It's beast against monster in martial arts comp
03.07.2010
By: DAN KOCH, LAS VEGAS
Forget Mike Tyson, this is the baddest man on the planet
TO understand Brock Lesnar, you need to know about the man he will face tomorrow in the biggest heavyweight clash in Ultimate Fighting Championship history.
Shane Carwin is a beast of a man, who boasts a record in mixed martial arts of 12 wins from as many fights. Not once has he been taken beyond the first round.
He stands 188cm and has to cut weight to make the 120.5kg limit.
The UFC had to get specially designed 5XL gloves to fit his enormous hands, which he has used to devastating effect, knocking out seven of his 12 opponents.
But when Carwin looks across the cage assembled under the lights at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, he will face an opponent who is bigger, stronger and undoubtedly meaner.
Forget Mike Tyson, in 2010 the baddest man on the planet is Brock Lesnar -- a man with a huge dagger tattooed between his ridiculously oversized pecs, and a presence from another time.
``If he were around 2000 years ago, we'd be sacrificing virgins to Brock Lesnar,'' UFC commentator Joe Rogan says. ``Seriously . . . the man is a killer.''
Having worked for a decade to convince the viewing public of the legitimacy of mixed martial arts as a mainstream sport, UFC president Dana White admits his game was in need of a bad guy -- someone the fans not only love to hate, but will pay to see beaten.
``That's Brock,'' White says, breaking into laughter. ``Brock's persona is legit. You can ask anyone. I don't care who you are, if you're on our roster, you have to make appearances and do promotions with the public.
``That's everyone except Brock Lesnar. He doesn't have to do any. I want him with as little human interaction as possible.
``I want him out in the middle of the woods where he lives, not talking to anyone.''
Asked what led a man with such a firm rule over the 250-odd fighters he employs to make such an exception, White relates a tale of Lesnar making an appearance at a corporate function. He stops himself before going into detail.
``That wasn't a good day,'' he says, smiling and shaking his head.
Lesnar shot to prominence as the US's dominant collegiate wrestler, finishing his career on the mats with an extraordinary 106-5 record.
He tried his hand at professional wrestling in the WWE with great success, and while his time there nurtured his ability to work a crowd, this hulking monster needed something more real.
A violent eruption with teammates ended a short stint with NFL side the Minnesota Vikings, where he wowed staff with his scary combination of speed, strength, size and power.
Despite weighing more than 140kg, Lesnar's 40m sprint time is the equal of backmarkers in the Olympics. He has recorded a high jump of about 1.5m.
But it isn't until you hear the man speak that you realise just how scary he is.
Asked about matching up with a man of similar stature and athletic ability in Carwin, Lesnar scoffs -- and this having just recovered from a bout of diverticulitis, a serious intestinal disease that nearly killed him.
``When I look at that guy . . . I don't see it,'' he says.
Carwin ``hasn't done the things I have done. I guess he might be trying to''.
On Carwin's defeat of UFC legend Frank Mir, whom Lesnar had punished a year prior, having lost to Mir in his second MMA fight -- he offered this gem: ``You can't unscramble scrambled eggs.
``I scrambled Mir's eggs six months before that fight.''
With a shake of his head and a sneer, Lesnar turns on his heels to leave the packed auditorium.
``I do what I do because I love it,'' he says.
