- LESNAR: FROM THE NEXT BIG THING TO JUST THE BEST
by Damon Martin - MMAWeekly.com
He was once known during his days with World Wrestling Entertainment as the "Next Big Thing". Now, Brock Lesnar is known as the best heavyweight fighter in all of mixed martial arts.
Lesnar may have fought the toughest battle of his life before he ever stepped foot in the Octagon on Saturday night. A severe case of diverticulitis almost cost the UFC heavyweight champion his career, and could have cost him his life.
Months of recovery time, followed by months of training and Lesnar was back in action at UFC 116, pulling off his most impressive victory yet submitting Shane Carwin in the 2nd round of their epic fight at UFC 116.
It was billed as the biggest heavyweight title bout in UFC history, and it absolutely lived up to all the hype.
The best finisher of the big boys in the UFC, Shane Carwin came out firing at Lesnar, and cracked the champion with a big uppercut that sent him reeling backwards against the cage. The Colorado born fighter followed up with more strikes, and Lesnar soon found himself in very unfamiliar territory.
On his back eating punches from an opponent.
Throwing punch after punch, and mixing in with some vicious elbow strikes, Carwin smelled blood in the water, and tried to get the finish. To his credit, Lesnar stayed composed, and admitted after the fight that with each punch he felt Carwin's power fading.
"I just had to weather the storm. He's got some heavy shots. I just had to hang back, I knew he was getting tired, each shot was less dramatic than the other, and I thought I'll just let him go," Lesnar commented about the first round.
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Lesnar did weather the storm, and for the first time in his career Shane Carwin saw the second round.
Like turning the page to a new chapter in a book, Lesnar had a different idea for the fight this time, and immediately shot in on Carwin, putting the mammoth heavyweight on his back. Showing off his ground skills, Lesnar quickly moved to mount, and made a fluid transition to an arm triangle choke.
It looked like Carwin was okay at first, but Lesnar wasn't giving up that easily. The behemoth South Dakota native tightened his grip like a python around Carwin's head and arm, and a few seconds later the tap came, and the fight was over.
After a year away from the sport, after almost having to give up everything he had worked for because of an illness, Brock Lesnar showed what grit, determination and sheer will can do for someone.
"This isn't about me tonight," said Lesnar following the victory. "This is about my family, this is about my doctors, this is about my training partners, my training staff. I am blessed by god. Ladies and gentlemen I stand before you a humble champion, and I'm still the toughest SOB around."
While Lesnar celebrated the biggest win of his career, Shane Carwin sat in disappointment falling to 12-1 and tasting defeat for the first time ever.
"Brock's a tough son of a bitch man. He took that ground and pound like nobody else," Carwin stated. "I fell down a mountain, but I'll climb back up."
Lesnar's comeback is nothing short of awe inspiring, and he proved once again that he is the best of the best. The celebration of his win at UFC 116 will carry all the way from Las Vegas back to his home in Minnesota, but then he turns his attention to another undefeated beast waiting in the wings by the name of Cain Velasquez.
