When Brock Lesnar showed up at UFC, many did not know what to expect, Lesnar included. The former WWE Wrestler and NCAA standout had been training for months in the different aspects of the sport and debut in Japan where his opponent submitted due to excessive strikes. Lesnar in his first UFC fight would take on Frank Mir.
First Lesnar-Mir Fight
Mir, a submission artist, absorbed the early punishment from Lesnar during their UFC 81 fight. Although he was cut and badly hurt, Mir managed to grab the leg of Lesnar and placed a kneebar and forced Lesnar to tap. Mir was relieved that he was able to get the victory after struggling early. However it was clear that Lesnar had plenty of potential and that he could definitely have a future at the top of mix martial arts.
Lesnar’s comeback fight would be against Mark Coleman before Coleman withdrew. Lesnar would instead fight Heath Herring. Lesnar dropped Herring early and for the rest of the fight kept Herring on the ground and punished him earning a well deserved and impressive unanimous decision.
Lesnar would then earn a UFC title shot against Randy “The Natural” Couture. Couture had been able to beat many opponents and seem to never age. He was however taking on something an opponent that mix martial arts has never seen before. A 6’3 260 pound man with outstanding agility and wrestling skills.
The rematch was to take place at UFC 98; however Mir was forced to pull out with an injury. Now the question is, whether it will be revenge or repeat. Lesnar has significantly improved, however Mir may be able to have the element of surprise once again.
St-Pierre Fights Alves
On the undercard, George St-Pierre one of the most all rounded fighters in UFC history, will take on Thiago Alves for the welterweight championship. Many expect St-Pierre to get by Alves for a potential lucrative catch weight bout with Anderson Silva. However, many experts believed he would beat Matt Serra the first time around and he was upset in the first round. Alves is coming off three straight impressive victories over Karo Parisyan, Matt Hughes and Josh Koscheck respectively.
Regardless of the results, UFC 100 is an event that will likely break record numbers and make history. The sport that many regarded as too dangerous and barbaric (and many still do), will be celebrating its 100th event. Hopefully the sport will continue to grow and attract many more.
