BROCK LESNAR...ELITE ATHLETE

A piece I wrote for a newspaper about a month ago which wasn't published, a little outdated as a result but the message remains the same nonetheless

On Friday 30^th December, Alistair Overeem defeated Brock Lesnar during the main event of UFC 141 via TKO in the first round. In doing so, the Dutch fighter earned himself a shot at the UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior Dos Santos. Yet despite Overeem’s impressive victory, it was Lesnar who stole the post-fight headlines when he announced that he would be retiring from the sport after only eight fights. Despite his relatively short career, Lesnar’s announcement hardly came as a surprise. The Minnesota native had lost his previous two bouts in devastating fashion, and has suffered from two serious bouts with diverticulitis in recent years. The disease was attacking Lesnar’s body from the inside even when he was on an impressive run that saw him capture the UFC Heavyweight Championship in only his fourth MMA fight (his third in the UFC), and subsequently defend it twice. The fact that Lesnar made his debut in the sport when he was almost thirty years of age is testament to his incessant work rate and his incredible athleticism. Indeed, even before Lesnar’s success inside the Octagon, his superior pedigree as an athlete had already been affirmed.

            In his senior year in high school, Lesnar placed third in the South Dakota state wrestling tournament... not bad, but not quite good enough to instigate a college recruiting war for his services. Because the big wrestling colleges were not interested in offering him a scholarship, Lesnar chose to attend junior college so as to continue with his wrestling career. In his sophomore year at Bismark State, Lesnar became the National Junior College Athletic Association Champion, and in doing so caught the eye of the University of Minnesota head coach, who wasted little time in signing Lesnar for the following season.

Just when it seemed he had joined the elite, it was discovered that the nineteen year old was twenty-four credits shy of what was required to enrol in the programme. In order to make up for this shortfall, the young farm boy set out for California in order to gain said extra credits during the summer, after which he was still short eight credits. Before returning to the University of Minnesota, Lesnar had to complete the fall semester at his old Junior College in Bismark, who by this time had abolished their wrestling program. Lesnar therefore drove out to the University of Mary in order to practice with their wrestling squad every day after class. All the hard work eventually paid off for Lesnar, who finally took his place on the University of Minnesota Golden Gopher wrestling team that Christmas. In his first year, he made it all the way to the NCAA Heavyweight final, losing to Stephen Neal – who currently plays for the New England Patriots and owns two Super Bowl Rings.

This loss fuelled Lesnar the following year, a year in which he became Big Ten Champion, and finally realised his dream of becoming the NCAA Division I Heavyweight Wrestling Champion, despite carrying a knee injury throughout the entire season and also having a salivary gland removed in the midst of it all.

Lesnar’s tall, chiselled physique and his ability to draw a crowd caught the eye of the World Wrestling Entertainment. Faced with the prospect of continuing with his amateur wrestling career in an effort to qualify for the Olympics, or become a sports entertainer in the lucrative world of professional wrestling, Lesnar opted for the latter, quickly becoming one of the WWE’s marquee names and top performers. Life on the road did not suit Lesnar, however, and when his relationship with Vince McMahon turned sour; Lesnar left the WWE, and in his mid twenties decided to prepare for tryouts in the NFL.

Lesnar embarked on a six week programme designed to get him into ‘football shape’. The plan was for Lesnar to try out during pro-day, where NFL teams came in and watched prospective footballers work out. However, Lesnar was involved in a motorcycle crash which derailed his plans, breaking his jaw, eight bones in his left hand and tearing his groin muscles off the bone. A few weeks later, when it appeared Lesnar’s NFL dreams were done and dusted, the Minnesota Vikings came calling, asking Lesnar to come and work out for them. Lesnar made the Vikings pre-season squad, relying on Vicodin and anti-inflammatory medicines to get through the gruelling training camp. Despite this, he still managed to be the last player cut from the squad, and was offered a place as a representative of the Vikings on the NFL Europa squad, which he subsequently declined.

After a brief stint in New Japan Pro Wrestling, aswel as some bitter and costly lawsuits against the WWE over contract disputes, Lesnar embarked on a career in Mixed Martial Arts, which saw him fight once for K1-Dynamite USA, and seven times for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (the premiere MMA promotion). During his time in the UFC, Lesnar racked up impressive victories over the likes of Randy Couture, Frank Mir, Heath Herring and Shane Carwin, and became the promotions biggest PPV star.

      Whether you love him or loath him, if you’re a fan of combat sports or not, it is difficult to look at Brock Lesnar’s resume without being impressed. Consider for a moment his NFL Combine numbers... 40 yard sprint: 4.6 seconds, 225 lb bench press: 43 repetitions, vertical jump: 35 inches, broad jump: 10 feet. Given these stats, it is undeniable that he is a freak athlete. This combined with a ferocious work ethic and iron will resulted in Lesnar becoming the National Junior Colleges Wrestling Champion, two-time Big Ten Wrestling Champion, NCAA Division I Heavyweight Wrestling Champion, and UFC Heavyweight Champion. Add to this his time as a professional wrestler, and the fact that he was one place away from making the NFL having tried out for the first time in his mid-twenties, and it is clear that Brock is a rare specimen, deserving the utmost respect for his many sporting accomplishments.                                          

Brock's Lack of Respect

UFC President Dana White has moved to quash rumors about former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar's supposedly impending retirement in recent days, but some of the chatter on internet forums and social media websites which came about as a result of said rumors highlighted the lack of respect and resentment many fans still harbor towards Lesnar. 

Over the past few days the numerous keyboard warriors took pleasure in highlighting Lesnar's apparent lack of skills in the striking department. The way in which Lesnar turned away after being hit by Shane Carwin and Cain Valasquez respectively was discussed in great detail, as the former WWE superstar was bashed over and over by many fans. 

Lesnar's last two fights have undoubtedly raised some large question marks, but many fans too readily use Lesnar's past in professional wrestling as a stick to beat him with, conveniently forgetting that the man is a former National Junior Colleges Wrestling Champion, a Big Ten Heavyweight Champion, and a former NCAA Heavyweight Champion to boot. Add to this the fact that Lesnar was the WWE's marquee name for a period, was one step away from making it onto the Minnesota Vikings NFL squad having tried out for the team at 27 years old, and became UFC World Heayweight Champion within four fights, and it is clear that Lesnar is a man worthy of the utmost respect. 

Keyboard warriors will undoubtedly point to the fact that Lesnar was placed in high profile big money fights very early in his career. They will almost definitely say he received a premature title shot against Randy Couture, and that the Shane Carwin fight should have been stopped when Carwin was beating Lesnar to a bloody pulp in the first round. They may have a point, but Lesnar defeated Couture in devastating fashion to become Champion. And while there would have been little complaint had the Carwin fight been stopped, I don't believe it should have been, and Lesnar regrouped, got up and strangled his opponent to claim victory (and all this after a bout with diverticulitis which almost killed him might I add). 

Having read Deathclutch, in which Lesnar allows us a rare glimpse into his personal life, it is hard not to admire the man. For all his achievements as a professional athlete, his struggles while in college and absolute determination to procure that elusive NCAA championship evoke feelings of appreciation and awe in the reader. 

In short, MMA is one of those rare professional sports that you can watch and still come away feeling like you owe the competitors something for giving their all. Where Lesnar is concerned, MMA fans, including keyboard warriors, should know a great athlete when they see it, and not be so dismissive and downright disrespectful to a guy whose only sin was losing the World Heavyweight Title to Cain Valasquez. 

Pádraig Martin                

Gatekeeper or Future Contender?

Cheick Kongo (16-6-2, 10KO/3Sub) is possibly coming off of the most remarkable win of his career. The UK based French striker was in deep water against Pat Barry (6-3, 5KO) before unleashing a right uppercut that stretched Barry out on the canvass, ending the New Orleanians' night early. But what's next for Kongo? The Frenchman has been referred to by many recently as a "gatekeeper" - a term that Kongo has stated he dislikes, no matter who it is aimed at.

The 6 ft 4 in former World Muay Thai Champion has managed to notch up some big wins during the course of his career, but always seems to suffer losses at the most inappropriate times.

It is not all that long ago that Kongo was dismantling opponents and calling out the winner of the Frank Mir (15-5, 3K0/8Sub) vs. Brock Lesnar (5-2, 2KO/2Sub) UFC Heavyweight Title unification match. A loss to Cain Valasquez (9-0, 8KO) in Cologne a little over two years ago halted Kongo's progress. The bout was a title elimintor for Kongo, who had accepted the fight at two weeks notice. Despite the obvious lack of preparation, Kongo rocked Valasquez several times en route to a unanimous decision loss. Since then, Valasquez has gone on to capture the UFC Heavyweight Title, decimating every opponent along the way. Kongo remains the only man to take Valasquez the distance, and thus should take great pride in his performance on the night, especially when you consider he took the fight at such short notice. However, one would imagine that had the Frenchman been fully prepared for the fight, Valasquez would still have been far too much of a superior wrestler for him.

Since the two fought in June of 2009, Valasquez has improved his striking greatly, while Kongo's lack of grappling prowess frustratingly remains a massive achilles heal. While Valasquez was busy destroying Brock Lesnar and Antonio Nogueira (32-6-1-1, 2KO/20Sub), Kongo had slipped down the ladder, going 2-1-1 in his next four fights. A devastating loss to Frank Mir, during which the grappler dropped Kongo with a left hand before strangling him in the first round, was followed by a dominating if uneventful victory over Paul Buentello (29-13, 17KO/9Sub), an unimpressive draw against Travis Browne (11-0-1,9KO/1Sub) and that epic victory against Barry. Despite the end result of the Barry fight, it cannot be overlooked that Kongo was in real trouble against Barry, indeed many felt the fight should have been stopped when Barry had Kongo badly hurt. Like Kongo, Barry is also a kickboxer, which meant that Kongo's grappling weaknesses were never going to be a factor in the fight.

Despite these red flags, Kongo showed real heart and resourcefulness in turning the fight around, and his attention has rightly shifted towards his next opponent. After a long layoff, Kongo is anxious to get back in the swing of things. He told MMAjunkie.com in a radio interview that he wants to face Matt Mitrione (5-0, 4KO) next. The matchup does make sense, as both men emerged from the same UFC Live event with impressive victories. 

If Kongo can defeat Mitrione, then he will have put a halt to an impressive streak, and would surely have placed himself firmly back in the upper echelon of the division. However, were he to lose, it would be a massive setback. Mitrione is an ever improving fighter, an impressive athlete and extremely heavy handed, but were Kongo to lose to a relative newcomer then any hopes of future headline match-ups against the elite of the division would inevitably remain out of his reach. 

Other possibilities include a rematch against Travis Browne, or collisions with the likes of Roy Nelson (15-6, 8KO/5Sub) and Shane Carwin (12-2, 7KO/5Sub), both of whom have recently been on the losing end of contender bouts and are currently riding two fight losing streaks. Such match-ups would perhaps provide Kongo with greater recognition were he to win, and perhaps less flak were he to lose to either man respectively. Nonetheless, a potential fight with Mitrione wets the appetite in the same way the Barry/Kongo fight did. The fact that Mitrione is team mates with the former also offers an additional promotional angle.

If Mitrione defeats Kongo it will more than likely open up the possibility of bigger fights against high ranking opponents for the TUF 10 enigma. In that regard perhaps the thirty-six year old Kongo, despite his protestations, is merely playing a gate keeper role in this fight. Yet despite his flaws as a mixed martial artist, Kongo possesses the fire power to defeat anyone in the heavyweight division on any given night.               

  

What are Mosley's chances against Pacquiao?

When the upcoming fight between Manny Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38KO) and Shane Mosley (46-6-1-1, 39KO) was first announced I can't say I was jumping for joy at the prospect. Mosley lost decisively to Floyd Mayweather jr. (41-0, 25KO) in May of last year, despite rocking his opponent early on. Last September, looking all of his 39 years, Mosley earned a draw in a dull affair with Sergio Mora (22-2-2, 6KO). Hardly ideal form going into a bout with arguably the greatest pound-for-pound fighter on the planet. Despite the reservations of many over the merits of Mosley as a challenger for Pacquiao, the former is probably the best opponent Bob Arum could have come up with, at least while obstacles to a potential super-fight with Mayweather remain.

If Mosley is to have any chance against Pacquiao, he will have to draw on all of his experience. The fact that he was able to hurt the slick Floyd Mayweather to the point that Mayweather was forced to tie up in order to survive, suggests that Mosley does have a very real chance of ending Pacman's night early. Bob Arum rightly assessed that Mosley fairs better against fighters who bring the fight to him, and Manny will bring the fight to him for sure. Mosley is also faster than most if not all of the opponents Pacquiao has faced from lightweight upwards. One would think that if Joshua Clottey (35-4-0-1, 20KO) was able to land clean shots on Pacquaio, then Mosley can surely do likewise.

Mosley cannot afford to cover up when faced with flurries from Pacquaio in the same manner as Clottey. Instead he will have to counter while Pacquiao is in the act of throwing punches in the hope of catching him with something. One of the key things he has to do is to alter between counter punching and getting off first, as Paquiao is a master at getting his opponents timing down. Mosley is excellent at fainting punches, but does so rarely, and will have to try and setup punches rather than throw single shots if he is to have any chance come Saturday night. 

Styles make fights, and Mosley certainly has more tools to beat Pacquiao than Margarito (38-7-0-1, 27KO) and Clottey had. While Mosley certainly has a chance, it is difficult to see him put into practice everything he will need to do in order to beat Pacquiao. Mosley uses his jab not nearly enough, and his punches are not straight enough to pose Pacqiao with too many problems. The reason Juan Manuel Marquez (52-5-1, 38KO) has been relatively successful against Pacquiao is precisely because he throws short, straight punches. Mosley tends to throw wider punches, and as he nears the end of his career his tendency to wing punches has increased. 

It's difficult to envisage Mosley winning this fight in any fashion other than by knockout. Mosley could enjoy some success early on, but Pacquiao will undoubtedly dominate this fight more and more as the rounds progress. Nevertheless, if Mosley can land one of his booming right hands cleanly, Pacquiao could be in serious trouble. And I'm sure few would begrudge the old warrior a return to the spotlight.