Quote: Brock Lesnar>Conor McGregor
It’s been a long time since we saw WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) superstar Brock Lesnar step in to the UFC octagon. The former champion of the generation of giant heavyweights retired from MMA in 2011 after soaking up brutal losses to Alistair Overeem and Cain Velasquez. UFC 100 was truly Lesnar’s proudest moment in MMA (mixed martial arts) as he not only smashed his long time rival Frank Mir to avenge his UFC debut loss, but the card absolutely obliterated all PPV (pay-per-view) records set in the organization’s history.
Fast forward to 2015, and there’s another sensation that everyone is talking about. Conor McGregor is breaking records left, right and centre, and has recently established himself as the biggest draw in the UFC. Crowned the UFC interim featherweight champion after a landmark win over Chad Mendes, many are comparing the UFC 189 PPV card to Lesnar’s sellout UFC 100. One man that isn’t impressed though, UFC Fight Night 71 headliner and former two-time Brock Lesnar opponent Frank Mir. Check out what the ex UFC heavyweight boss told FOX Sports:
“I was very disappointed in it because everybody talks right now about Conor McGregor, how big Conor McGregor is — I don’t think any of Conor McGregor’s pay-per-views have outsold what Brock Lesnar’s pay-per-views were up to this point. This past weekend might do so, but as of now every time Brock stepped into the arena, he’s a fan favorite. People just go nuts over the guy,”
“It’s always better to be remembered than forgotten and that just goes to show you the power that Brock Lesnar has,” Mir said. “People still talk about UFC 100 to this day. That’s still the bar that everybody compares events to.
“Even this last weekend with Conor McGregor, who has a whole country behind him and I don’t think anybody’s had foreigners travel to a fight like he does, and still we compare it to UFC 100.”
Mir also went on to discuss a now near-impossible rubber match with Lesnar, after the WWE champion said he will now only compete in pro-wrestling:
“So knowing that I’d be able to fight him for a third time, I could catapult and feed off of that and bring a lot of attention. I know there was talk about Madison Square Garden was in the conversation so I knew a fight with Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir would be contingency to fight in that area. So all kind of opportunities would be opening up.”
“I think Brock Lesnar, because who he is outside of the UFC and mixed martial arts, he has a bigger name than (Antonio Rodrigo) Nogueira does. Still to this day because of the notoriety from pro wrestling,”
“Is he the most dangerous guy I’ve had to face? No. In fact I don’t think he would have done very well in our third matchup, I think with the boxing that I have now. I think (Antonio) ‘Bigfoot’ Silva’s actually more a threat with his size and power and hands and he lasted two minutes.”
This isn’t the first time that Mir has called for the trilogy maker with Lesnar, and it’s quite funny how things change in just a few years. Frank Mir and pro wrestler Brock Lesnar brought home the biggest PPV card of all time, only for Mir to go on a killer losing streak until his recent fight with Antonio Silva, and Lesnar got his ass kicked out of the MMA world for good.
Will Conor McGregor prove to be a bigger draw than Brock Lesnar? Dana White certainly seems to think so, how about you?
