Thanks Brock.
by pud333 on Dec 31, 2011 5:38 AM EST
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PrintBrock Lesnar retired Saturday night after getting the liver kick of doom from Alistair Overeem. I will admit I will miss him. He's had a rough couple of years, and it's amazing that he never once shied away from a fight. Yes, he looked less than impressive against Carwin, Valasquez and now Overeem. But he fought the murderer's row of heavyweights. Is he a "fighter?" I don't really know. Maybe he is, maybe he isn't. But I still maintain Lesnar's complications with diverticulitis changed him. I have a friend who was diagnosed with diverticulitis, so I have seen what that illness can do to someone, which makes Lesnar's willingness to fight all that more impressive.
Health issues mess with your head. When you can no longer trust your own body, it's scary. When you come across your first real health scare, you realize you are not invincible, and that can be frightening. I just recently had a heath scare, and while it turned out to be something easily handled, for 6 months I felt incredibly vulnerable, because I expected the worst
Some people will always dislike Lesnar, and some of those people will never give him the respect he deserves. That's fine. But it was sort of disheartening to read comments about how people were happy the Lesnar circus is finally over. Personally, I loved it. I loved it because it brought real attention to the sport of MMA. There are some defining moments in MMA, and I believe Lesnar's entrance into the sport marked a real, and massive bump to the exposure of the sport. Yes, he'd built his popularity from fake wrestling, but he drew massive numbers of casual eyeballs to the sport, and for that, he needs to be thanked. There is a progression to how things break out into the popular culture. Sometimes it's instant and blinding, other times it's a slow growth with real moments of opportunity that needs to be capitalized on, of which Lesnar's hiring was one. A lot of people have to be thankful for Lesnar; other fighters, hardcore fans, etc.
Will he come out of retirement a year or two later? Maybe. But this does feel sort of final, and it did seem to ring true when he announced it. In a way, I think many people expected it. He's got a lot of money. He doesn't need to be punched in the face anymore. And to those who suspect Brock threw the fight? C'mon. Whether he showed up to just collect a final paycheque, or whether this was some sort of agreement with the UFC that he'll show and then he would be free of his contract, who knows. But the point is, Lesnar deserves respect.
Thanks Brock. It was a fun ride.
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Will he come out of retirement a year or two later?
Only WWE fans would pay to see that, because it would be an exhibition, not a competition. Anyone with a functioning brain would know he has neither a shot at a title nor the desire to train for a title shot. He would be there to collect yet another paycheck, and anyone who’d pay to watch would be a sucker. Zuffa would be nuts to allow him to come back.
by ( . Y . ) on Dec 31, 2011 11:24 AM EST reply actions 1 recs
yeah thanks for winning me monmey
i was in tilt mode after fitch lost and was banking on diaz and overeem, oooooo yeaaaah
Go back to Mania.
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by MicahtheCynic on Dec 31, 2011 12:10 PM EST up reply actions 3 recs
Tell me more about this 'monmey'.
It intrigues me…
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by Unabomberman on Dec 31, 2011 3:56 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
Sounds a little like Homer Simpson
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by Andy Anderson on Jan 3, 2012 1:35 AM EST up reply actions
Unlike some, I’m going to miss the guy. He had some great trash talk, and had some of the coolest moments of the past few years in MMA. The Herring domination was awesome, the Randy fight was great, the Mir revenge really was one of the best revenge fights in MMA history, and his comeback against Carwin was ridiculously exciting. Not to mention, when he came out to the octagon, he came to finish fights. I’ll always be curious about what would have happened had he never had diverticulitis problems.
As it stands, he accomplished quite a bit in a short amount of time. He even was considered the number one heavyweight in the world at one point, and deservedly so. Quite frankly, I’d give him odds over anyone below him in the rankings. Still, when you have a family they should come first.
Thanks for some great fights, Brock.
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Remember when people were yapping about him fighting Fedor?
Yeah. Seems like a lifetime ago.
I’ll always be curious about what would have happened had he never had diverticulitis problems.
This is certainly one of those “what if…” discussions. He ended up beating Carwin, but that was the first time we saw him literally cringing from getting hit. Carwin hits big and he hits hard, so who knows how Brock would have handled things if he was never sick.
"You've got Floyd Mayweather making $25 million. He can't stop a double-leg..." Nick Diaz.
Getting hit? Probably the same.
Brock is a big guy and, very likely, a grownup, mellowed bully. He was the alpha male of every place we went to, and people only reaffirmed that notion to him. Everywhere he’s been at and left, it has always been under his own power, but now?
I just don’t think the dude built enough mental fortitude throughout his life to deal with other big, or even little, men putting it on him like that and having their way with him in uncontrolled conditions.
He gave it a go—a respectable one—but fell kinda short in the end, like many do. In many cases his mind failed him but still hung up in there giving it his all, even though his body had already failed him hard by then.
At least he made champ, eh? Nothing to be ashamed for, I say.
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by Unabomberman on Dec 31, 2011 4:02 PM EST up reply actions
I'm gonna miss him too
He is the only person(even counting GSP) in MMA where their fights feel like an event. Its the same feel before Floyd or Pacquiao fight. He did a lot for the sport and the UFC has lots of fans solely because they followed Brock over and fell in love with it
Agreed.
There are many fighters I enjoy watching, but very few can give an event a feeling of… electricity almost. I remember the buzz for the Lesnar/Carwin fight. I was at a bar watching it and everyone was so excited for it. THAT was a fucking event. And when Carwin started blasting him, I remember screaming it was over, it’s done, for the ref to call it, but when Brock survived, then came back and won… wow.
"You've got Floyd Mayweather making $25 million. He can't stop a double-leg..." Nick Diaz.
The guy walked into the fire and went balls out every time.
He never asked for a warm up or a gimme fight and I think that deserves a hell of a lot of respect. I enjoyed his ranting and raving and I will certainly miss the guy. I wouldn’t wish that liver kick or those uber knees on anyone.
by El_Ee_Oh on Dec 31, 2011 2:05 PM EST via Android app reply actions
Good stuff
The guy deserves respect if for nothing other than stepping in the cage against the guys he did. How many people on the internet and BE that criticize Brock would have the balls to get in the cage with Carwin, Reem, Cain, etc?
I'm gonna give you three seconds; exactly three-fucking-seconds to wipe that stupid looking grin off your face or I will gouge out your eyeballs and skull-fuck you!
I would.
But I’m just special like that: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scXVSqL_hsQ
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by Unabomberman on Dec 31, 2011 4:05 PM EST up reply actions
MMA is a bigger and better place because of Brock Lesnar.
There’s no counterargument to that statement.
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by Derek Suboticki on Dec 31, 2011 4:16 PM EST reply actions
I'll miss Brock Lesnar.
I’m sort of glad he’s retiring just because I like him and I’m tired of seeing him getting punched in the Octagon. I hope he enjoys his post-MMA life and does get to spend time with his family and do the less stressful things he enjoys in life.
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Toughest 8 fight career to date. And he won 5 of them and avenged a loss. Brock could probably beat 17-20 of the top 25 HW’s in the world, but since he can’t beat the best, he’s retiring. I can respect that. No shame in losing to AO or Cain. Thanks for the ride Brock.
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You can say whatever you want. I know why he lost and retired
its the bloody BROCKLESNAR!!!! sign !!!!!!!!!
PS: i came ot like Brock as a human being in TUF13 .Before that i found him simply scary. I think he should have hung around for a couple of years more but i thin his injury made him retire thats it. Not the knee of Oveeem was the biggest reasons …Btw for me its kinda rare to read haters of Brock..
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a big paycheck from the WWE soon made him retire…not his injury.
by Stephen Meredith on Jan 1, 2012 2:08 PM EST up reply actions
P4P greatest breakdancer in the UFC
Goodnight you Prince of breaking, you King of crumping.
Now who will put the fear of God into Mir? :(
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