UFC
UFC 100 MEGA-COVERAGE: Fighter History: Brock Lesnar (free sample)
Jul 6, 2009 - 6:34:07 PM UFC 100 MEGA-COVERAGE: Fighter History: Brock Lesnar (free sample)

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Our UFC 100 Fighter History series will highlight four to five highlights and/or lowlights of each UFC 100 fighter's career. Stay tuned daily for a new featured fighter leading up to the July 11th event.

Brock Lesnar [artist Cory Gould (c) MMATorch]

The Beginning - June 2nd, 2007 vs. Min Soo Kim (K-1 Dynamite!!! USA):

Brock Lesnar's professional mixed martial arts debut came against Min Soo Kim at K-1's Dynamite!!! USA event in the summer of '07. He was originally supposed to face Hong Man Choi, but his medical exams just before the fight revealed a tumor on his pituitary gland and the California State Athletic Commission denied him a license. In stepped Min Soo Kim to take a complete beating in a completely one sided affair. From the bell Lesnar engaged, getting Kim to the ground and moving his way to the mount, throwing punches the to the side of Kim's head as got there. Kim held on for dear life as Lesnar continued to throw punches to the side of Kim's head, forcing a tap due to strikes at 1:09 of the first round.

The Debut - February 2, 2008 vs. Frank Mir (UFC 81: Breaking Point):

With the dominant debut Lesnar made a statement that he was serious about competing in the sport. In October of that year at UFC 77 it was announced that Lesnar had come to contract agreement with the organization and he made a heavily hyped debut at UFC 81 against Frank Mir. The bout opened with Lesnar getting an almost immediate takedown. He unloaded with hammerfists and punches in rapidfire fashion to the head of Mir. As Mir covered up it appeared a few of the shots landed on the back of his head, and referee Steve Mazagatti halted the bout and docked Lesnar a point. As they restarted on the feet Lesnar connected almost immediately with a right hand that dropped Mir and he began to work the ground and pound again. Mir worked his active guard and Lesnar stood up. Lesnar hesitated briefly and Mir swung to Lesnar's right leg and locked it up for a knee bar. Lesnar tried to jump out and pull his leg free, but Mir held fast and held onto the hold. He forced Lesnar to tap to the knee bar at 1:30 of the first round. It was the first blemish on Lesnar's young career record, but he showed flashes of what was to come later in the year in the early going.

The Arrival - August 9th, 2008 vs. Heath Herring (UFC 87: Seek and Destroy):

In front of a record gate at the Target Center in Lesnar's backyard in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Lesnar showed he was a serious contender in the heavyweight division in just his third professional fight. His opponent was Heath Herring, a longtime veteran fighter who has fought a who's who of competition in the heavyweight ranks throughout his career. A longstanding staple in PRIDE, Herring compiled a 26-11 record before making his UFC debut in 2007. Suffice it to say, Herring's no slouch. Lesnar opened the bout by exploding for a flying knee that Herring got away from. Then, with the first punch thrown by Lesnar in the fight, he broke Herring's orbital bone and sent him flying in a backwards somersault across the cage. Lesnar ran after him and proceeded to dish out punishment for the remainder of the round.

In the second Lesnar got a takedown after little action in the first minute, and once on the ground it was very similar to the first round. Here, however, he added knees to the body that were about as brutal as they come. Herring worked his way back to the feet near the end of the round and Lesnar decided to continue with knees to the body from there. One said knee nearly finished Herring off as he almost recoiled in pain from a direct shot to the gut.

The third round started in the clinch, and Lesnar again got Herring to the ground where he used his dominating top game to continue the punishment and top control, while never really looking to finish the fight. He rode it out to a unanimous decision, and in the process put everyone on notice that not only could we see him now, but he was even more dangerous than perhaps we had thought in the first place. His dominant three round performance, along with his name value and pay-per-view value, led to his first title shot against the returning "Captain America" himself, Randy Couture.

The Champion - November 15th, 2008 vs. Randy Couture (UFC 91: Couture vs. Lesnar):

Brock's test for legitimacy reached a second level with his UFC Heavyweight Championship bout with Randy Couture in November of 2008. Couture returned to the UFC after a year long legal struggle and holdout and returned to action for the first time since August of 2007. He had shown time and time again a propensity for winning in situations he was expected to lose, and even against the extraordinarily athletically gifted Lesnar was expected to expose the three fight veteran.

Lesnar would get a big takedown in the first round and land a couple of punches of his own, but it was what he showed defensively that stood out. After a clinch on the cage, Couture backed off and landed a big right hand that Lesnar was able to shake off. Also, against the cage, Couture attempted to drag Lesnar to the ground and put him on his back, but Lesnar got out of it, and as Couture tried to grab his back he held onto the foot of Couture and pulled him off of him.

The second round had the crowd in a frenzy, and early in the round Brock landed a stiff short elbow to Couture. Couture, however, would draw first blood and open a cut above Lesnar's right eye after a flurry. Couture would again attempt a takedown, but Lesnar held it off against the cage. As they separated, Lesnar caught Couture behind the ear with a right hand shot that dropped him. He immediately pounced and unleashed an unholy number of hammerfists and punches to the downed Couture, finally forcing the referee to mercifully stop the bout. Lesnar won the UFC Heavyweight Championship and would await the winner of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, the Interim Champion, and Frank Mir at the following month's UFC 92 event.

Through four fights Lesnar has shown an exponential increase in his MMA aptitude and ability, leading him to being considered one of the top heavyweights in the world despite so few fights. His bout with Frank Mir at UFC 100 will be yet another step for Lesnar in proving to the world that he is as good as he's shown, and even better. Stay tuned as this bout comes live on pay-per-view on July 11th.