The Compliment Sandwich: Brock Lesnar

[Dave]

So, this is the latest in my series of threads that encourage people to really look at a subject matter and get to grips on what they really think about something. The way it works is very simple. You state something that you like about the subject matter. It could be something as simple as how they look or how much they make you enjoy something. After that, you simply state something that you do not like about the subject matter. Again, it could be anything. After that, you, simply round it off with something positive.

Simple as that

The Next Big Thing is the next big thing to get the Compliment Sandwich treatment as I attempt to bring my love of MMA and this thread series together. Hopefully, it is something that you guys will like and I can perhaps try it again in a couple of weeks with another subject matter.

That being said, Brock Lesnar is easily my favourite MMA guy right now. Not only has he shown everyone that he has the desire and rive to be successful at whatever he does, he also manages to do that whilst being the most hated man in MMA. Yes, he was a professional wrestler but that has given him another dimension that a lot of the MMA guys in the UFC and Strikeforce do not have. The guy can talk, he can get you going and motivated for his fights like I have never seen before. Not only do I believe that, it is clear that Dana White subscribes to that view also. He brought Lesnar in because he saw something in him and he has been rewarded. He was a former Heavyweight Champion and I don't think anyone has managed to do that in such a short time, although I might be very wrong. Feel free to correct me if it was done faster. Nevertheless, it was supremely impressive.

My one criticism of Brock Lesnar is that he doesn't know enough right now to be take on the very best competitors in the UFC. When you look at what Cain Velasquez did to him, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that Brock Lesnar has a lot of growing to do. Does he have a strong enough chin? Does he have enough experience inside the octagon to be able to hang with some of the top class guys in the division? Really, I think the answer to those questions are “no” but you also have to believe that it will all make sense to him in the future and he can have another run at the Championship.

Lesnar has been an utter phenomenon though. He was the reason that I started watching the UFC and MMA in the first place. Like many, I was drawn into the company by the thought of Brock Lesnar and it has fuelled my love for the sport ever since. He keeps learning and keeps driving forward. He was recently announced as the Ultimate Fighter coach for the upcoming season of the show and I will be watching that too. He is a personality that is very endearing to many and his fans will follow him to whatever pastures he travels to. The UFC have obtained an absolute gem of a persona and it is still paying off for them. He will coach The Ultimate Fighter and people will be baying for his fight when it rolls around. He makes people care about the UFC events and that cannot be underestimated.

 

[Tech N9ne]

I wonder if it is his chin, or the fact he hates getting hit. Lesnar is such an explosive fighter that he could beat anyone. I think even if he fights Velasquez again, he has a chance to get lucky and KO him while they are standing. He has enough freakish power to not be counted out. Sure, right now, he is totally outclassed by Cain, but anything can happen, especially given Lesnar's physical gifts.

Do I think it will happen? No. Not at this point. I think Cain is too slick to get caught. Lesnar would really need to work on his overall game, and get used to getting hit awfully quick before he steps back into the octagon with Velasquez.

It looks like it will probably happen, though. Styles make fights and I think Junior Dos Santos is tailor-made for Lesnar to defeat. Lesnar is considerably bigger than him (big surprise) and JDS is a striker. It should be relatively easy for Brock to get him down, lay on him and ground & pound, Dos Santos.

That would lead to another Cain/Brock fight. This is a weird statement to even consider, given Brock's confidence, or arrogance at everything he has done since he burst on the scene around 10 years ago. But, I wonder what kind of confidence Brock would have coming into a 2nd Fight with Velasquez. Unless he had something hindering him the first time, besides a lesser degree of skills compared to Cain.

If Brock was 100% and totally confident going into their first fight, I pose the question... Would he be that confident coming into a rematch with Cain Velasquez? Especially with how BAD he was beaten before.

With doing other things as a possibility for Brock (Pro Wrestling being one of them), I wonder if he will look at another fight with Cain with sure confidence that he can win. I think he knows he will always have Pro Wrestling to fall back on. If he lacks confidence in his ability to beat Cain, he might already have one foot inside a WWE ring in his mind already!

 

[ArcherCC]

Good Point 1: Brock is an athletic freak of nature, with all the physical tools and abilities to be a champion for a long time.

Bad Point: Brock hates getting hit, the the point his training partners are not allowed to hit him in sparring.

Good Point 2: You can unlearn the fear of getting hit, and Brock has the training staff to make it so.

 

[Buffalo Dave]

Bad Point: Brock hates getting hit, the the point his training partners are not allowed to hit him in sparring.

I'm not gonna argue the fact that Brock doesn't like to get hit, that was clearly shown during his last two fights with Carwin and Cain. But let's not forget that both guys pack very hard fucking punches. But my problem is with your last part of saying that his training partners are not allowed to hit him during sparring. I would love to see where you saw that, because that sounds like complete an utter bullshit. I even searched around and couldn't find anything to that nature. I mean that defeats the purpose of sparring if your not going to take hits yourself. Seriously though I would love to see a link to where you got that info from.


Likes

What I like about Brock, is that he is the guy that got me fully into the MMA world. I was never a huge Brock mark when he was a pro-wrestler, but the buzz he generated when he announced his MMA plans, then was brought into the UFC after just one fight, peaked my interest heavily. Dave, Dana definitely saw something in Brock, and that is $$ signs. Simple fact Brock draws.

Dislikes

What I don't like about Brock is that his stand up striking isn't very good at all. The guy definitely can hit hard, just look back to the Herring fight, where Brock threw a straight jab that put Herring right on his ass on the very first punch thrown in the fight. Throughout his other fights it's his stand up striking that has really come into question. On the ground the guy throws some of the most devastating hammerfists. Also in his last fight with Cain, it was clear that he was gassed, so stamina is something else he should work on.

Positive

Brock has been through a lot in his short MMA career. With only being 33, he still has a good couple years left in him. What he needs to do is get someone that specializes in striking in his corner. With only having wrestling in his background, it hurts him as a complete MMA fighter. He needs to go to another gym and train with a renowned trainer, whether he trains with Freddie Roach, Phil Nurse, hell even the crazy French guy that GSP brought in during the last TUF Jean-Charles. Thing is his DeathClutch team isn't getting it done. If he steps outside and learns some better stand up, Brock will be able to get back to the top.