It’s been brought to my attention that there is a slight buzz about the idea that Brock Lesnar threw the fight when he lost to now Champion, Cain Velasquez. Not a loud, droning buzz, but one of those soft buzzes; one that you can’t tell where in the room it is coming from. Is it even in the room? One that makes you wonder if it isn’t your ear or just something in your head; One that if it goes on for another minute you may just snap.
One writer states, “you can tell by the way he was flopping around and falling down. That’s not Brock! That’s him throwing the fight.” That’s hardly evidence of foul play. Watch any fighter in victory, and in defeat. You will see two different fighters.
What most people don’t understand about Lesnar is that he hates to be hit. For someone with that quality, he is able to take a pretty big beating, but that is due mostly to his size. He has been able to use wrestling exclusively to dominate opponents. His best defense has been his high-energy, high-powered offense.
What Brock does not do well is defend himself. If you look at both the Velasquez and the Carwin fights, as soon as he gets rocked he drops and simply covers. He curls into a ball and it looks as if he is trying to back out of the cage by squirming under where it meets the floor. He doesn’t try to control his opponent’s posture and work into guard; he just covers up. Hell, he spent part of the fight on Saturday in north/south position with Cain standing over top of him, his feet propped up on the fence as if to say, “Here, let me take my hips and the lower half of my body out of the equation.”
So yes, when someone is bringing the fight to him he looks like a fish out of water. Brock likes to move forward, but when someone is letting their hands go, he moves backward, and he does not do this well.
There were other comments found, such as, “Brock wasn’t moving at top speed. He looked slow. He’s not that slow. He threw the fight.” No, Cain Velasquez is just that fast. To be sure, Brock has amazing speed for his size. The key there is “for his size”. In a fight we are only able to measure the skills of the fighter by using their opponent as the measuring stick. Against Heath Herring, Brock looked to have amazing speed and athleticism, because Herring (the measuring stick) is slower and less athletic than Lesnar. Against Cain, Brock looked slow and rather clumsy at times, because Velasquez (the measuring stick) is quicker and more athletic.
To those who feel let down about Lesnar’s loss, it is important to know that it is your fault you feel this way, but not completely your fault. The UFC must take some of the credit, or blame. It’s the UFC’s job to do the best they can to market their brand. They are a company that depends on profits to survive and expand, and any good company wants to maximize their profits.
In trying to achieve this they have over-hyped Brock Lesnar. They have billed him as the “baddest man on the planet”. His name has been mentioned in the same sentence as the phrase “greatest heavyweight champion”. They pulled the wool over the eyes of many fans, quite masterfully too.
They managed to take a fighter with less than two years MMA experience, if you take out the 11 months he spent with serious illness, and a 5-2 record and made people buy into the idea that he is indestructible. However, he is nothing more than the Titanic of MMA.
It shouldn’t take an expert to see that Brock has been built up to be a legend well before his time, and it shouldn’t be hard to believe that Cain Velasquez could beat him without needing the fight to be rigged.
Here’s a breakdown of Lesnar’s MMA career:
1.)Lesnar’s first fight took place in K-1. He was supposed to fight the giant, Hong Man Choi, who bowed out and was replace by Min Soo Kim. Most are probably saying, “Who is that?” To you, I say, “Exactly!” Brock is good enough to beat any average heavyweight on just his size, athleticism, and wrestling skill alone. Not an impressive win.
2.)Lesnar then shows he is not ready for Prime Time by losing to Frank Mir due to submission.
3.)The UFC then throws Herring at him, and he wins by unanimous decision. Again, a sub par opponent, and his wrestling and physical attributes win the fight.
4.)Next up, a title shot, with a 2-1 record, with both wins coming against less than stellar opponents. He finishes off Randy Couture in the 2nd round; however, I’m not impressed with this fight. Couture is 45 years old. The youth in Lesnar’s size, speed and wrestling ability should be able to overcome the experience of an aged wrestler.
5.) Here is Lesnar’s shining moment. He manages to show he has learned some submission defense, and he becomes the Undisputed Heavyweight Champ by defeating interim champ Frank Mir, in a rematch.
6.)Another question mark as to Lesnar’s short and way over-hyped legacy. He gets pounded for 5 minutes by Shane Carwin, only to have Carwin gas, and then submit him in the second round. He deserves credit for winning the fight, but this is where we learn that Lesnar does not handle getting hit very well. This is where we see that he will cower if you pressure him.
7.)After coming out fast with a takedown attempt that got stuffed, he showed that he has added Thai style knees to his repertoire, and finally demonstrated that he could take Cain down (he just couldn’t keep him down); we see Lesnar again looking timid and scared when he gets struck. This time Velasquez learns from Carwin’s mistake and takes his time, because when Lesnar is on his back he will curl into a ball, rather than use active defense to transition to a more advantageous position. Velasquez dominates the fight and beats up the legendary 5-2 Brock Lesnar.
Looking at his career, there is no part of it that lives up to the billing that the UFC has pushed marketing this giant. He has two quality wins, at best. He is not the baddest man on the planet, the most feared man on the planet, nor the greatest heavyweight in the sport. He is a very marketable fighter that is good enough to get by on his wrestling skill and physical attributes. Is he learning? Yes. Is he improving as a fighter? Yes. However, Lesnar fans, you have been misled by the UFC’s marketing genius.
So, given the course Brock’s career has taken, wouldn’t it seem that the argument could be made that Brock won the title in a rigged fashion? The UFC was trying to tap into the WWE market so they thrust one of its biggest stars into championship contention right away, and they have Randy Couture lie down and take one for the UFC. Mir does the same. So does Carwin. Now the WWE world is hooked on UFC, they can bring up the Mexican fighter, have Lesnar lie down and give away the fight, and now the UFC is going to lure in the Latino community. This must all be part of the UFC’s plans for global domination.
While the UFC does a great job of selling their product, they haven’t resorted to rigging fights. Dana is a boxing fan. He is aware of the damage these types of accusations did to boxing in the past. White runs a legitimate organization.
With all the whining and complaining witnessed this week we need to understand that what we have here is a case of WWE crossover fans who followed Brock into this sport without knowing anything about it (as well as fans who have been hypnotized by his freakish physical attributes). They enjoyed that a star on their beloved entertainment show was being built up to be a juggernaut in a real sport and they believed the hype. They enjoyed that he could take that over-the-top banter you see so much in entertainment wrestling, and apply his villain persona to a real sport.
Now that their Goliath has been felled, they have been left in shock. If you are the type to choose to root for the villain, you should know better than to be shocked once a hero arrives.
Chad Barrows, Brock Lesnar – A Sheep in Wolves Clothing | MMA News 247, MMA News 247
