Brock Lesnar’s pre-UFC tryout for the National Football League showcased the ridiculous athleticism he demonstrated in the Octagon.
Before making his first appearance in the UFC Octagon, and in the middle of a WWE hiatus, Brock Lesnar turned heads at the 2004 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
Lesnar, a physical specimen during his UFC prime, was brought in by the Minnesota Vikings during the 2004 preseason as a defensive lineman, as he attempted to secure a spot on an NFL roster. While he wasn’t successful in this pursuit and was cut during the preseason, his showing at the NFL Combine was one of the hottest topics in sports at the time.
As Joe Rogan pointed out in a past episode of his podcast, Lesnar’s stats at the NFL Combine were absurd for someone of his size and stature.
Brock Lesnar’s NFL Combine shocked Joe Rogan
During a 2015 episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, Rogan marveled at Lesnar’s athletic benchmarks when he was at the NFL Scouting Combine.
“Look at his 40 (yard dash)…By the way, 283lb, 4-7-40 (4.7 seconds to run 40 yards), 35-inch vertical jump, long jump 10-feet! Standing long jump 10-feet, bench press 225(lbs) for 30 reps. Jesus f****n Christ. A running back living in the body of a defensive end. He’s a freak,” Rogan said.
“This isn’t something he was training for. This isn’t a guy that wasn’t moving towards being a pro football player.” (h/t SportsKeeda)
Despite never playing college football in favor of wrestling, Lesnar nearly earned a shot in the NFL after his ridiculous Scouting Combine performance. Four years later, he became the baddest man on the planet as he defeated Randy Couture at UFC 91.
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Brock Lesnar marveled UFC fans during WWE hiatus
During his MMA career, Lesnar defeated the likes of Frank Mir, Shane Carwin, and Heath Herring. After back-to-back losses against Cain Velasquez and Alistair Overeem, Lesnar made his surprise Octagon return at UFC 200, defeating Mark Hunt by unanimous decision.
Lesnar’s success story inspired MMA notices like CM Punk, boxing great James Toney, and others to appear in the UFC Octagon. After some early career magic, he wasn’t able to recapture that success as his UFC tenure went on.
Lesnar will go down as one of the most intimidating presences in UFC history, and while he didn’t have a Hall of Fame run in the promotion, his unique persona and physical gifts are still a hot topic to this day.