Couture Vs Lesnar

couture vs lesnar

UFC 116: A True Clash of Titans

UFC 116: Brock Lesnar vs Shane Carwin. The last time two fighters of this magnitude faced off against one another, their thunderous blows laid a great city in ruins, and in the aftermath, the Last Son of Krypton lay dead on the ground.

Now comes an epic battle of the same mythic proportions: this July 3, at the very heart of Las Vegas, two titans will clash, as we watch UFC 116: Lesnar vs Carwin. A battle that is worthy of the attention of the gods in Mount Olympus and Mixed martial arts themselves. Two modern day, muscle-armored titans will be clashing, their sheer power shaking the foundations of the MMA world.

He’s facing off against Shane Carwin, whose 12-0-0 record is a testimony to not just his stiking potential, but his strength as well: of his 12 wins, 7 came from punches, and 5 came from submissions. If the over-the-top descriptions and comic book references seem, well, over the top to you, it’s because this is heavyweight MMA at its finest – two literal giants of the sport at their total best going toe-to-toe. Legendary? This is how we’ve always wanted heavyweight fights to be!

Actually, Brock makes me think of another comic book character: the Hulk. Despite only having 5 total MMA fights under his belt, , he is the current UFC heavyweight champion. Immediately after his defeat at Frank Mir’s hands in his UFC debut, Brock Lesnar has been a changed man. Never the same in a way that it made a bigger beast out of him and made him even more of a force to be reckoned with.He’s no longer the cocky, self-assured fighter that he was; looking at his development, from his days as a pro wrestler, I was surprised at his progress in battle tactics following that first – and only – defeat.

Against Heath Herring, he showed great insight in understanding that Herring has no chance if he tackles him to the ground, and he went on to dismantle what was heretofore a very capable fighter. I shudder to think how that straight right followed by a tackle must have felt like; it looked like Herring was hit by a bus, or a freight train. Brock’s sheer size means it doesn’t matter if his opponent is on guard or not; once he gets on top, there’s no stopping the onslaught of punches, and he understands this very well. Very reminiscent of George Saint-Pierre’s approach to Matt Serra.

Against Randy Coutoure – who just happens to go by Captain America – Brock Lesnar’s blows were just as devastating. He delivered an exceptionally nasty blow to the forehead in the second round which dropped The Natural, and it was all over. Well, it was over before the combat began, really. As good as Coutoure is, Captain America’s mighty shield is no match for the Hulk’s devastating blows.

His rematch with Frank Mir was probably one of the most drooled for fights in the history of UFC. This time Brock was a new fighter, rising from the ashes of his first match with Mir like the Phoenix. Brock was surging with new power and destruction, whose sole purpose was to – and I paraphrase – shut Mir’s mouth.Sure enough as he took Mir to the ground it was the end of the road for Mir. The MMA world also saw a new move in which Brock in his size and strength can only pull off. The One Armed Full Nelson was an amazing feat to witness. Brock pulled this off on Mir’s half guard which gave him full hip control at the same time his full Nelson is controlling Mir’s head and Brock got one arm free (his right) that hammered Mir’s face to Kingdom come. The reason Brock avoided Mir’s full guard was because Mir has more offensive options even on his back when you are in his full guard due to Mir’s Brazilian JuiJitsu background. That shows Brock is not just about brute force but he’s pretty darn smart as well.

All of which just makes UFC 116: Lesnar vs Carwin something of a must-watch. It will be the first time Lesnar faces off against someone he can’t easily push around or bully, because he’ll be going up against Shane Carwin, also a former amateur wrestling champion, but has the superior striking power. While Brock is most likely the faster, stronger and bigger fighter, Carwin is the better boxer whose fists have put people to sleep in the past.. If Brock can successfully tackle and put Carwin on his back (any wrestler’s Achilles heel) then Brock has a better chance of winning. I dont see Brock trading in a stand up war with Carwin because the risk is too high for Brock. Brock’s the bigger guy which means he’s the easier target.

Brock Lesnar also has an improbable friend in his corner: none other than the aforementioned Captain America, Randy Coutoure, and I think this makes great sense. If Brock is concerned about Carwin’s strikes, who better to get advice from other than the master of dirty boxing?. To whom do you go to sharpen your dirty boxing skills and perhaps how to defend from its receiving end? Well you got none other than Randy Couture, the master of dirty boxing. So call it a team-up between the Hulk and Captain America, if you will… against.. Doomsday? We’ll see.

About the Author

Jaques Armchere writes for the Armchair Jocks, a collection of unathletic but highly opinionated sports addicts, whose commentary ranges from the sublime to the fanatical and everything in between. Eagerly waiting for the day he can watch UFC 116.