Brock’s best defense

Jesse Holland over at MMA Mania has written the best “defense of Brock Lesnar” piece I’ve yet read. He manages to support the UFC heavyweight champ and also tear him down at the same time. I don’t agree with everything he says, but his bottom line, about what did we expect when we poke a gorilla, that now we have somebody truly vile to boo, well, I can get behind that.

‘Leading up to his rematch with Frank Mir, everything about Brock was how awful he was technically, how preposterous it was that a 3-1 wrestler was championship material. Mir even offered to train him after the event to help him become better. And the fans? Well, let’s see. For starters there were the steroid allegations…Talk also surrounded the giant sword tattooed on his chest, because it is completely relevant to his UFC career. And the WWE? Scarlet letter can’t even do that stigma justice.’

‘Then Lesnar walks out to the UFC 100 main event to a chorus of boos. The same people who cheered Georges St. Pierre when he had top position on Thiago Alves booed Lesnar in that same position. Lesnar wins and they hiss at him like a villain from a silent film.’

‘Eighteen months of abuse. Eighteen months of eating shit from most of the world gets funneled into Lesnar’s bloodstream and erupts in an emotional post-fight adrenaline dump.’

‘I believe the UFC had a tagline not too long ago … something like “As real as it gets.” Well it got real — and now it looks like a lot of people are having a difficult time handling it.’

‘In the real world, there are heroes and there are villains. There are also some people who are a little bit of both. If you want to have a real sport with real people, then this is some of the baggage that comes with it.’

‘Critics have slammed Lesnar’s post-fight antics as phony posturing, triggered by a pro-wrestling mentality that is provoking by design.’

‘I believe that Brock going on an emotional bender after the biggest win in his life was real. Slurping down a Bud Light to soothe some wounded souls afterward, was not.’

‘Fans who cry for sportsmanship have an argument, but my problem is those are the same fans who Mir’d him before, during and after the fight. Don’t poke the gorilla in the cage and then act surprised when he gets out and goes on rampage.’

‘Brock Lesnar is a villain. He lassoed Heath Herring, gave no respect to Randy Couture and got in the face of a battered Frank Mir. He is the antithesis of a Rich Franklin-type of fighter, who thanks God and his opponent in his post-fight speech, then proceeds to shake hands with everyone from the opposing trainer to Mike in Accounting.’

‘I like Franklin, just as I like Lesnar. They’re real people who are different in their styles, emotions and philosophy. I appreciate the ability to root for one and jeer the other. And to me, the genuine moments in this sport are also the most unforgettable.’

‘Lesnar comes across as a jerk and a bully. But he also comes across as one of the most dangerous heavyweight fighters in the game today. The more vile Lesnar gets, the more I want to see him taken out. Count this fan among the legions of MMA fanatics who will reach into their wallets for the next Lesnar pay-per-view.’

‘And I’m not lost on the irony that a man who made his name in the land of make believe is now facing ridicule for being “as real as it gets.”’