumped off the bandwagon as though the band had the plague. Unfortunately, Junior Dos Santos is not much of an improvement.
In my humble opinion, Junior Dos Santos should have gotten a title shot a long time ago. In fact, I believe the order of title contention (based on Octagon performance) was Junior Dos Santos, THEN Cain Velasquez, THEN Shane Carwin. The one benefit from Junior being denied a title shot for so long is that we have truly gotten to gauge his performance. His stint in the UFC can be made into a Lifetime Channel Original Movie:
Cage Fighter – The Heartwarming Story of Junior Dos Santos Punching People in the Face.
At 6′ 4″ 240, he’s strong but doesn’t carry so much muscle mass that he gasses. His stand-up is without a doubt the best in the division right now, his punches more fluid and voluminous than Cain Velasquez and more technically sound than Shane Carwin. He has a brown belt in jujitsu from the Noguiera brothers, which is the equivalent of learning your jump shot from Michael Jordan. He brutally finished his first five opponents in the UFC before thoroughly pulverizing top tier heavyweight Roy Nelson.
This is not a fighter Brock should face. Not as a rebound.
To Brock’s credit, he is a fierce competitor and there is no doubt in my mind that he jumped at the chance to face Dos Santos. My problem therefore doesn’t lie with Brock, but with the UFC brass.
It’s downright irresponsible putting Brock against Junior Dos Santos. I understand that from a marketing standpoint, Brock being a pay per view draw villain represents unique challenges. On the one hand, Brock’s wins (no matter how one dimensional) over fighters such as Frank Mir and Shane Carwin means that he can’t get away with beating up people such as Heath Herring or an aging Randy Couture. Yet on the other hand, people love to hate Brock and that means every loss causes his drawing power to plummet.
I understand the UFC has very limited options since the line between good heavyweights and legitimate contenders is a bold one, but I truly believe that picking JDS was a serious mistake. That’s why I consider Brock pulling out from UFC 131 a blessing.
Shane Carwin, while not having fluid stand up , is the most powerful hitter in all of mixed martial arts. You have to understand that in a heavyweight division that is full of hard-hitters, truly being the hardest hitters is an unbelievable distinction. His ground and pound is so horrific that you can hear his opponent’s head bouncing off the canvas over the crowd. His right hand travelled a total of 3 feet against Gabriel Gonzaga, yet the shot to Gonzaga’s chin knocked him out COLD.
So we get to see what will undeniably be a very entertaining stand up battle between two likeable title contenders instead of what very well could have been another devastating knockout loss for Brock Lesnar.
Perhaps, as Brock recovers from his illness, some other heavyweights will establish a middle ground in which Brock can be tested. Perhaps Brendan Schaub, a superb wrestler coming off a knockout win over Mirko Cro Cop, will enter the next echelon of heavyweights. Perhaps at UFC 130 on May 28th, the 6′ 11″ Stefan Struve will put on an outstanding performance will impress the UFC brass enough to earn a date with the former pro-wrestler.
As of now, get better Brock, I look forward to seeing you back in action. And to the UFC: Try not to kill your golden goose.