Issue 052
July 2009
Brock Lesnar has enjoyed a meteoric rise in MMA, but he’s not done learning his new trade and he expects to earn your respect and much, much more.
Champion. Outside the world of sports, the word sums up images of behemoths, larger-than-life individuals capable of rising to any challenge and not just overcoming, but bludgeoning any foe to defend their cause.
In language alone, Brock Lesnar embodies what you would expect a champion to be, but in the sometimes fickle world of MMA his standing has been questioned. After only four fights he is the UFC heavyweight champion (an ascension unrivaled in the sport’s modern history) and is due to battle for the right to be called the undisputed champion when he faces interim champion Frank Mir at UFC 100.
Some fans question Lesnar’s right to hold the title, but the champion is balanced in his approach to learning his new trade and earning the fans’ respect. Despite being relatively new to MMA, Lesnar’s sporting credentials are well-documented. One of the most decorated college wrestlers of all time, Lesnar finished his four-year college wrestling career with a record of 106-5. A high-profile and incredibly successful few years in professional wrestling followed before a brief stint in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings saw him return to ‘competitive’ sport.
In 2007 Lesnar made his MMA debut against overmatched Korean opponent, Min Soo Kim. Signing with the UFC, he debuted for the organization in February of 2008. Ten months and three fights later, he held their heavyweight title. For a lifelong competitor such as Lesnar, could he have planned things any better?
“It’s all part of the plan, and it’s a dream come true. I’m not getting caught up in la-la land. I’m keeping everything in perspective and keeping it real. Even though I’ve got the belt, I can still become a better fighter. It poses a whole other threat now, with people gunning for you and not just me trying to climb the ladder. Being at the top of the ladder can be more difficult than going up it one step at a time. I’m trying to evolve as a fighter every day.”
With such a short tenure in the sport, many believe that Lesnar hasn’t proved himself worthy of the title, something which isn’t lost on Lesnar himself. “I can understand some fans’ opinions, but I’ve been proving myself my whole life. I’ve always been an underdog, been fighting to prove myself, and it doesn’t bother me. You just don’t gain respect overnight, you’ve got to work for it.”
Lesnar’s famously competitive nature, which he has demonstrated in many forms, is just part of his personality. “It’s something that you’re born with. I enjoy competition, I just enjoy athletics. It’s been a part of my life since I was five years old. I don’t know what I’d do without it.
“Don’t get me wrong. I like to go to the bar once in a while! It’s not a job to me, it’s a business sure, but I don’t consider it a job. I’ve had plenty of jobs to put food on the table. I grew up on a farm in South Dakota, I’m no stranger to hard work.”
At the age of 17 Lesnar joined the National Guard, and claims that this, combined with his time on the farm, showed him the meaning of hard work, an attribute that everyone who’s trained with him will attest to. “My work ethic is bar none. I try to do the right things, work hard, and smarter. As I get older as an athlete, I try to cut out the nonsense. I knew I had to be surrounded by the right trainers who understood me and my game plan. There is a science to it, and I’m fortunate to be surrounded by the right people.”
The Octagon is undoubtedly the most testing arena in all of sport, but it wasn’t just the thrill of competition that drew Brock to the UFC. By signing one of the most popular wrestlers of all time, Zuffa knew they could draw upon the curiosity of casual fans eager to see if he could really fight where it is ‘as real as it gets’. The financial rewards for Lesnar are obvious. “If there wasn’t a prize or a guy couldn’t make a living out of this, I mean, you have to make money, if there was no purse, I highly doubt that anybody would fight. Put it this way, guys play golf for recreation. You don’t fight and get bloody noses and black eyes for fun. I’m a grown man and I have to make a living out of this.”
Lesnar was mentioned as training at a number of gyms when he first started with MMA but he soon settled with Greg Nelson who had also enjoyed considerable success with his best-known student and wrestling stand-out, Sean Sherk. Lesnar’s quick to compliment his coach and it’s clear that the personality of Nelson is as much an asset to him as his technical knowledge. “He’s the best thing to ever happen to me. Without him I wouldn’t be where I am. Greg and I understand each other. I don’t need to be screamed and yelled at because of my work ethic. He’s a laidback coach and a get-to-the-point guy.
“I think I have room for improvement, once you think you don’t, the walls to the room come tumbling down.”
Lesnar’s size and physicality will provide plenty of fighters with a challenge in the Octagon but how about the guys who have to handle it day in, day out at the gym? “I don’t think it’s hard to keep guys who can keep up with me, it’s just hard to find guys in general. I have a private camp, and trying to get everyone’s schedule to work out is a struggle. We got a good group of guys, they’re very helpful to me. I get guys rotated in on me who are fresh so they all portray a different aspect of MMA.
Though most passing observers will remember Lesnar for his time in the WWE, he has very real wrestling credentials. There’s no denying that his outstanding wrestling skills are the key to Lesnar’s success, and he openly admits that it’s the core of both his offense and his defense. “There are three things you’ve got to be decent at in this sport: striking, wrestling, and submissions. I think they’re all equally the same, but when it gets down to it, hands-on in the Octagon, I can always rely on my wrestling to either take the fight where I want it to be or get me out of trouble. The other God-given talent you need to be a fighter is to be able to take a punch.” Does he think that there’s anybody who can outwrestle him in the Octagon? “No, absolutely not. Taking Randy out of the equation because I’ve beaten him, absolutely not.”
Despite his quick progress in MMA his personal ambitions are a lot more modest than you’d expect. Being used to the limelight and being idolized by thousands of fans in his former life with the WWE, it seems that his experiences have given him a unique sense of perspective in his new career. “I just take it one fight at a time. There are so many things that can happen. First and foremost my family are most important to me. I’m enjoying myself. I don’t consider it a job, it’s more a business to me. I’m just enjoying the ride. Nothing is ever easy. If it was easy everyone would be doing it! On the business side of things, I’ve got good people around me. They make things a lot easier. I’m not just going at this by myself.”
Despite being such a high-profile athlete Lesnar doesn’t covet fame or attention and cherishes the private life that he shares with his wife, former WWE star Rena ‘Sable’ Mero, and family. Lesnar’s first child with his wife was due earlier this summer, and the two insisted upon a media blackout around the time of the birth so as to ensure the maximum of amount of privacy possible. “It’s just who I am,” Lesnar says of his media-shy personality. “In my other career I was shoved down people’s throats, me and my wife had a lot of visibility. We’ve got a family now, I’m not starving for any more attention. I’m a private guy. I want people to respect that. I just enjoy fighting. I’ve been caught up in the hoopla before and it can make life difficult. I try to make things simple and lead a simple life.”
Surprising, for someone who holds so many sporting titles, Lesnar values the memories over the accolades, and is happy with the knowledge of his own achievements over the recognition of others. “I’m not a very sentimental guy, there isn’t a place in my house where I hang all my trophies. So long as I know what I’ve accomplished I’m okay. I don’t sit in my room and thrive on the things I’ve done. I just love to fight.”
Don’t be lulled into a false sense of security though. This is no amateur athlete we’re talking about. This is the biggest, most ferocious heavyweight the UFC has had on their roster for some time, and he’s very, very focused upon the task at hand. “I watch the other heavyweights and I don’t feel threatened by any of them. It doesn’t mean jack shit to me. I just want to win fights and make as much money as I can.”
Brock on the F-word
“I was frustrated with all the questions about Fedor coming when me and Randy were gonna fight. I don’t have anything against him, it’s just we were trying to sell a fight and we were getting all these questions about a guy that didn’t even work for the company.
“I think he’s a hell of a great fighter, but the fact of the matter is he’s signed with a different company, and he would need to sign with the UFC before we even considered that fight. Would I love to fight him someday? Absolutely. If the opportunity came up, would I fight him? Yeah I would.”
On Frank Mir and the rematch
Tell us about the fight with Frank? Is this just ‘another’ fight?
This fight against Frank is a lot more personal. It’s a chance to get some revenge. I haven’t thought about anybody else. From the moment I lost to Frank all I thought about was getting a rematch against him.
Frank Mir said, somewhat sarcastically, that if you became the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world in five fights it would make you the greatest mixed martial arts fighter ever. What do you think about that?
I don’t know if it would make me the greatest, but it would make me the undisputed champion. I consider myself the champ, but after this fight it will solidify my position as a champion. I appreciate Frank saying that, but it sounds like he’s setting himself up for a fall.
Frank is the brash, talkative type. Do you think it is confidence or arrogance?
I approach every fight like it’s a fight. When we get in the Octagon there are many variables in place, but I know I’m going to beat Frank. Deep down, that’s the difference. I know I can beat my opponents. With the right training and right attitude anything can be done. I faced Randy, and I knew there was no way he could beat me. Confidence is a huge factor, but I don’t get too cocky.
How do you see the fight with Frank going down? Will you approach things differently this time?
I’m not going to do anything differently. I want to finish this fight like I did last time, on the ground with me on top. Frank knows he can’t stop my takedown. I’ve just got to be a little more cautious on top. I want to end this fight where it should have been stopped last time.
Brock Lesnar spoke with Hywel Teague
