Issue 040

August 2008

“This is a sport where anything can happen at any given time,” says Brock Lesnar from his home gym, Minnesota Martial Arts Academy.

Those are interesting words coming from a star many associate with being a pro wrestler. If you want to shed the persona of being a WWE wrestler and compete in real competition, there’s no better place to turn to than the world of MMA. 

Being a pro wrestler requires athleticism and is hard work, but the transition from the realm of steel chairs and spandex to MMA is traveling from a world of predetermined outcomes to a cage of uncertainty. Brock Lesnar first made that walk back in June 2007, and hasn’t stopped to look back.  

While the worldwide popularity of MMA has spawned a new generation of would-be mixed martial artists, Lesnar fell in love with the game well before the UFC spearheaded the revolution that is taking the world by storm. UFC 1 in 1993 caught the eye of the high school student. “I’ve always been a fan, since the very first one,” recalls Lesnar, speaking after finishing a training session for his upcoming bout with Heath Herring. “I was still in school, for me it was one of those things I was interested in but I didn’t even know how to pursue it.” 

While it caught the attention of the wide-eyed and athletically gifted Lesnar, his passion was rooted in amateur wrestling. “My heart was in wrestling, I was an amateur wrestler and wanted to pursue that,” notes Lesnar, who would eventually become a champion in the sport by winning the prestigious NCAA Division 1 wrestling title in 2000. “I didn’t even know where to begin to become a mixed martial artist.”  

With the huge name he garnered after his wrestling title and transition in the WWE pro wrestling promotion, and the huge influx of interest in MMA worldwide, a lot more information and opportunity to get into competing in MMA became available for Lesnar. 

Always one to follow his dreams, he jumped at the chance to get into the sport in June 2007, and made quick work of his opponent Min Soo Kim. Lesnar pounded him into submission in under two minutes. It was a sweet debut for Lesnar, where he showed off not only his wrestling ability (which was never in question) but also some knowledge of MMA positions, and more impressively, some devastating ground and pound. More than anything, Lesnar was satisfied he was able to open up his career with a ‘W’. “I was just happy to get the win that day,” he recalls.

By defeating a fighter with an MMA record of two wins and five losses in your debut, you don’t usually move on and get a shot at fighting in the UFC against a former heavyweight champion, but Lesnar’s superstardom opened a huge door for the gigantic heavyweight, and he was more than willing to walk through it. 

Looking to take on the best in the sport, he fought Frank Mir in February, and though he looked impressive scoring a quick takedown and dishing out some brutal ground and pound, the submission wizardry of jiu-jitsu specialist Mir thwarted Lesnar in the first round. Losing is a bitter pill to swallow for anyone, but for a national champ like Lesnar, defeat is always a crushing blow. “I made a huge mistake by just rushing the fight and stepping in when I shouldn’t,” recalls Lesnar, who feels he had a chance to finish Mir and got overzealous at the opportunity. “I got over-aggressive, I got sloppy.” 

The anger and frustration that came after that loss are still there – you can hear it in his voice. When Lesnar speaks about the fight, it burns him he lost that battle. He’s a competitor who really believes he can be the best, and even in defeat that night, his performance indicated he has the potential to be a devastating force at heavyweight. “It was a very short fight, but in that short amount of time I had Frank on the fence,” recalls Lesnar, who pushed Mir to the limit. “I proved that I can take down a former UFC champion and pummel him for a while.”

If you believe him, that pummeling is a sign of things to come, but just like any other profession it will take time to get to the top. A brilliant lawyer won’t become a partner within six months of practice. A talented dancer won’t take the world by storm in their second performance. Lesnar may be genetically blessed and possess the ability to smash faces in the cage, but a grand total of three minutes of ring time won’t win you a title Lesnar knows this, yet from his vantage point he also knows he can be a champion. “You’ve got to put time in, there’s no substitute for putting time in.”  

That’s exactly what the 31-year-old heavyweight up-and-comer is doing ahead of his upcoming bout with Heath Herring, scheduled for August in Lesnar’s hometown of Minnesota. 

One year younger than Lesnar, Herring has over 40 fights under his belt and has taken on some of the best fighters in the world. For evidence of his experience, look to the fact that Herring has fought current UFC heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira a total of three times, more than Lesnar has fought his whole MMA career. Lesnar knows what he’s up against, but knows all he can do to bridge the gap of experience is to train as much as he can. “The only thing I can do is get in there and spar,” says Lesnar. “I’ve been working with Greg (Nelson) a lot on the mitts, since my last fight with Frank I’ve been pounding the bag and mitts, trying to solidify my striking.” 

Lesnar feels he has come a long way, but knows that Herring will likely be superior standing up. “Let’s be real about it, Heath Herring is probably going to be a better striker than I am,” admits Lesnar. “He’s just more experienced and has a lot more fights than I do. I’m just going to look to solidify my striking and try and put the pressure on him.”

As with any fighter, success is dependent on the environment in which they train, and Lesnar is in good surroundings. Fellow Minnesota MMA Academy member Sean Sherk, the former UFC lightweight champion, has provided Lesnar with both inspiration and advice. “Sean’s had a lot of success out of that gym, he’s a former wrestler, so he’s been a great help.” He also points to veteran Nick Thompson as a role model, as well as other up-and-comers who not many people will have heard of, but have stepped into the cage plenty more times than Lesnar. “There a lot of up-and-coming guys who have a lot more fights under their belt than I do,” he says. “Everybody has been really nice and everybody has been very helpful.”  

Twenty-five years of hitting the wrestling mat has made him an almost unstoppable force. Ask Lesnar where his strengths lie and you’ll get an obvious answer. “I would have to say my takedown,” he notes. “In the past two fights, it’s been very evident.” His devastating striking from the top position is a great compliment to that talent. Aside from the ground and pound, Lesnar is continually looking to perfect his craft. Without a well-rounded game, it would be impossible to progress in this sport. 

“I work hard, I take this very seriously and any opportunity I have to get any advice, I’m there, and it’s the same old saying. ‘Keep your mouth shut and your eyes and your ears open’,” he says. “I’ve been working on everything – my striking, my jiu-jitsu – I’ve been constantly working on my stand-up game and it worked for me in my first fight.”  

For Lesnar the hardest fight so far has been outside the cage, thwarting the negativity thrown at him by hardcore MMA enthusiasts. But with the huge name Lesnar brings, money talks. “You’re going to have your diehard fans, and most of the diehard people on the Internet are fighters as well, and they’re going to say, ‘Why is he getting all this exposure right away?’ But in the end, this is about business for Zuffa, and they have to do what’s right for their company,” says Lesnar. “You’re going to have people saying on the one hand ‘he isn’t ready,’ but I said from the very beginning I wanted a challenge and I wanted the top fighters because that’s just who I am.” 

It’s a true statement from the American heavyweight, Lesnar really does believe in himself. He is aware of his potential and wants to be nothing but the best; the biggest thorn in his side is time. Although Lesnar realizes it takes time to be molded into a champion he fought a former UFC champ in only his second MMA fight and has a bout with a veteran of the sport in Herring in August. All this considered, for Lesnar, another loss would be devastating for him. “This fight for me is huge. I have to win this fight – this is a make-or-break fight for me.” 

He has the potential to win and go on to bigger things. A wrestling background like his isn’t enough to win you a title these days, but it is a seed that if fed and watered properly could eventually grow to dizzying heights. “Look at Urijah Faber, Matt Hughes, and all these successful wrestlers that made the transition,” says Lesnar. “I’d like to be one of them.” And he very possibly could. It’ll just take a little time. 

A slice of Herring

With a career stretching back 12 years, Heath Herring has fought all over the world and is one of the most experienced fighters in the sport today. An incredible run in Pride saw him in no less than 17 contests, winning 11 of those inside the distance.

Herring has returned to the US and focused his attention on the UFC heavyweight division. Following a bitter third loss to current champion, Antonio Rodrigo ‘Minotauro’ Nogueira, he bounced back with an impressive decision win over Cheick Kongo. ‘The Texas Crazy Horse’ is now set for a face-off against the new kid of the heavyweight block, Brock Lesnar, in yet another high stakes matchup.

How do you feel about your UFC loss to current champion, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira?

Nogueira is a great champion and he recovered wonderfully and I made a fatal error, letting him stand back up. I shouldn’t have done that. If I had been in better shape, I think I could have won that fight.

What effect has the loss had on you?

I came back in better shape, in a lot better cardio and able to go the full 15, that’s something that hopefully I’ve shown in my last fight in the UFC. I hate leaving fights to the judges’ decision – I want to finish fights. 

Lesnar has size and good wrestling ability, are you concerned that this will cause you problems?

To be honest with you, the only thing I’m concerned about is if he tries to take me down and hold me on the ground and eke out a really boring decision. I’m not concerned with him trying to submit me, I’m really not concerned if he is going to try and stand up and punch with me. If he does, that’s great, but everybody has a puncher's chance, of course.

Do you see Brock as a novelty fighter, or a genuine threat under MMA rules?

I think both really go hand in hand, to be honest, we could talk about the purity of the sport and how it’s a sport, but the bottom line is you’re trying to get people to pay their money to watch you fight. If they want to have me go in there and fight a giant or a steroided-out wrestler, I’ll do it, that’s fine. That’s my job, I’m an entertainer. 

Do you think that Lesnar is using steroids?

I don’t know, I wasn’t referring to Brock, I was thinking about people I have fought my whole career! (Laughs) 

With him being so famous, do you feel any extra pressure going into this fight?

There’s always a lot of pressure to be successful, but I feel really, really confident with this fight. I’ve actually fought much better, much more accomplished wrestlers than him; I’ve fought much better submission wrestlers than him; I’ve fought much better kickboxers than he could ever become. He’s actually the one that I think really has to be nervous and worried. He’s had two fights, that’s it. Now he’s fighting a guy who is arguably one of the top ten heavyweights in the world, so we’ll see what happens. 

Did you know?

• Herring made his no holds barred debut at the age of 18, fighting without gloves or time limits.
• The Texan holds no belt in jiu-jitsu, but 16 of his 28 victories have come by way of submission. 
• Heath once fought the world’s tallest MMA fighter, the 7’2” Paulo Cesar ‘Giant’ Silva. He chopped down and choked out the Mexican former pro wrestler after a bizarre game of cat and mouse.