Brock Lesnar
Country of origin:
United States
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 265
Birth date: 1977-07-12
Record: 2-1-0
Profile:
Brock Lesnar is a MMA fighter who previously competed in college wrestling where he achieved an overall NCAA wrestling record of 106 wins and five losses. Brock Lesnar later performed as a professional wrestler in the World Wrestling Federation, which later changed its name to the WWE. Despite being very popular as a pro wrestler, Lesnar retired from wrestling entertainment and for a brief period played professional football in the NFL on the Minnesota Vikings.
In 2007 Brock Lesnar entered the world of MMA and competed at K-1 Dynamite in Los Angeles. Lesnar was scheduled to fight Korean personality and fighter Hong Man Choi, but Choi was not permitted to participate by the California State Athletic Commission due to health concerns. Lesnar ended up fighting Min Soo Kim and won the fight early in round one after taking the large Korean down, securing the mount, and raining punches down.
At UFC 77 the UFC announced that Brock Lesnar would make his octagon debut at UFC 81 over the Superbowl weekend. In that encounter against Frank Mir, Lesnar came out aggressively striking Mir and looked in control for the beginning of the match but Mir was able to secure a knee bar ninety-seconds into the match while defending heavy strikes from Lesnar and ended the fight.
Excerpt of our Interview with Brock Lesnar prior to his fight against Frank Mir:
MMAPredictions.com: Talk about what drove you to enter MMA.
Brock Lesnar: It's something that I had wanted to do but the opportunity to make a good living at it wasn't there when I got out of college. So obviously I was a pro wrestler for four or five years. I got out, and tried my hand in the NFL. I thought that the opportunity to fight now and make decent money at [fighting MMA], you know, that it was the right time and opportunity.
MMAPredictions.com: Well like you said you've had that experience of wrestling and the NFL. Those were based on athleticism. How is preparing for an MMA fight different than those other gigs?
Brock Lesnar: Well I was an amateur wrester for eighteen years so I am no stranger to preparation for competitions. I don't take a lot from my stint in pro wrestling or even the NFL. This is very similar to what I did for wrestling. Obviously not the striking and jiu-jitsu but the mental preparation and conditioning, and all those key factors that play into this game of mixed martial arts.
MMAPredictions.com: Can you tell us who is helping you get ready for this fight?
Brock Lesnar: I have three training partners. I am training at Minnesota Mixed Martial Arts Academy. Greg Nelson is training me in my striking and jiu-jitsu and Erik Paulson out of Orange County, California. So I am feeling very confident coming into this fight with the group of guys that I have.
MMAPredictions.com: Your opponent Frank Mir is 10-3 right now. If you look back, he fought just as much as you did in 2007. He had just that one fight. What are your thoughts about Frank Mir?
Brock Lesnar: Frank has definitely got the credentials. He's got the experience in the octagon, and it's my understanding that he's got great jiu-jitsu skills. You can't take anything away from the guy, he is the former UFC heavyweight champion. So I've got an incredible opponent.
MMAPredictions.com: Was the selection of your opponent the UFC's decision, or did you have any choice in the matter?
Brock Lesnar: We mutually agreed upon it. They proposed it, and I agreed.
Brock Lesnar:He was the first proposal.
MMAPredictions.com: It's early in your MMA career. Is it too early to make a judgement about what you have more fun doing? I know they're totally different animals, but is working in professional wrestling or fighting MMA more fun?
Brock Lesnar: I enjoy this a lot more. I am able to be home, train at home, I'm able to be in my own bed every night, and that was a key factor for me. You know I travelled for four years and disliked it. So for me to be able to be home and be around my family... I'm happy.
Fights on MMAPredictions.com:
- Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Couture in UFC 91: Lesnar vs Couture
- Heath Herring lost to Brock Lesnar in UFC 87: Seek and Destroy
- Brock Lesnar lost to Frank Mir in UFC 81
- Brock Lesnar beat Min Soo Kim in Dynamite!!
