What would it mean for the world of professional wrestling if Brock Lesnar is able to defeat Frank Mir at UFC 100?
Lesnar Defeats Mir
When Brock Lesnar first announced that he was going to pursue a career in MMA, a lot of people brushed it off like they did when he failed at his attempt to become an NFL star.
When Brock Lesnar defeated Min-Soo Kim (a man who fought former WWE and WCW star Sean O'Haire) rather easily in his first professional fight, people still brushed it off. Many had denounced Min-Soo Kim as an unworthy challenge.
In his first ever UFC fight, Brock Lesnar was defeated by Frank Mir, a former UFC Heavyweight Champion. Those that rooted against Brock Lesnar pointed out that he was way too inexperienced to compete with better fighters.
Brock Lesnar went on to defeat Heath Herring, an MMA veteran that is more respected by the hardcore fans than by the casual fans. That silenced a small portion of his critics. However, a large portion still loomed.
Even though he's the current UFC Heavyweight Champion, Brock Lesnar still is being brushed off by wrestling fans. In order to get some of them off of his back, he's going to need to avenge his only loss in the UFC.
Brock Lesnar needs to defeat Frank Mir.
Reason Of Contempt
There's a lot of people out there who root against Brock Lesnar and his MMA career.
The MMA fans that root against him are the ones that aren't happy that a former professional wrestler is able to come to a real sport and find success. They feel that his success might hurt the image of UFC.
That's a horrible way to think. Even though he was involved with professional wrestling, Brock Lesnar has to be still be considered one of the finest athletes on the planet. He's got incredible size and unbelievable speed to go with it. He's also a former NCAA amateur wrestling champion.
There's also wrestling fans who root against Brock Lesnar. They don't want to see him do well in UFC. Actually, they don't want to see him do well in anything.
These particular fans are the ones that upset that Brock Lesnar left WWE. They're upset because a main event performer who was highly gifted left the company that was in desperate need of his kind.
However, they won't ever admit that it is the reason why they despise him, so they quietly pretend that they're just rooting for the other guy in the fight.
What It Means For Wrestling
Brock Lesnar might not carry the professional wrestling banner with him as he walks to the ring for the fight on Saturday night, but that's figuratively what he's doing.
Professional wrestling has always been ridiculed by fans of MMA and boxing (which is weird because wrestling doesn't claim to be a true sport).
For Brock Lesnar to succeed in MMA, it does give a little more credibility to the wrestlers' athletic abilities. The matches in pro wrestling might not be real, but the athletic performance that they put on is.
Closing Thoughts
True fans of professional wrestling should be rooting for Brock Lesnar to defeat Frank Mir on Saturday night.
Don't believe me?
Ask guys like JBL, Undertaker, Steve Austin, and Kurt Angle. Those guys will most likely be in the audience at UFC 100. |
