Is all the Brock Lesnar hate valid?
by Fedorable on Jul 12, 2009 9:09 PM EDT
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PrintThis is just a rant of mine, because since about 5 minutes after his dominating victory all I have heard throughout the internet is about Brock Lesnar this and Brock Lesnar that. Numerous people claiming that the UFC has "lost one more fan", and that Brock Lesnar is awful for the sport.
I personally think that this talk is outrageous. Brock is very much a crass, in your face individual, but I hardly think that it is going to "ruin the sport". Just a few points as to why I think the hate isn't warrented:
1. While watching UFC 100 @ Buffalo Wild Wings, I couldnt even talk to my buddies sitting next to me because the entire resteraunt was cheering and going nuts after Lesnars win. Like it or not, Lesnar is the biggest star in the UFC and will only help to draw more fans, press, and coverage into a sport that is desperatly trying to break into one of "major sport" categories. My dad called me this morning and asked about Brock Lesnar. My dad has never watched a UFC fight...ever. Yet the local sports talk radio show was discussing the main event, and the fact that he was a new breed of athlete.
2. People got pissed that Lesnar was talking shit to Mir after the fight, and that he refused to touch gloves. I personally find this refreshing. Maybe its all the fake trash talking, and fake feuds(Davis/Hardy) that end with the two "enemies" hugging and raising each others hands. I know that if I was trainging to fight someone for 3 months, and they were talking shit and running their mouth the entire time, it would be awfully hard to just let it go, and be friends after the fight. Lesnar just shows real emotion.
3. This perceived lack of respect for the sport. Apparently being a loud outspoken guy atamatically means that you dont respect the sport. Sure he bad mouthed the UFC's sponsors, but is that really that big of an offense? Numerous people have been saying how Lesnar is the reason that they wont be buying any UFC PPV that he is on anymore. But what about Dan Henderson? He could have caused serious damage to Bisping then said he did it to "shut him up", or BJ Penn when he fought Pulver? He held the choke extra long, even as the ref tried to pull him away. But neither of these offenses, which could have injured the other person, were considedred disrespectful. Yet when Lesnar, a former WWE wrestlers, bad mouths a sponsor, saids he might have sex with his wife, and flips off the crowd, its punishable by death.
Unfortunately people are focusing to much on this post-fight antics, and less on the fact that we have a new dominant HW champion, one who could go down as one of the best ever if he keeps up this domination that he has shown in his past 3 fights.
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Sure he bad mouthed the UFC’s sponsors, but is that really that big of an offense?
I didn’t agree with it…but Lesnar mentioning them got them WAAAAAAAY more exposure than had he not mentioned them…..them being Bud Light of course…and they are paying for exposure right?
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The Lesnar hate just kind of makes me smile at this point. I mean, I don’t like BJ Penn, but I can separate my brain from my emotions and still acknowledge that he’s the best 155er in the world.
How's the weather up your own ass? - Stephen Colbert
by Derek Suboticki on Jul 12, 2009 10:13 PM EDT reply actions
It’s the fact that he used to be a pro wrestler. But I can’t defend the tattoo.
How's the weather up your own ass? - Stephen Colbert
by Derek Suboticki on Jul 13, 2009 3:56 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I can tell you that the pro wrestling isn’t what bothers me. I’ve watched plenty of pro wrestling and I’m a huge Josh Barnett fan. There is something about Brock that I just absolutely despise though. I can’t even say what exactly it is, but it’s there.
There is something about Brock that I just absolutely despise though. I can’t even say what exactly it is, but it’s there.
And that is what makes him so valuable. You can’t train that.
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
I appreciate your honesty. I think I love him for the same reason. It’s a unique combination of not giving a shit and giving enough of a shit to piss people off. It reminds me of something William Murderface said:
’You’ll notice I’m not mad, he gets mad - that’s being a dick.’
How's the weather up your own ass? - Stephen Colbert
by Derek Suboticki on Jul 13, 2009 6:43 PM EDT up reply actions
he’s not a genius by being an emotionally unstable douchebag. he’s just an emotionally unstable douchebag. a professional athlete should have a certain level of sportsmanship and class.
I’m not sure you can both praise him for antagonizing every party there is to antagonize in this situation but also praise him for not participating in “fake feuds.” why is flipping off the fans more noble than pre-fight insults?
Was tyson good for boxing? was vick good for football? was bonds good for baseball?
The difference is those 3 did something illegal (rape/bitting someones ear off, killing animals, Steroids) which gave the specific athlete a bad name. What has Lesnar done? Call out a sponsor? Tell Frank Mir to stop talking shit?
I appreciate Lesnar for being real. When guys like Hardy and Davis argue and talk shit and bad mouth each other, then hug and act like best friends after the fight, it just makes the UFC look like a total production.
When Lesnar destroys Mir, but doesn’t want to go hug the guy, and act like his new best friend, it comes across as something genuine, and passionate.
People seem like best friends after a fight because they just gained a tremendous amount of respect for each other. usually when you see that its after the final bells rings and each fighter had fought their hearts out for 15 or 25 minutes and could not finish their opponent.
diego sanchez hugging clay guida after all the shit talk has not out of a lack of genuineness or passion, it was because he tried his best to KTFO the guy for 15 minutes as hard as he could and guida kept coming. that’s respect. a lot of people on the internet like to call “faggotry” when fighters display any sign of sportsmanship or respect… this is the wrong sport for you
by phantasma475 on Jul 12, 2009 11:11 PM EDT up reply actions
If you can’t stand seeing Brock Lesnar, this may be the wrong sport for you. I’m just saying.
How's the weather up your own ass? - Stephen Colbert
by Derek Suboticki on Jul 12, 2009 11:36 PM EDT up reply actions
Barry Bonds never tested positive for steroids, and leaked Grand Jury testimony shows that he only took what he thought was flax seed oil.
BOOSH
He’s not an idiot. He knew what he was taking.
Bolts from the Blue // "Game over." - Jamal Williams
Bloody Elbow // "Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." - H.L. Mencken
by Richard Wade on Jul 13, 2009 12:52 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Nah, he just makes his living with his body – I’m sure he’s very cavalier about what goes into it.
How's the weather up your own ass? - Stephen Colbert
by Derek Suboticki on Jul 13, 2009 1:38 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Your options are wack
How about
No, he’s not bad for the sport but hes still a bit of a ninny muggins
he was injured. injured bad.
To answer the title of the article....
Yes. The Lesnar hate is valid. There will always have that contingent of MMA fans that will be turned off by Lesnar’s antics and behavior. Flipping off fans is NOT a gesture to make fans like you contrary to what Stone Cold Steve Austin was doing in WWE. Showing no class or respect to your opponent and the fans is going to get you hated quickly.
Unless you’re like me and wish you had the chance to flip off idiot fans who boo a man for staring down an opponent you just dominated, and had the tenacity to jump up and try to get in your face as well. Also, I would like to see if people hated Mir, had he been the victor and did the same thing.
Frank Mir got shut up, and Brock didn’t, thats the way the cookie crumbles. People shouldn’t get their panties in a wad when finally there is some real bad blood left in the ring.
"You guys are jerking eachother off with some pseudo deep bullshit." - Kid Nate
by Kaleb Kelchner on Jul 13, 2009 3:42 AM EDT up reply actions
Hendo’s eye poke vs. Franklin (if that wasn’t intentional, it was the least unintentional eye poke imaginable) or the shot he dropped on Bisping post-KO, Penn’s choke on Pulver or his habit of licking the blood off his gloves are right up there with Brock’s middle finger… They’re all things this sport could do without – in fact, things this sport would be better without.
Even if Brock thrives on the hate, he should come to grips with there being things you can and can’t say or do on live TV. Unless he dials his act back, it’s going to get old and/or offensive rather fast.
As for the bad blood… there will always be that, but I don’t see why it is something to look for. Even if there is bad blood, there are better and worse ways to deal with it or show it.
by Monday Morning Martial Artist on Jul 13, 2009 5:01 AM EDT reply actions
Brock takes things personally. Heath Herring talked crap and Lesnar made him pay. Mir barely beat him the first time if not for the ref standing them up. If you saw the Countdown show, you saw Brock still seething over that loss. Then you saw Frank insulting Lesnar, insulting his training, and having one of his training partners mimic Lesnar. Dumb move! You want to beat Lesnar? Tell him he’s the greatest athlete alive and that it’s an honor to get in the cage with him. Do not make him angry!
I hope Brock Lesnar flips the crowd off after every fight.
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by Mike Fagan on Jul 13, 2009 11:09 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
At least every time they deserve it. How many victorious fighters have you heard get booed like that?
How's the weather up your own ass? - Stephen Colbert
by Derek Suboticki on Jul 13, 2009 3:57 PM EDT up reply actions
Not counting ones who just won a decision the crowd didn’t like?
Bolts from the Blue // "Game over." - Jamal Williams
Bloody Elbow // "Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." - H.L. Mencken
by Richard Wade on Jul 13, 2009 11:48 PM EDT up reply actions
I’ve said it before, but I think the gist of fans’ discomfort with Brock Lesnar is that he undercuts the myth/conceit upon which MMA is based (and from which MMA purists derive their feeling of superiority) — that size and strength will fall victim to superior technique.
Let’s face it; the genesis of Lesnar’s marketability in both wrestling and MMA is that he LOOKS like the kind of scary dude that you’d expect to kick everyone’s ass. Any unsophisticated MMA neophyte can see Lesnar and assume that he destroys everyone. There’s no reward for studying tape, researching obscure Japanese promotions, admiring footwork and nuance, and turning into Junior Jordan Breens if the Big Scary Dude, with a couple of years of training, just comes out and runs roughshod over everyone. It’s game, set, match for hardcore fans. That he happens to be a former pro wrestler, and is in no way respectful or deferential to those fans who think he hasn’t paid his dues, is just bitter icing on a stacked lemon cake that we’re all forced to swallow.
When Brock succeeds, the chorus of fans who are all “Brock is a Monster! He’ll kill anyone!” gets louder and louder, and cheapens the entire endeavor of being a hardcore fan. Brock Lesnar is the antithesis of everything that we want to believe about MMA, and being and MMA fan.
by madiq on Jul 13, 2009 3:11 PM EDT reply actions 6 recs
That was beautiful.
If a little exaggerated. But I get your point.
And I still think that his game is incomplete at this point in time, and that guys like Fedor, Overeem, Barnett, Gonzaga, Carwin, and even Mir in a rematch could beat him. It’s just a matter of the right wrestling preparation, good gameplanning, and outsmarting someone who doesn’t seem to be able to adapt/ transition very well at this point in time.
Supporting all Las Vegas MMA. Xtreme Couture FTMFW.
'09 is the year of the FW's.
by ElliotMatheny on Jul 13, 2009 8:20 PM EDT up reply actions
I never understood until you put it like that. I hope you can find solace in the fact that Lesnar’s success will end up getting a lot of other fighters paid through the increased viewership he brings. I liked MMA before Brock, but as a former pro wrestling fan, I do kind of enjoy the fact that his old job pisses people off so much. Those guys are athletes. Most of them took jobs with WWE at very young ages when the prospects for college wrestlers looked like shit (see Angle, Kurt). MMA was nothing while the WWE was offering them signing bonuses and TV time.
Just because there is one dominant champ, and more voices than every chanting his name, doesn’t diminish the depth of the sport – in fact, it funds it.
How's the weather up your own ass? - Stephen Colbert
by Derek Suboticki on Jul 13, 2009 8:36 PM EDT up reply actions
I don't hate Brock, so I guess I'm just a softcore fan.
What a disappointment. On the positive side, I’m suddenly very excited for TUF.
/was in truth already quite excited for TUF 10 MEGATON
The Declaration of Hendopendance
^ front runner for the most unsurprising post of the year award.
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
It is snide btw, and no, that isn’t all I do, but it is a lot of what I do. However I make my snide comments for the purpose of humor: if I see a joke I make the joke.
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
Here's my 2 cents.
Yes, Brock is a dick. Yes, his whole act is a facade. Yes, he’s a very good fighter.
No, he’s not invincible. No, he’s not going to hurt the sport. And honestly- who gives a shit if the hate is valid or not? He’s a pretty polarizing guy- you either love him or you hate him.
Supporting all Las Vegas MMA. Xtreme Couture FTMFW.
'09 is the year of the FW's.
Also
Why does the poll not reflect what the article is about?
("you don’t like Brock" – helping Weobo out)
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