Heath Herring may currently be hovering in UFC gatekeeper purgatory. After an ‘almost’ against old foe/buddy/nemesis Rodrigo Nogueira (UFC 73), when Herring had the Brazilian all but out via a picture perfect head kick, he hesitated, which caused the fight to swing the other way (Nogueira got the decision). I doubt Heath intentionally let Nog off the hook. But the result was that he lost and as popular and likable as he is, it had to have hurt him on the inside.
Brock Lesnar, like Kimbo Slice, is famous from exploits outside of MMA (WWE), headlined a major TV broadcast with less than a handful of MMA fights to his credit (when he fought Frank Mir at UFC 81) and is trying to make up for lack of MMA experience without losing momentum. I’m sure the pro wrestling industry in the US dreaded when Lesnar stepped into the fight game. In Japan when pro wrestlers like Nobuhiko Takada and Yuji Nagata fought and lost high profile bouts against high caliber MMA opposition (Rickson Gracie and Mirko Filipovic respectively), it hurt the image of pro wrestling.
Brock’s loss to Mir wasn’t as damaging to him or his buffed brethren because he was smashing the former champion quite handily before the fight was restarted after an errant Lesnar punch connected to the back of the turtled up Mir’s head. Getting beaten by a former champion in your UFC debut, in your second pro MMA fight, is not humiliating to an athlete with the amateur wrestling credentials of Lesnar (two-time NCAA All-American, two-time Big Ten Champion, and the 2000 NCAA heavyweight champion). If anything it motivated him.
So how will this clash of the big boys play out? Herring needs to do damage quickly with punches to the face Lesnar, while using side-to-side movement. He cannot stand in one place and prepare to sprawl or stuff the takedown of the wrestler. A Lesnar takedown is a sure thing and Heath has to be smart when this happens and tie up Brock’s arms with overhooks and maintain guard. Otherwise he will find out what Mir did; Brock Lesnar hits really hard.
Brock Lesnar by TKO in the first.
I'd be shocked to see this.
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