Facebook
Fark
Digg
Reddit
Stumble
Brock Lesnar points to the stands after submitting Shane Carwin in the second round of their heavyweight title fight Saturday at UFC 116. Lesnar won with a second-round submission.
Sunday, July 4, 2010 | 2:19 a.m.
UFC 116: "One of the Greatest Cards Ever"
Viewing video requires the latest version of Adobe's Flash Player
Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar, Middleweight Chris Leben and Light Heavyweight Stephan Bonnar all contribute shocking victories to one of the UFC's most memorable cards.
Sun coverage
Brock Lesnar was not about to survive a deadly stomach ailment and a long recovery in the gym, only to go down in the very first round of his comeback fight.
No matter how bad things got.
The UFC heavyweight champion was tested the most he’s ever been Saturday, after getting knocked down by Shane Carwin in the opening minutes of their title fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
As the 265-pound Carwin rushed in to finish the fight, Lesnar later said he did think back to his battle with diverticulitis earlier this year to help him survive.
“The thought did cross my mind when I was underneath that I’ve been through a lot,” Lesnar said. “I thought to myself, this isn’t how it’s going to end.”
After a rough two minutes, during which referee Josh Rosenthal seemed constantly on the verge of stopping the fight, Lesnar (5-1) somehow worked back to his feet to finish the first round.
Despite taking a beating from arguably the hardest puncher in the UFC, Lesnar appeared to be the fresher fighter following the break. He needed just 2:19 of the second round to take Carwin (12-1) to the ground and submit him via arm triangle.
During the post-fight press conference, Lesnar specifically thanked Rosenthal for allowing the fight to continue. He went on to say that he could feel Carwin tiring with every punch and knew he had weathered the worst of the storm.
"I really have to thank the referee for letting that thing continue," Lesnar said. "(Rosenthal) did come to me before the fight and said, 'Heaven forbid, this fight gets ugly and somebody's in a bad situation, you have to show me that you're staying alive down there. That kept going through my mind. I could feel Shane. Every punch was less and less. When that happened, I knew the worst was done.
Considering Saturday was just the sixth professional fight of Lesnar’s professional career, it seems as though he’s answered a different question every time he’s stepped into the cage.
The one he answered against Carwin, however, is maybe the most impressive to date.
“He shows something different every time he fights,” said UFC president Dana White. “Tonight he showed how tough he is. We saw him pinned up against the cage on the receiving end. He was taking punches that have stopped a lot of guys in the past.”
The storyline leading up to the fight was whether or not Lesnar would be the same after suffering from an illness that at one point saw him drop over 40 pounds from his frame.
In the win over Carwin, not only did Lesnar appear every bit as strong as he did in a second-round win over Frank Mir in July 2009, he appeared even more evolved as a fighter.
After taking down Carwin early in the second round, Lesnar actually passed on the opportunity for an easy full-mount to go for the arm triangle instead — an aggressive move to end the fight that comes with certain risks.
“Those who know anything about the sport know that your arms are smoked if you hold a choke like that for too long,” White said. “It was a risky move for Brock. I’ve actually seen guys in this sport who are really good at submissions but don’t go for them because they’re so risky.
“Brock showed tonight he’s evolving and he wants to try out the stuff he’s been learning in the gym.”
The win sets up a future title fight between Lesnar and new No. 1 contender Cain Velasquez. Like Carwin, Velasquez will also enter the octagon against Lesnar with a perfect 8-0 record. On Saturday, White hinted that he'd like to see Lesnar back in action sooner rather than later and wouldn't rule out setting up a heavyweight title fight to headline the UFC 119 event expected in Indianapolis, Ind. on Sept. 25.
After the year Lesnar has been through however, Velasquez is just about the furthest thing from his mind.
For now, the defending heavyweight champion is just happy to be back from the hardest fight of his life — one that should make many of his future ones seem a lot easier.
“It’s just great to win,” Lesnar said. “Honest to God, what I’ve been through since November to this point feels like it’s been 10 years. It’s been a grueling, grueling road. To be here is really a miracle. Words can not describe it. I feel like I’m in a dream.”
Brett Okamoto can be reached at 948-7817 or brett.okamoto@lasvegassun.com.
Comment removed by moderator. Flamebait. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flaming_(Internet)
He was great in the WWF, and now he is the top fighter in the UFC. Awesome Brock, You Rock!
I'm a little confused by the headline of this article. Best performance yet? I think that even Lesnar's people would agree that elements of Lesnar's stand-up were exposed and that a little luck (namely Carwin's awful cardio) helped secure the victory.
Yeah, not so much his "best performance yet". Can't anybody beat this meathead down?
i don't think lesnar has anything to fear regarding fedor these days, 5 years ago maybe yes not today, brock would simply outpower him given his size advantage
carwins was the man to beat lesnar, any other hw on the planet would have been knocked silly with that amount of punishment in the first, i see shane getting a rematch down the line, brock vs carwin 2 will be epic
bape, you're the only one that is still afraid of fedor. you obviously know nothing about MMA. go home, poser.
bape702 - your broken record is running thin, a man the size of Brock isn't afraid of anyone, he knows as well as I do that his tiny brain is well protected inside that massive skull and Fedor is past his prime.
Very exciting fight. Good for Brock!
Now Dana White, wow, what an absolute tool! First two words out of his mouth? "Holy sh**". Wow, what a pro.
Fedor is the one who won't go to the UFC. Bape get a clue.
2nd, I am a Lesnor fan and I have no idea how that didn't get stopped in the 1st. If that would have been Mazagatti reffing, it would have.
I am not convinced that Brock is a complete fighter, thing is the dude finds a way. He looked way out of his league in the 1st round though.
bape702 - pull Fedor's c&%k out of your mouth, he's shown that when given a real competitor he crumbles. He couldn't even handle a UFC outcast, he spent his glory days dodging the UFC and now he's past his prime.
Lesnar was out in the 1st round. SHould have been called for covering up and not defending himself for a good 20 seconds at least. Can't stand heavyweight matches and the hype for a lackluster performance.
Should have been called considering today's refs and regulations but watch some early UFC matches, they didn't call that s%^t until a head hit the mat or the man tapped... I love that they didn't stop this one.
i think bape is mentally challenged. seriously. either that or he's like 13.
No I didn't notice and neither did you, because he was not in the shot the whole time.