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A former UFC champion recently recalled experiencing added pressure when he fought Brock Lesnar in the latter's octagon debut. He noted that it caught him by surprise as the Minnesota native was more than just a former WWE superstar.
There was plenty of hype and attention surrounding Lesnar's octagon debut at UFC 81, where he fought former heavyweight champion Frank Mir. The Minnesota native came into his debut with a 1-0 professional record and had an impressive amateur wrestling background that included an NCAA Division I National wrestling championship and NJCAA heavyweight wrestling championship.
While speaking to Hall of Famer Matt Serra on his YouTube channel, the former heavyweight champion opened up about being the Minnesota native's first opponent in the UFC. Mir mentioned that Lesnar coming from the pro wrestling world provided more pressure from his peers, including fighters competing on the same card and as a result, made him anxious for the bout:
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"It was [a lot of pressure], but I didn't realize the amount of pressure I was in until I got to the fight. One of the other fighters on the card had said to me, 'Hey, man, you're representing MMA. You got to make sure you beat the pro wrestler'. And at that point, I kind of stopped and I was like, 'Whoa, wait a minute. You guys think [Lesnar] is a pro wrestler? The guy's an NCAA champ'. So that actually made me very apprehensive."
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Check out Frank Mir's comments regarding Brock Lesnar below:
Frank Mir recalls first impression of Brock Lesnar prior to UFC 81 bout
In addition to recalling the added pressure that came with his UFC 81 bout against Brock Lesnar, former heavyweight champion Frank Mir recalled his first impression of the Minnesota native prior to their bout.
During the aforementioned clip, Mir mentioned that the WWE legend was an imposing figure and even second-guessed whether accepting the bout was a wise decision:
"When he was moving around, I remember just looking over, I'm like, 'Fu*k, he's athletic...I gotta start learning how to say no to things'.
Check out highlights from Frank Mir's win over Brock Lesnar at UFC 81 below:
