The Hype Train

Ever since he showed up with Royce Gracie at a press conference for K-1, I’ve been watching all the folks clamoring to see how Brock Lesnar will do in a real fight.

When I first heard that they were lining him up against Hong Man Choi, I was genuinely interested. Unfortunately, that never went down. Instead we were treated to Lesnar taking on the undersized and out gunned Min Soo Kim. The fight didn’t really answer any questions about Lesnar’s MMA game. It did make it pretty clear that Min Soo Kim wasn’t planning on winning that night, giving up after taking a few punches to the head. And it did show us that Brock can use his wrestling to take a smaller opponent to the mat. Other than that? Nothing.

Granted, there have been some reports coming out from some recognizable names when it comes to Brock and training.

“His stand up is really kinda nonexistent, but he’s obviously a big powerful guy. And his ground game…I know, he’s a D-1 national champ but I think he’s pretty rusty as far as his ground game. I was able to pass guard on him, mount him, do whatever I wanted with him on the ground really. And he really didn’t feel that strong to me, granted I don’t grapple with anyone that feels strong to me. But, I think that one of his strengths when he was in college was that he was much stronger than everyone he went up against; and heavyweights, no matter what the sport . . . it is hard to find good ones. So, I think if he sticks with it he’ll be great. I just think it was a mistake going to the UFC so quick. And I say that from someone who knows.” This came from Brad Imes.

When Tim Sylvia was asked about his training with Lesnar, Sylvia was pretty candid as well. “I’ve trained with Brock. I think Frank Mir’s gonna submit him. He’s a baby. Don’t kick him because he’ll get hurt. He’s a hell of a wrestler man, the guy can wrestle and he’s strong, but he can’t punch and he can’t get kicked. And he don’t know how to kick. He can only go straight forward. I think Mir will submit him,” Sylvia said, “I think Mir has what it takes to submit him. They could be lining this up between Frank Mir and myself down the road. They tried to [set up the] fight when I was supposed to fight Randy, but the Nevada State Athletic Commission would not sanction it. They thought I was too good for him. If he wins this fight I don’t think they could say he’s not good enough to fight me anymore.”

Not exactly glowing reviews. And it is actually interesting, given the amount of hype Lesnar is getting, that the NSAC let Lesnar fight Mir, but wouldn’t allow a rematch between Mir and Sylvia. Basically, what has been sanctioned is a lesser opponent for Lesnar.

And here is where my big issue is. The amount of attention being paid to Brock right now is not going to help anyone, especially Lesnar. When Brock was in the WWE, he was given the aura of being untoucable and unstoppable. That will not ring true in MMA. He can never hope to match the mystique he got from the WWE. He will not look super human, no matter how good he is.

So the UFC seems to be banking on at least one big draw from Lesnar. And perhaps they are wise to go this route? After all, any of the WWE fans who haven’t already been converted are going to be tuning in with lofty expectations. It reminds me of me and my friends when we were in high school and the first UFC was coming onto television. We expected Van Damm and Bruce Lee type moves. These fans will likely tune in to see Brock’s big debut. And unless he wins via moonsault off the top of the cage, those fans will likely tune back over to watch their choreographed fights on Monday night. But it will certainly be a big shot in the arm for the UFC, not that they need one at this point.

There are a few questions, but none of them actually surround the intricacies of the fight itself. What happens if Mir makes ridiculously short work of Lesnar, and taps him out in the first round? Anyone remember what happened when Ludvig Borga had his MMA debut against Randy Couture? Anyone who blinked during the fight likely doesn’t.

What happens if Mir and Lesnar put on a ground based snooze fest? A very real possibility in this match up, as Mir can be crafty enough to avoid a lot of damage from Lesnar if he can pull guard, and Lesnar’s ground and pound attack is completely untested at this point. But can Mir reverse the behemoth if he’s been taken down? Is it likely that Lesnar is the next great Lay and Pray fighter? He has been training with Sherk after all……….

Bottom line here for me is that Lesnar’s presence is overshadowing some other fights that will probably carry the night. If you’re tuning in to see Lesnar dominate as he did back in his fake fighting days, you’re bound to be disappointed.

Will Brock be a flash in the pan? Or will he be top ten by this time next year? Will he continue to evolve and learn the other aspects of the game that he MUST learn in order to become very successful? Or will he always just be a wrestler who never could quite pick up the other parts of the sport?

If Lesnar loses this fight, chances are his hype will vanish faster than you can say Brandon Vera or Andrei Arlovski.

We’ll find out soon enough. I for one just wish it wasn’t the primary focus of the up coming weekend.