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By: Jason Bent, MMATorch Columnist 11:45pm at the Target Center in Minneapolis, MN; Brock Lesnar attempted to make good on his second chance to make a dominant impression in the UFC. Lesnar vs. Herring was the co-main event of UFC 87 but it was most definitely not a second tier fight by any stretch of the imagination, and it proved to be a coming out party of sorts for Lesnar.
Brock opened the fight with a bang in the form of an attempted knee strike that was to be a harbinger of things to come. At first it would have seemed as if Brock had learned nothing from his loss to Mir, and was again charging out of the gate with pure reckless abandon, but this was not to be the case. Lesnar followed this up with a brutal straight right hand. That punch sent Herring crumbling to the canvas and then rolling backwards as he came face to face with the realization that, while this may have not been his "first rodeo", it was definitely his first time "running with the bulls" as if the Target Center were in Pamplona.
Brock Lesnar never let up and Heath Herring was truly never really in this fight whatsoever. This was that dominant of a performance and every other heavyweight is forced to deal with the prospects of facing Lesnar; as this fight served notice that Brock had arrived and he could possibly be as good as advertised.
Fighters like Brandon Vera and Tim Sylvia openly grumbled about the fact that Brock was to be paid so much money per fight before even proving himself at all as a fighter. Most everyone agreed as Lesnar was clearly being paid based on potential rather than anything he had accomplished in the world of MMA. However, the truth is that this sort of thing happens in most major sports as high draft picks are paid a king's ransom before ever setting foot on the court or on the field of play.
Did anyone grumble when LeBron James was selected number one overall in the NBA draft and became an instant multi-millionaire with endorsements that put him in the neighborhood of Tiger Woods?
Are any of those disgruntled players going to speak up now and say that James should not have been paid such money based solely on potential and how he has not been worth it? Not a chance. Now, I am not saying Lesnar is even worthy of riding the same bus as LeBron James but, in the heavyweight division of the UFC, it can be said that he has the potential to commandeer a tank which could possibly hammerfist its way through any and all UFC heavyweights.
Now, Tim Sylvia has no room to talk as while he is a former UFC champ the fact remains that he did not deserve $850K to face Fedor. Period. If you wish to argue that Tim is a former UFC champ and I am selling him short than I say to you that perhaps Ricco Rodrigues, who is also a former UFC heavyweight champ and holds a victory over Randy Couture, should also be worth such a rate of pay and a main event spot on the card. For Sylvia to grumble about Lesnar is nothing short of a joke as Lesnar shows more in raw potential than Tim ever did in developed talent.
As for Vera? Well, his victory over Andy Reese was such a snoozer that he really shouldn't comment on Lesnar at all. Brock at least showed desire against Mir and for 90 seconds showed more passion than the semi-somnambulant manner in which Vera and Reese fought. Brandon Vera is a very skilled fighter and one with a lot of promise in the UFC but if he feels that Lesnar is overpaid and not worthy of such acclaim, then I welcome him to toss his name into the hat for the chance to face Lesnar in the future.
Because any heavyweight facing Lesnar now may have a chance; but should they wait, they could find it as daunting as going one on one against a seasoned LeBron James or Kobe Bryant. If you think Lesnar is overrated and not quite worth his rate of pay, fight him now before he gets better and understands more about the fight game.
That is what Brock does need to do if he wishes to actually hang around and master this game and become the champion that he feels he can be. Brock Lesnar is like a teenage boy who is getting his first crack at Susie Jenkins in the back seat of the car after Homecoming. Busting out of the gate in a blur of hands and trying to get all that he can because he is not sure if he will have the chance ever again.
Brock needs seasoning and he needs to channel his exuberance into a more targeted attack. He showed promise against Herring and a clear improvement since his fight against Mir but Lesnar still is not certain of what he should do and is going full tilt at all times as he tries to figure it out.
When he had Herring down, which was all fight long, he showed hesitancy which I attribute to being penalized for having struck Mir in the back of the head. Rather than rain down hammer-fists of anger, Brock looked puzzled as if he were trying to place a square peg in a round hole and trying to find where that piece indeed would fit. This was a change in comparison to his Don Quixote fighting style he exhibited in February but it is something he has to work on.
While Brock picked his spots and succeeded, he showed that he really does not want to work on submissions or that he really is unsure how to do such things without possibly getting submitted himself. When he was not striking Heath, it seemed like Lesnar was content to wait until Herring's head popped back up like a Whack-A-Mole game rather than attempt anything other than just landing strikes to the head.
Personally I think this strategy will work for now and could possibly work in the future against every other UFC heavyweight but there will come a day when someone is able to deal with Lesnar's onslaught. I don't know if I would go so far as to say that someone will be able to eat all of Brock's punches and then fight back with their own fire but I do feel that someone will find a way to halt his full on assault and be able to get Lesnar into a position that could possibly neutralize the power. Clearly, Lesnar needs work but it appears he will be able to learn on the job in the UFC heavyweight division.
Herring fought a valiant fight and his face reflected things that even the scorecards could not, as he was literally destroyed by Brock. Lesnar proceeded to laugh in Heath's face after the fight was over and then mime as if he were lassoing the "Texas Crazy Horse" to let it be known that he knew he had broken this crazy horse.
Some may complain about Brock's post fight antics but I for one welcome them. I feel that if any fighter wishes to shut him up that he can petition the UFC for the chance to face Lesnar in the octagon and attempt to silence him if they possibly can. Brock's attitude is one that we expect bad-asses to have, and it is not cocky if you can in fact back it up. It is a welcome change from the automatons who thank fifty sponsors and tell us they love their opponents and how their after party will be held at the Spearmint Rhino. We don't care.
It is wonderful when fighters prove to be respectful and humble but shouldn't they be a little pumped after a great fight? I think it is ok if a fighter wants to tell us that he dominated his opponent and how he feels unstoppable while still extending a little respect towards his fallen foe. Brock is a breath of fresh air and the UFC needs a monster heavyweight who is not going to just sit quietly by and tell us he is just glad to be here. He wants to shout that he belongs in here and asks if you can see him now. Can you see him now? I at least prefer this to shilling for Verizon and barking, "can you hear me now?"
That Verizon guy is annoying and you just want to punch him after seeing the ads for the millionth time but with him you have the notion that you could kick his ass. If Brock were to ask if you could hear him now, you would say "yes, sir" or else risk getting pummeled with two fists the size of frozen Butterball turkeys. Of course the Verizon guy does run with a gang in the form of his "network," but I would face them or all of the gangs from 'The Warriors' before asking Brock if he wants to come out and play. Ask Heath Herring how that can turn out.
The judges could have and did score this one-sided fight a victory for Lesnar by the scores of 30-26 across the board. This fight was not even that close. Herring looked like he tried to inspect the shoes on a mule by leaning down and picking up the hoof. Brock looked as if he could have gone 3 more rounds with any other heavyweight in the world, and I for one am not going to doubt him. I can see him now, but I can guarantee that no UFC heavyweight is going to want to do the same when it means they will be forced to see him up close in the octagon.
The Who once asked, "Tommy, Can You Hear Me?" I can guarantee that if it were Brock Lesnar asking the question, rather than Pete Townshend and Roger Daltry, that Lesnar would not have to ask more than once if even at all. Because that deaf, dumb and blind kid could have damn well heard Brock Lesnar announce his arrival in the UFC heavyweight division on Saturday night and I also think he would have seen him as well. If you would liken Brock's fists to flippers and substitute Herring's skull for the ball, Brock sure played a mean game of pinball at UFC 87. You just have to trade the Pinball wizard's boots for size XXXXL gloves.
Were the UFC heavyweight division a pinball machine, Brock let them know that he is ready to shake things up until they tilt.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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