Brock Lesnar wins the UFC Championship
Here's the wire story for ya:
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Brock Lesnar stopped heavyweight champion Randy Couture in the second round of their fight at UFC 91 on Saturday night, earning a technical knockout when the referee stepped in as he kept punching after Couture went to the ground.
Lesnar, a former NCAA wrestling champion and WWE star, overwhelmed the 45-year-old Couture in just his fourth pro fight. Lesnar sent him to the canvas in the second round with a glancing blow that landed behind the ear and wasted no time in landing numerous hammer fists. Couture was never able to recover and the fight was stopped at 3:07.
“It sounds really good,” Lesnar said after being introduced as the new heavyweight champion. “I can’t believe it. I just believe in hard work and it pays off.”
The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Couture was at a decided physical disadvantage against the 6-3, 275-pound Lesnar (3-1), who is 31 and at the start of his pro career. Couture (16-9) also had hadn’t fought for 15 months, stepping away when he became fed up with contract squabbles and his inability to land the big fights he really craved.
Couture wasn’t sure about his future after the bout.
“I still feel like I’m getting better as a fighter so we’ll see,” said Couture, who has two fights remaining on his contract.
In the co-main event, Kenny Florian moved one step closer to a title shot when he forced Joe Stevenson to submit in the first round.
“This is exactly what I wanted,” Florian said. “I wanted to come out and make a statement.”
Florian almost immediately shifted his focus to lightweight champion B.J Penn.
“I want B.J.’s belt,” he said. “I consider you a master and now it’s time to kill the master.”
Also on the card, Dustin Hazelett defeated Tamdan McCrory via arm-bar at 3:59 of the first round. Gabriel Gonzaga, the last man to face Couture, earned a TKO over Josh Hendricks, dropping him with a hard right before the referee stopped the fight at 1:01 of the first round. Demian Maia made short work of Nate Quarry to remain undefeated, getting him to submit at 2:13 of the first round.
In the preliminary bouts, Aaron Riley beat Jorge Gurgel in an unanimous decision. Jeremy Stephens knocked out UFC newcomer Rafael dos Anjos 39 seconds into the third round. Mark Bocek got Alvin Robinson to submit in the third and Matt Brown forced Ryan Thomas to tap with an arm-bar 57 seconds into the second round.
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Comments (9)
This is bigger than when he beat The Rock for the WWE Title.
Kind of sad to see WWE struggling to get a champion who people care about when Brock is on top of the MMA world so quickly.
Seth, since you were there when Brock became WWE champion, what are your thoughts?
I'm glad for Brock.
Although, I expect him to bolt the UFC after he loses the title and Dana White puts him in undercard matches. What professional sports are left for Brock to try? I don't think he'd make a good baseball player.
"What professional sports are left for Brock to try?"
Poker!
F5 beats Royal Flush any day in my book.
I was th eonly Brock supporter in my group to:
a) root for him
b) think he could win
Congrats, Brock! Hopefully he also becomes the undisputed champ & does so with a quick 1st round KO.
Excellent answer!! I'm glad Chris Slater didn't say "what contact sports are left for Brock to try?"
RE: Posted by Cisco II | November 17, 2008 11:12 I was th eonly Brock supporter in my group to:
a) root for him
b) think he could win
Congrats, Brock! Hopefully he also becomes the undisputed champ & does so with a quick 1st round KO.
I'm with you Cisco. Amongst the people I was watching with I was the only one rooting for Brock and thought he could win.
I'd love to see Mir beat Noguiera and set up a re-match for the undisputed UFC Heavyweight Title.
Brock still has some holes in his game, but he just seems to get better with every fight. If he works on his submissions I think he;ll be unstoppable.
I actually ordered the PPV late with 2 matches left just to see the Brock fight and it didnt disappoint. Not a huge MMA fan but they got my $50 (gotta love HD) so the hype worked. Brock looked pretty impressive too.
Aside from actually splurging $50, I am with you shaun. The hype for this match was most intriguing, especially when we first heard about it, I thought it was a lose-lose situation. While the lose-lose fears remain to be seen (it still could be if UFC put its top-rated star up in a losing situation against a flash-in-the-pan), the excitement this match generated was top-notch. The fact that a portion of non-UFC wrestling fans are discussing it is a good sign. The buzz coming out of this match is as strong as the hype going into the match.
Personally I feel bad for the guy who wins UFC 92, having to face Brock Lesnar next - knowing that both victory and defeat are equally likely. Brock is not the most skilled UFC fighter (yet) but he could be the best.
I watched Brock Lesnar "Here Comes the Pain" (2003) again on Sunday afternoon, and I have the following list of amusing quotes......
Paul Heyman: "He's the Tiger Woods of this business, he's the Michael Jordan of this business. He's that dominating. He's that much better. He has no peers."
Hurricane Helms: "It's like Michael Jordan's last year. I was always telling my friends, 'watch him now, because when he's gone, he's gone'. That's the way I see a person like Brock Lesnar, someone who has that level of being a phenomenon. You got to watch it, and watch every minute you can, because when it's gone, it's gone, and I don't want to miss a second."
Kurt Angle: "I would put him in the ring, in an octagon, in a fight situation, and I don't think there's anyone on this planet that can take him."
Michael Hayes: "Brock doesn't any take shortcuts, and when you don't take shortcuts, you know the basics, you know the fundamentals. Without basics & fundamentals, there is no longevity."
John Cena: "I think Brock Lesnar is the future of this company."
Tommy Dreamer: "He's going to be an unstoppable force for a long time to come."
Gerald Brisco: "The minute Brock Lesnar walked off the mat at St. Louis, Missouri, where he won his National Championship, I knew this guy would be a long-term guy."
Pat Patterson: "There's two ways you can take Brock Lesnar, as a wrestler or as a person. He won't bull$#it you, he won't lie to you, he's a wonderful person. As a wrestler, he's all business. The guy you see in the ring, that's him. And I tell you what, I wouldn't want him to be mad at me."