Brock Lesnar slated to make UFC debut this weekend
He's been an NCAA Wrestling Champion, WWE Superstar and, most recently, on the cover of the February Muscle and Fitness. This weekend, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas at UFC 81: Breaking Point, Brock Lesnar will find out if he has what it takes to find success inside the Octagon. The fight, which will pit Lesnar against the veteran Frank Mir, will be Lesnar's first in the UFC and only his second MMA bout overall. In his first, Lesnar submitted his opponent, Min Soo Kim, via strikes in the opening round.
Despite his inexperience in the octagon, the 6-foot-2, 265-pound Lesnar brings freakish athletic ability and an impressive wrestling resume to the UFC. During his two years at the University of Minnesota, Lesnar compiled a 50-2 record and twice earned All-America honors, winning an NCAA title as a heavyweight in 2000 and finishing as the runner-up in 1999. Lesnar, 30, spent about four years with World Wrestling Entertainment before moving over to the UFC.
Mir will provide a tough test for the unproven Lesnar. Standing at 6-foot-3 and weighing in at 255 pounds, the 28-year-old Mir—nicknamed "The Baddest Man on the Planet"—is a former UFC heavyweight champion. Mir won the title at UFC 48 in 2004 when he stopped Tim Sylvia at 50 seconds into the first round when Mir's armbar broke Silvia's right forearm. Mir brings a 10-3 MMA record into the fight.
The fight is just one of many on an action-packed card, which also includes a bout between the aforementioned former UFC Heavyweight champion Sylvia and former Pride Heavyweight champion Antonio Nogueira.
For more with Lesnar, check out the February issue of Muscle and Fitness, on sale now. Check back tomorrow for interviews with Lesnar on muscleandfitness.com and with Mir on Flexonline.com.
UFC 81: Breaking Point is available on Pay Per View this Saturday, February 2.
