Brock Lesnar had quite a successful UFC career that saw him bring more attention and set pay-per-view records for the promotion.
After his well-documented departure from WWE in 2004, Lesnar explored other opportunities before deciding that he wanted to venture into MMA. He came into the sport with a decorated collegiate wrestler from the University of Minnesota, where he won the 2000 NCAA Division I heavyweight wrestling championship.
Following a dominant win over Min Soo-Kim in his MMA debut, Dana White signed the then 30-year-old to a one-fight deal that basically served as a tryout to see whether he could hang in the top MMA promotion. Many questioned his ability as an MMA fighter, but ‘The Beast Incarnate’ took advantage of that opportunity and made a statement against former heavyweight champion Frank Mir at UFC 81.
Lesnar immediately secured a takedown before raining heavy hammerfists on Mir and showcased incredible agility for a man his size. Despite being in an unfavorable position, the former heavyweight champion used his experience by grabbing a hold of the former collegiate wrestling standout’’s leg and submitting him with a heel-hook.
The UFC CEO saw everything he needed to as he was blown away by the former WWE champion’s performance and signed him to a multi-fight deal. Lesnar earned his first win in the promotion at UFC 87, when he put on a dominant display against veteran heavyweight Heath Herring.
It’s no secret that Lesnar was fast-tracked to the top of the division following the win as he was awarded a title shot against then heavyweight champion Randy Couture at UFC 91. It was only his fourth professional bout, but he didn’t squander the opportunity and went on to defeat ‘The Natural’ via second round TKO to become the new heavyweight champion.
UFC 91 with Lesnar serving as the headliner was a massive success as the event generated over one million PPV buys, which further proved that the promotion had a bankable box office attraction with their new heavyweight champion.
The WWE superstar-turned-UFC heavyweight champion once again received an opportunity from the promotion as he was booked to headline UFC 100 against former foe Frank Mir. The milestone event saw Lesnar avenge his lone career loss by finishing Mir with vicious ground-strikes to earn both a second-round TKO win and his first successful heavyweight title defense.
UFC 100 set records for the promotion with 1.6 million PPV buys, which stood for seven years before being surpassed by UFC 202 in 2016.
Unfortunately for ‘The Beast Incarnate’, he was diagnosed with diverticulitis and sidelined for a year. He would return at UFC 116, where he took on interim heavyweight champion Shane Carwin in what ended up being quite a memorable main event. After weathering an early onslaught of heavy strikes that could have arguably warranted a stoppage, Lesnar regrouped and secured a takedown before submitting Carwin with an arm-triangle.
Lesnar would soon find out that all good things come to an end at UFC 121, where he lost his heavyweight title in emphatic fashion as Cain Velasquez earned a first-round TKO win after dropping the champion and finishing him with strikes. He would then be forced out of action with diverticulitis for a second time and didn’t compete until UFC 141, where he lost a first-round TKO to Alistair Overeem.
Following the bout, the former UFC heavyweight champion announced his retirement from MMA and later returned to WWE after an eight year absence. Despite retiring, he didn’t entirely close the door on MMA as he returned to the octagon after a four-and-a-half-year hiatus at UFC 200, where he earned a unanimous decision win over Mark Hunt. However, it was later overturned to a no-contest after he tested positive for a banned substance.
Although Lesnar’s UFC career was brief, it was a memorable one during a very unique time in MMA.
