BREAKOUT FIGHTER OF THE YEAR: Brock Lesnar
The UFC never seemed to be able to sustain an entertaining and relevant heavyweight division. With the resignation of Randy Couture and bust of Croation kickboxer Mirko Filipovic, the company decided to take a gamble. In late 2007, they announced the signing of WWE superstar and NCAA Division 1 wrestling champion Brock Lesnar. Lesnar entered the UFC with a 1-0 record and his lone victory coming against scared Korean Min Soo Kim. President Dana White and matchmaker Joe Silva showed their brilliance when they inserted him in the co-main event of UFC 81 against Frank Mir. Mir provided a perfect opponent: a legitimate, but beatable name who would act as a perfect measuring stick for Lesnar’s MMA progression.
The fight itself lasted a mere 90 seconds, but provided enough action and drama to fill a fifteen minute affair. Lesnar dropped Mir early and followed up with Donkey Kong hammerfists to Mir’s skull. Referee Steve Mazzagatti controversially stood the fight up and deducted a point from Lesnar for strikes to the back of the head. When the bout restarted, the action quickly returned to the ground before Mir caught the behemoth in a kneebar.
Lesnar rebounded with authority when he fought Heath Herring at UFC 87 in front of his home state of Minnesota. “The Next Big Thing” landed a straight right that sent the “Texas Crazy Horse” flying across the Octagon. Herring, a wily veteran known for his ability to scramble back to his feet, had no answer for Lesnar’s strength and positional wrestling throughout the bout’s entire fiteen minutes. As the final seconds ticked off the clock, Lesnar showed off some of the showmanship he picked up as a pro wrestler, riding the battered and beaten Herring like a bronco.
In TK, Randy Couture returned to the UFC and signed on to fight Lesnar for the heavyweight title he had put on hold for nearly a year. The bout took place on November 15th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and was promoted as the biggest fight in UFC history. Could Lesnar, only 2-1 in his brief MMA career, use his size, speed, and strength to overcome the experienced two-time champ?
When the dust settled that night, it was clear that Brock Lesnar would be a force to be reckoned with. The champion looked formidable in the first period, but arguably lost a close round one to the challenger. Round two saw Lesnar continue his display of power as he dropped the legend with a right hook behind Couture’s ear. Lesnar rained down a relentless assault of hammerfists before referee Mario Yamasaki had seen enough and stopped the contest.
In the year 2008, Brock Lesnar jumped into a pool of sharks and emerged from the dangerous waters of fight sport as heavyweight champion of the world. On his path to the top, the new champ brought in PPV buys hand-over-fist, became the sport’s leading draw in the process, and almost single-handedly renewed interest in a dying division. He’ll receive his chance for revenge at UFC 98 when he will square off with Frank Mir to unify the linear and interim belts. A dominant 2009 could see Lesnar replace Randy Couture as the man fans want to see battle the Russian enigma, Fedor Emelianenko. It’s fair to say “The Next Big Thing” has arrived.
2nd PLACE: Rashad Evans
3rd PLACE: Gegard Mousasi