Brock Lesnar in UFC

It was just a few months ago that Brock Lesnar had his first Mixed Martial Arts fight. On June 2, 2007, Lesnar debuted in MMA when he fought Min Soo Kim, of Korea at K-1’s Dynamite!! USA. Would Brock continue to fight, or would he lose interest and move on to something else?
We didn’t hear much after that. In fact there were a few rumors of Brock meeting with Vince McMahon about a possible return to the WWE. Quietly, I waited anxiously for the big headline to come out, to hear the big news of the contract signing, to see the man pop up on my Monday night TV screen, and witness the shot-in-the-arm return of the “Next Big Thing.”

Sadly, the waiting can now cease, as Brock Lesnar has signed with the UFC.

But although I sit here broken hearted because Brock will not be coming back to WWE, I am not disappointed in Brock’s choice. After all, Brock has been there and done that. He’s a 3-time champion and he already left once due to being unhappy there in 2004. He no longer wanted to compete in WWE and turned his interests to a career in the NFL, before eventually passing on an offer to play pro football in Europe.

When it comes right down to it, Brock is probably the only current wrestler that can make a successful and safe move to UFC.

I say “successful” because he is already a phenomenal athlete with outstanding potential. His combat background is wrestling, which is a sport with one of the highest demands for physical conditioning, and he has obviously learned the art of striking well, as his first MMA fight was stopped by the referee due to strikes. I also say “safe,” because as far as I know Brock has not had any major debilitating injuries. Sure, he had a severe concussion one time in a match against Kurt Angle, but I think anybody would get one if they botched a shooting star press off the top rope and landed on the mat face first.

The truth is, I am a casual MMA fan. I watch maybe 20 percent of the pay-per-views the UFC produces each year. I don’t keep track of the current champions and developments, but I do have the utmost respect for them as athletes. The mere fact that Brock will be fighting there will make me watch more because I respect him as an athlete.

While I don’t see Brock walking into the octagon and becoming a champion right away, I think he has the potential to be a force to be reckoned with there. In fact with the turmoil in the heavyweight division right now, he could see a rather quick title shot.

One thing is for sure, Brock is now doing what he wants to do.

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