Brock Lesnar is an anomaly to the standard, sometimes cookie-cutter image of what a professional wrestler is supposed to be. That's not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it's a good thing, a really good thing!
Lesnar is just as he's been described time and time again; he's a "prize fighter." He only makes the occasional appearance in a WWE ring but when he does make those appearances, the cash registers immediately start ringing.
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His name on any card is a guarantee that there will be someone's backside every 18 to 20 inches occupying every seat in whatever venue he's at. In less than one week, Brock Lesnar will be in my city for Raw.
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The arena where the show will take place holds upwards of 18,000 people. You can be rest assured that when it was announced locally that Brock would be here, ticket sales went crazy.
We are all aware of Lesnar’s drawing power. As we've already covered, the guy is a feature attraction, people come from everywhere to witness his work and more often than not, just to see him stand in the ring, while Paul Heyman delivers a promo.
However, Lesnar can be exciting to watch in action, especially when he's facing someone who is actually on his level, which is difficult to find. The current WWE roster has very few Superstars outside of The Undertaker and Goldberg, who come across as attractive opponents as far as big time names that can draw money on a card with Brock.
Simply put, Brock Lesnar is a box office attraction that the WWE uses sparingly in order to conserve his worth.
Lesnar has also been a feature attraction in the world of Mixed Martial Arts as well. Win or lose, a card which features a Brock Lesnar main event guarantees money. Some, actually many, will purchase the event solely based on the fact that Brock is fighting. MMA has gained a lot of fans from professional wrestling, that's no secret.
In fact, both sports share a huge amount of fans that enjoy both MMA, as well as pro wrestling. It only makes sense that there would be some athletes from both sides, testing the waters in the other.
For instance, Ken Shamrock is someone who was a major star in MMA, then crossed over and did well in the WWE. With that said, are there any current MMA heavyweights that you feel could be a strong opponent for Brock Lesnar...in a WWE ring?
Over the past few days, I have scoured the Heavyweights of MMA looking for a few fighters that could potentially bring the pain to The Beast Incarnate. I finally came up with five fighters who I believe would destroy Brock in the squared circle.
#5 Justin Wren
Justin Wren is a big, burly, beefed up man's man. He has a dominating ground game, as well as tremendous striking ability. Those who have never seen him would think he looks something like a mountain man, or perhaps a new prospect for The Wyatt Family. He actually reminds me of WWE legend Big John Studd.
Wren stands about 6'2", weighing roughly 260 pounds. One important side note about Justin is his pre-MMA background. Wren was a very accomplished amateur wrestler, prior to jumping in the Octagon.
Justin was an All-American collegiate wrestler, before going on to train with the US Olympic wrestling team. Justin was also a contender on season 10 of the Ultimate Fighter, before losing out in the quarterfinals. Wren is currently fighting under the Bellator banner.
#4 Frank Mir
This list wouldn't be complete without one of MMA's bad boys, which is exactly what you get with Frank Mir. While Mir was suspended back in April for testing positive for Turinabol metabolites, he has repeatedly stated that the tests cannot be accurate, claiming, "I don't know how that's possible, I do not take performance-enhancing drugs."
Frank is no stranger to Brock Lesnar. In fact, the two have gone to war in the cage not once, but twice. In the first meeting, Mir defeated Lesnar at the UFC 81 pay-per-view. However, the results were completely opposite the second time around. At the UFC 100 pay-per-view, Brock Lesnar defeated Frank Mir.
Frank comes in at a chiselled 6'3", weighing 264 pounds. He is a very animated fighter, one who sometimes comes across arrogant. Nonetheless, his charisma would carry over well in the WWE.
#3 Alistair Overeem
This is a guy who can make you feel defeated before the bout ever starts. Alistair has an outstanding presence, with a very intimidating persona. He was successful in Pride FC, as well as StrikeForce before landing in UFC.
He stands 6'5", weighing 265 pounds. Overeem has a tonne of professional fights to his credit, with an overall professional record of 41 wins, with 15 losses.
There is also a degree of history between Alistair and Brock as well. The two combatants met in the Octagon in 2011, at the UFC 141 pay-per-view. The result in this contest is something I'm sure Lesnar would like to forget about. The end result of that contest was a big win for Alistair Overeem. He defeated Lesnar in the first round, via TKO.
#2 Junior dos Santos
Lesnar and Junior dos Santos were the coaches for season 13 of The Ultimate Fighter. At the conclusion of the season, the coaches for each respected team typically face each other at a UFC pay-per-view event. This was supposed to also be the case for Lesnar and Santos.
Unfortunately, Brock was dealing with some form of a recurring illness, which resulted in him being pulled from the fight. Lesnar was replaced in the main event of UFC 131, by Shane Carwin. Junior would go on to win that fight by way of a unanimous decision. Needless to say, Lesnar and Santos have some unfinished business.
Junior dos Santos holds a professional record of 18 wins, with four defeats. Junior also has a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He is known for being a very strategic type of fighter, with flawless defensive skills. He is second to none when it comes to striking power. 12 of his 18 wins are results of devastating knockouts by Junior.
#1 Cain Velasquez
Cain Velasquez is one of the most marketable names in all of MMA. If you're looking for someone to almost guarantee you a knockout finish, Cain is your man. With the exception of two fights, all of his wins came as a result of a knockout.
He is currently ranked as the number 2 Heavyweight in the entire world. Cain brings a mixed style to the cage, with a fantastic stand-up game, he's also capable of delivering on the mat. Velasquez is someone who has also had an extensive amount of wrestling training, as well as skilled training in kickboxing, jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai, and boxing.
In 2010, Cain defeated Brock at UFC 121, taking the UFC Heavyweight Championship from Lesnar as well. Brock went into that fight as a heavy favourite, but he simply could not withstand the fury of blows landed by Velasquez.
Cain also has a strong wrestling background, which would give him an edge with a WWE career. While in college, Cain compiled an unbelievable record of 86 wins, with 17 losses. He also won a Junior College National Championship at Iowa Central Community College.
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