Rivalries: Brock Lesnar

When Brock Lesnar linked arms with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, it was a match made in box-office heaven.

Lesnar’s mixed martial arts career covers just nine bouts and less than a full decade, but it was undeniably successful and eventful. The Webster, South Dakota, native paired skills developed as an amateur wrestler—he was a two-time NCAA All-American at the University of Minnesota, where he won a national championship in 2000—with the fame he acquired during his time as a World Wrestling Entertainment superstar to bring a massive mainstream following to the Octagon. Lesnar, who ranks among the biggest draws in MMA history, captured the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion in just his fourth professional assignment, defended it on two subsequent occasions and took part in high-profile matches at both UFC 100 and UFC 200. He walked away from the sport in 2017 and, despite persistent rumors of a potential return, has remained on the sidelines ever since. Now 44 years of age, it appears as though Lesnar’s time in MMA has indeed come to an end.

As Lesnar remains one of the most talked-about fighters in history, a look at a few of the rivalries around which his narrative was constructed:

Frank Mir

Lesnar made his professional MMA debut under the K-1 banner in 2007 and struck onetime Olympic silver medalist Min Soo Kim into submission in just 69 seconds at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Soon after, the former NCAA wrestling champion and World Wrestling Entertainment superstar agreed to terms with the UFC. He was slotted opposite Mir in the UFC 81 co-feature on Feb. 2, 2008 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. It was a bridge too far for the 6-foot-3, 265-pound Lesnar. Mir conceded an early takedown, withstood a ferocious burst of punches while grounded and exploited the South Dakota native’s inexperience. He caught a kneebar as the monstrous Lesnar hovered over him and wrenched the leg beyond its bounds, forcing the tap 1:30 into Round 1. It was not the last time the two men encountered one another inside the Octagon. They met again in the UFC 100 main event a little more than a year later, and the result was quite different. A more polished and composed Lesnar piled up nearly six minutes of control time, overwhelmed his counterpart with sustained ground-and-pound—he outlanded Mir by an absurd 74-4 margin—and prompted a stoppage with punches 1:48 into the second round.

Randy Couture

A legend stood between Lesnar and the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title when he squared off with “The Natural” in the UFC 91 headliner on Nov. 15, 2008 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Couture held his own and leaned on his massive advantage in the experience department early on, forcing the Greg Nelson protégé to work for takedowns while punching effectively when breaking free from exchanges in the clinch. The battle spilled into a second round, where the Everett, Washington, native opened a cut near Lesnar’s eye with a clean right hand. Soon after, the challenger decked Couture with a right hand of his own, pounced on the dazed all-time great and closed the deal with a violent volley of rapid-fire hammerfists. The end came 3:07 into Round 2, and with that, the sport’s biggest prize was suddenly draped over Lesnar’s shoulder.

Shane Carwin

Lesnar secured his place atop the heavyweight division with a dramatic come-from-behind submission against the previously unbeaten Trevor Wittman protégé. He weathered a violent barrage from Carwin in the first round, scored with a takedown in the second and trapped him in an arm-triangle choke that ended their UFC 116 headliner on July 3, 2010 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Lesnar drew the curtain 2:19 into Round 2, authoring perhaps the most impressive victory of his brief career while retaining the undisputed heavyweight crown. Carwin—who had finished each of his first 12 opponents in the first round—had the champion in serious trouble inside the first five minutes, where he buckled him with a right hand, stuffed his first takedown attempt and had him reeling with a left uppercut. Lesnar, in his first appearance since an intestinal disorder nearly ended his career, went down against the cage and absorbed heavy ground-and-pound from Carwin, who let loose with blistering rights and lefts from the top. Lesnar shielded himself from the blows, but Round 1 clearly came down in the challenger’s favor. However, the champion realized Carwin was emptying his limited gas tank. Slowed by visible fatigue, Carwin lacked the steam he needed to finish what he started. Treading water as the second period opened, Carwin winked at the former World Wrestling Entertainment superstar but soon found himself on his back in the center of the Octagon. Lesnar set up the choke, moved to mount and tightened the submission from the side. Carwin defended at first, but Lesnar squeezed his massive arms around the neck and solicited the tapout.

Cain Velasquez

The American Kickboxing Academy ace tore through Lesnar in a career-defining performance when he captured the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight crown in the UFC 121 main event on Oct. 23, 2010 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The end came 4:12 into Round 1, as Velasquez reached the sport’s mountaintop just nine fights into his professional career. He weathered Lesnar’s initial assault, maintained his composure and picked his spots with power and purpose. Velasquez conceded two takedowns in the first two minutes but answered the challenge seamlessly on both occasions. He completed his own takedown 2:48 into the first period, took a dominant position behind the champion and pummeled him with punches and hammerfists. From there, it was all downhill for Lesnar. He twice returned to his feet, only to be met with more punches from the relentless Velasquez. A two-punch combination dropped the champion near the cage. Lesnar fought valiantly to defend himself but ate too many punches, forcing referee Herb Dean to step in on his behalf. He rose to a standing position beaten, battered and bloodied. He still bears a horizontal scar underneath his left eye as a permanent reminder of his ill-fated encounter with Velasquez.