Brock Lesnar entered UFC 200 with a point to prove. Despite his five-year hiatus from the sport, the former UFC heavyweight champion looked sharp and prepared against Mark Hunt in the co-main event.
The WWE superstar bullied Mark Hunt around the cage for most of the fight, scoring several takedowns and landing some heavy ground and pound. As resilient as ever, Mark Hunt refused to fold and Lesnar took home a clear-cut unanimous decision win.
The biggest takeaway from the fight was Lesnar’s ability to take a punch. Heading into the bout, the 38-year-old faced criticism for his past performances against Shane Carwin, Cain Velasquez and Alistair Overeem. In the latter fight, Lesnar buckled to a body kick in the first round which led many to question his ability to absorb punishment.
The NCAA Division I wrestling standout seemed to put those doubts to rest as he traded several punches with one of the hardest hitting punchers in the sport.
“I wasn’t rocked,” Lesnar said in the post-fight press conference, per Hunter A. Homistek of MMA Fighting. “I don’t know if they were his best shots or not. I felt them. The mystery’s gone. I guess I can take a shot. I took some good shots. I took him down. It was the wrestler versus the power hitter. He never knocked the f**k out of me. And here I am. I’m happy.”
Lesnar, who defeated Randy Couture to become UFC champion in 2008, moved to 6-3 in his MMA career and is open to returning to the Octagon in the future.
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