UFC 116: Brock Lesnar’s baddest man on earth

It’s hard to argue against the idea that Brock is the best “pound-for-pound” fighter in the world, and here’s why: remember the bully in elementary school? He became the bully because he was the biggest guy in the school, right? Well UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar is the biggest, baddest dude in the UFC now and after withstanding the ominous talent of Shane Carwin in definitive fashion, there’s no doubt that he is the best in the world at all ranks.

UFC 116 ended last night with Joe Rogan calling UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar (5-1) the “baddest man on the planet” after he defeated Shane Carwin (12-1). It is hard to make a statement such as that after watching his performance and comparing him to some of the other fighters in the heavyweight division around the world.

Brock did defeat Shane which is something I did not see coming. I was sure Brock would have his chin tested for the first time, which we did, and that it would be as soft as a down pillow. Let’s start by saying Brock did a good job of recovering and winning the fight via submission in the second round. .

Now to the real story of who the best heavyweight in the world is and why it is not Brock Lesnar.

Brock Lesnar took some hard shots from Shane in the first round and crumpled like a house of cards in a wind storm. Not only did he crumple, he essentially ran away using the good old “duck and cover” defense. While it works for children in a school yard getting beat by a bully it does not work for a man many will now proclaim as the top heavyweight in the world.

“The Baddest Man on the Planet” would never cower like what we saw Brock do last night. Had it not been for Shane Carwin gassing out after five minutes of complete dominance through ground and pound Brock would be a footnote in the UFC heavyweight division lineage.

We often over think things like inter-divisional rankings. Anderson Silva is by far the most talented fighter, and Georges St-Pierre may be the best technical fighter in the entire sport. But if you’re using a blanket term like “best”, then there’s no way that you can make an argument that Brock isn’t the scariest, meanest, most resilient fighter in the world.

Not all heavyweights have the kind of physical gifts. Lesnar moves like a middleweight, and punches like a charging rhino. His technical skills are still lacking, but how can you overcome his combination of sheer size, power, power, speed, agility and technical skill? For a guy that nearly died several months ago, to come back and defeat the interim heavyweight champion so decisively is an unearthly accomplishment. As far as UFC betting goes, Brock is a no-brainer until we see a heavyweight who can match him pound-for-pound.