Dana White: Brock Lesnar Could Be the Best Heavyweight in UFC History

UFC 99 has just ended, and we've still got the Ultimate Fighter Finale ahead of us this Saturday, but the hype is already building for UFC 100. And UFC President Dana White has some very strong words about Brock Lesnar, who will fight Frank Mir in the UFC 100 main event.

Talking about Lesnar's first UFC fight, a first-round submission loss to Mir, White said, "He was absolutely dominating Frank Mir -- a former world champion -- before he got caught in a submission."

And White added that after watching how far Lesnar came in his second fight, a win over Heath Herring, he believes that Lesnar could some day be looked at as the best heavyweight ever to step into the Octagon.

"After his first fight there were a lot of questions," White said. "Did he come into the UFC too fast? Should he have gotten more experience in the smaller shows before he got into the UFC? And he absolutely destroyed all those questions in his second outing against Heath Herring. Heath Herring is a guy who has fought all over the world, in the best organizations in the world, been in big fights before, and Brock Lesnar absolutely dominated him. Smashed him, beat him up for three rounds, and that answered all the questions right there about him. That was the day I said this guy absolutely belongs in the UFC, and if he keeps progressing at this level could possibly be the best heavyweight fighter in UFC history."

I think Lesnar is the most talented athlete ever to fight in the UFC's heavyweight division, but my biggest question is whether Lesnar -- who turns 32 the day after UFC 100 -- is just too old to have the kind of long run as the UFC champion that he would need to have in order to be considered the best heavyweight ever.

Yes, I know, Randy Couture was the UFC heavyweight champion into his 40s, but very, very few athletes can compete at a high level past their mid-30s. Lesnar is a great fighter, and I'm already in a lather about his fight with Mir, but to be considered the best heavyweight ever I think he'd need to be at the top of his game for a few years, and I'm not sure a guy whose first UFC fight was after his 30th birthday will be able to do that.

Video via Bloody Elbow.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

6-15-2009 @ 12:28PM

Frederick said...

I dont know. I will be in vegas and I like the odds for Mir.

7-11-2009 @ 1:06PM

magnusguvenal said...

Yeah there is no such things as guaranties in mma but I would be very surprised to se Mir lose against this Brock Lessnar guy. He's standup looks very amatour to me and sure he's got great wrestling but we have not seen any submission atemps and I would hate to see a match with just another wrestler laying on top of another guy and getting the win thru octagon control and domination.
Mir is an exiting fighter and I'm sure he will not allow that kind of behaviour and hopefully he can finish that beast of by pulling of a submission from his back.
Best case scenario Brock Lessnar gets knocked all the way out of UFC...
/Maggot

6-15-2009 @ 4:59PM

Alistair Azimuth PSN: johnnynumber5 said...

My only problem with Lesnar in the UFC is all of his fights have been cherry picked and portrayed as tough fights.

Mir had lost to Vera and looked on the verge of being out of the sport. He submitted Hardonk who isn't a top tier fighter by any stretch of the imagination and was really handpicked as a way to give Lesnar credibility. Even in the Lesnar fight Mir looked out of shape. But, he caught the inexperienced Lesnar in a knee bar when Lesnar panicked. But, that win and then the domination of Big Nog has Mir looking like the true heavyweight champion (as he should be anyway because he actually earned it).

Herring is another guy that is nothing more than shell of his former self and is simply a name at this point. Since 2004 he has a 6-5 record and like Mir was cherry picked to give Lesnar credibility. That win (though dominant) didn't impress me because Lesnar couldn't finish him at any point.

Randy Couture has a lot of heart and is a great champion but he hadn't fought in over a year and is more of a natural light heavyweight in addition to being at the twilight of his career. This was Lesnar's chance to show me something but he failed because Couture was pretty much making him look foolish and Lesnar was gassed just before the haymakers landed to end the fight. Lesnar couldn't hold Couture down, either.

On top of all that shouldn't Mir of gotten the heavyweight shot ahead of Lesnar? He won the fight against the interim champion (Big Nog) in dominating fashion in addition to having beat lesnar head to head. But, because of the bigger PPV draw of a Couture vs Lesnar finale Brock was picked without having earned his shot.

At this point Mir looks to be back in shape and has his confidence back. This will be the fight that Lesnar proves he belongs or that he is a fraud. We'll have to see but I have the feeling it's going to be a repeat performance and Mir is going to submit Lesnar the first mistake he makes. On top of that Mir's boxing looked world class against Big Nog so I think he has the advantage on the feet as well as the ground.

Basically, saying Lesnar could be the best UFC HW champ ever doesn't mean much when Fedor still hasn't gotten into the mix. It's irrelevant at this point and until he fights Fedor he will never be seen as a true champion. Best case scenario is for Mir to win and Fedor to beat Barnett then have Fedor come to the UFC and fight Mir for the title.

Lesnar has a lot to prove and this is his chance. Not only do I think Mir will win but I would also pick Carwin and Velazquez to beat lesnar at this point.

6-20-2009 @ 2:54AM

soundshare said...

I'm right with ya, Johnny.

"Best case scenario is for Mir to win and Fedor to beat Barnett then have Fedor come to the UFC and fight Mir for the title."

Right, for true MMA aficionados it is.

Unfortunately, at some point the business side weighs in, and it's going to dictate what matches get made when. Lesnar as a WWE crossover means a potential crossover draw, which means big $$$ for White & Co. Mir, though clearly the better MMA fighter, is not as bankable in that respect. That's not MY opinion, it's just the truth. I'd much rather see Mir fight Fedor.

My question is, is this talk from White just him trying to justify the promo stunt of bringing Lesnar over in the first place, or is he - perhaps - building anticipation for (or attempting to goad certain people into) an eventual deal with Fedor? Something tells me it's already in the works behind closed doors.

In any scenario, though, the draw for Fedor vs. Lesnar potentially has the biggest payoff in MMA history written all over it. Either people who are buying Dana's hype (whether he's genuine or not) who actually believe Lesnar stands a chance against Fedor OR Fedor fans who want to see Lesnar get the stuffing beat out of him would all sell their first-born to see the fight. That's a lot of people worldwide.

White knows this. He knows it and that's why I think he's been dancing around this thing for so long. He needed a bankable star to prop up in front of Fedor to make it worthwhile. We've all seen how the former UFC champs have fared against Fedor, and I think White has been lying in wait for an equivalent draw that would make it the biggest fight in MMA history.

6-20-2009 @ 3:10AM

That's not to say that Mir and Barnett couldn't spoil the party. Indeed they could. And honestly, I'm kind of hoping they do. ;-P

6-15-2009 @ 7:37PM

Dolly said...

I'm not sure I follow all your convoluted reasoning there johnboy but I agree with your conclusions Fedor and Mir will decided the HVYWT champioship between if Carwin and Velazquez give them enough time. From what he said after 99 Cain is willing to wait but I'm just not sure Carwin is, to paraphrase William 'Shakey' Shakespeare, "My but he doth have a lean and hungry look."

6-16-2009 @ 12:43AM

kwilbur10 said...

This is to Michael David Smith. I don't think age is a big factor as it is for other sports. i think its the number of brutal fights you have incurred over your fight career. someone starting out at the age of 30 can sometime look younger than the fighter who is actually younger. a great example of this is Matt Sera and Matt Hughes. Sera is one year older than Hughes, but if you saw that last fight you would think that Hughes was 40. Hughes has been in so many wars and had to train hard for them that it took a toll on his body. Serra with only like (i am guessing) 10-13 fights maybe fewer looked young and fit, besides the flab on the side lol. but i hope you get the picture because having to train for those brutal fights require brutal training which in turn can create a wear and tear on your body which can make you look and fight like you were older.

6-16-2009 @ 10:39AM

jay said...

Serra still lost...

Sorry, I had to be that guy :P

Lesnar does have a lot of talent (atleast stand-up) and I do love the guy but he beat Heath Herring whom is not what he used to be, and beat a still good but aged Randy Couture. Good victories indeed, but Lesnar didn't deserve that quick of a title shot and I'd like to see some stronger victories under his belt before such thangs are said about him.

6-17-2009 @ 11:37AM

christianjames18 said...

The ufc (Dana White) is really losing sight of MMA and what it is becoming more like WWE. Brock is a cherry picker for sure and or Dana keeps giving us these dumb fights, for a higher price, I love the UFC but it has "Jump the shark" with all this Brock being the best ever. Give me a break, Brock came into the heavey weight division when it was at its weak and low point. He still has not showed me crab, Randy being off for a year, and being older took it to him the 1st round, had the Brockster sucking air, and yes he threw and knock down Randy but still he has holes in his game, he will lose to Mir again and this time you will see a better Mir, why because Mir knows he has the son of B*tch now. UFC needs to step up with better fights or they will see boxing back.