Three Keys To Victory For Brock Lesnar At UFC 200
Prior to last Saturday (June 4, 2016), UFC 200, which is slated for July 9, 2016 from The T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, appeared to be all but finalized, and the card was loaded to say the least.
Featuring the ultra-rare three title fights in one night, UFC 200 was set to be headlined by the long-awaited light heavyweight title rematch between bitter rivals Daniel “DC” Cormier and Jon “Bones” Jones.
The thought to be co-main event would feature yet another highly-anticipated rematch between former champions Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar with the interim 145-pound belt hanging in the balance.
Also on the main card, bantamweight queen Miesha Tate would defend her title for the very first time against surging contender Amanda Nunes.
Aside from these three glaring bouts, the event was set to feature some of the sport’s greatest talents and biggest names from top to bottom.
It appeared as if it couldn’t get any better, but then it did.
UFC 199 went down last weekend from The Forum in Inglewood, California. During the live pay-per-view broadcast, the UFC released a chilling promo that featured all six fighters set to compete for UFC gold. At the end, a familiar voice roared, and a famous face appeared.
That man was none other than former UFC heavyweight champion and former WWE champion Brock Lesnar. The man who holds the UFC pay-per-view record for his UFC 100 headliner in July 2009 would be making his return to the Octagon nearly five years after hanging up his gloves.
It was later announced that the ex-champion would be taking on long-time veteran and No. 8-ranked Mark Hunt in the co-main event, a somewhat surprising matchup given Hunt’s skill level and Lesnar’s layoff, but Lesnar was thrown to the wolves nonetheless.
It may be a daunting task, but make no mistake about it, Lesnar is coming with something to prove.
Let’s take a look at three paths to victory for the former heavyweight boss at UFC 200:
Strike From A Distance
Back in 2009, Lesnar carried around the UFC heavyweight championship, and was at the height of his mixed martial arts career. But even then, the former NCAA champion wasn’t a very well versed striker.
Having not competed for nearly half a decade now, it’s hard to tell where Lesnar’s current skill level lies, but we’d have to assume that he hasn’t become a striking genius since returning to the WWE which is why it’s so interesting to see him booked against arguably the division’s most feared puncher.
Hunt is simply a killer inside of the Octagon. The former K-1 champion possesses a decorated kickboxing background, and is currently riding a two fight winning streak that features back-to-back brutal knockouts.
While Lesnar will in no way hold a technical striking advantage over “The Super Samoan” he will hold a massive size and reach advantage over the much smaller Hunt. It must also be noted that while his technique may not be there, Lesnar is a monstrous man, and without question packs a serious amount of power.
With that being said, however, Lesnar will need to strike from a distance if he plans on winning this bout. If the fight remains on the feet, he will be in danger at all times. Hunt simply has the ability and power to put Lesnar away with one shot, but if he can’t hit him he can’t win.
The ex-champion will have to keep Hunt away with him and either hope to land a huge shot of his own, or hope to execute his game plan which should include our next point…
Land The Takedown
Like previously mentioned, Lesnar has, and likely never will be known as the world’s best striker, or in reality, even a strong striker.
Putting that aside, however, we must note Lesnar’s strengths, and the fact is that Lesnar is a freak athlete, and an absolutely phenomenal wrestler.
He is a former NCAA division 1 champion, and showed his skillset off in his previous tenure with the UFC. If Lesnar was going to win a fight, it was likely going to come after a successful takedown, and a brutal barrage of ground and pound.
That’s what he needs to do here.
Hunt actually does possess some strong takedown defense, but if Lesnar is able to get the fight to the canvas, I don’t see Hunt being able to survive under the weight of the former title holder.
In my opinion, this is Lesnar’s best path to victory, but we do still have one more potential option…
Fight In The Clinch
Now, Lesnar is no Muay Thai wizard, nor is he a master of the clinch, but I don’t expect him to implement the plum clinch and land a package of lethal knee strikes.
But what he should do, is look to muscle Hunt up against the cage and smother him in the clinch.
If Lesnar can do this, he will limit Hunt’s ability to put together combinations and land big bombs. Lesnar would also wear Hunt down, and tire him with this strategy.
If he can indeed back Hunt up against the cage, Lesnar will also give himself possibly his best chance to end a fight ending blow of his own as he’d be able to use his strength advantage in tight corners.
What would you suggest is the best strategy for Lesnar at UFC 200? Does he have a chance?
