Brock Lesnar has some awesome and undeniable strengths. But he can never become a formidable, long-term heavyweight champion unless he develops at least some sort of stand-up game. Against Carwin and now Velasquez, he has folded like a deckchair as soon as someone attacks him with punches, flailing around the cage like a wounded gorilla with no clue how to defend himself or launch an effective counterattack. I don't want to see Brock in the cage again until he has done at least six months of intensive boxing training with an actual boxing coach. After he has done so... Lesnar vs Mir III anyone??? :huh
Its so odd too to see a fighter not be brought up in MMA and he's struggling with the stand up game and dominating the ground. It's usually the other way around for newcomers.
Yeah, that's true. Brock's stand-up really is awful though, truly embarrassing stuff. When he gets hurt he literally runs away, stumbling and flapping around like someone who has never trained to fight in his life. Imagine what someone like Overeem would have done to him?! He really needs to start putting some intensive work in or I can't see how he can succeed at the top level of the sport.
Brock will always be a threat in MMA, if only for his size and strength alone. But he'll also always have the same weakness in his stand up game. Were it not for the incredible conditioning of Velasquez, Brock would've taken him down and it would've been his fight. But too many times he's fallen short now: Mir made him tap, Carwin destroyed him at the standing game and held him to the floor for 4 minutes, pummelling him with punches and now Cain's done a mix of all 3.
Some people just don't have the natural ability to learn certain elements of fighter whether they train them for 1 year or 10 years. By far the biggest problem Lesnar has though is that he's mentally weak when put under pressure, that might be innate aswell I spose but I'd guess it may also be a product of his training enviroment. Just like BJ or Chuck Brock's camp is totally based around him and such enviroments rarely test fighters as much as a camp full of high level fighters. You can bet that Cains training partners are able and willing to kick his ass where as I'm guessing Brocks are all about allowing him to practice dominance. Even if Lesnar can't be a great boxer he should really have been able to do better than that when put under pressure by Cain, tried to tie him up in the clinch, tried to control his arms on the round etc. He didnt do those things IMHO because he's rarely expereinced the situations Cain and Carwin put him in so didnt have the cool end and instinctual reactions he should have. Not everyone can be Shogun or Nog when it comes to that but Lesnar has paniced twice now in a way I'v hardly ever seen from a supposidly elite level fighter.
He desperately needs Muay Thai training. Your right about his strengths but I am really suprised at his lack of balance and composure when he gets hit. I would guess that he dominates his camps through wrestling and continually overlooks his weaknesses. The footage I saw of his camps was all wrestling drills and techniques.
I think Lesnar's chin is a big liability. This will be what he is. His endurance isn't that good either...
Show me where I said talent smartass? :huh Fail, because I didn't say he has talent. I mentioned his potential and his strengths. It is obvious that a 265lbs world-class wrestler has the potential to be effective in MMA, and it is obvious that Brock Lesnar has his strengths as an MMA fighter. Fighters with no strengths do not crush the likes of Randy Couture and Frank Mir. However, if he wants to become a top fighter he really needs to work very hard on the deficient parts of his game, like his standup. Don't know why these points were difficult for you to understand. What I said was very clear.
Maybe you didn't say talent, but who cares, you are implying that he should keep fighting, and this is where I disagree, this guy isn't a fighter, he should stick to what he is good, wrestling !
This is very true! You can tell Brock doesn't have "vision" yet. Judging by his reaction, punches seem to be coming at him in a blur. He has ZERO ability to slip, block, or roll with a punch. His brain is "freezing" watching punches. You can see the raw materials are there. A few of his crap shots made Cain pause, but he seems to be training what he likes. Or over focusing on looking "powerful" making loud thuds on a heavy bag. He needs to shadow box and spar. Hell if the guy just developed a fast piston jab or even better a 1-2 he would be hell for any striker.
