UFC President Dana White gave former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar his own makeshift Octagon to get ready for his MMA transition.
Lesnar last fought in MMA at UFC 200, earning a decision win over Mark Hunt that was later overturned to a no-contest. This was after Lesnar tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in a pre-fight test.
But Lesnar’s MMA career included arguably the best start in the sport’s history. After a professional debut win against Min Soo Kim in K-1 Hero’s, he would win four of his first five fights in the UFC including his heavyweight title win over Randy Couture at UFC 91.
Lesnar would go on to defend the title against Frank Mir and Shane Carwin before losing it to Cain Velasquez.
Lesnar made his transition to MMA after a long tenure in professional wrestling. He continues to be a massive star in the WWE, and it wasn’t an easy move to MMA for him.
During a recent interview on The Pat McAfee Show, Lesnar told a story about the lengths he went to become physically and mentally ready for his UFC debut.
“Like when you go through the door… I built or ordered an Octagon so I could, didn’t have at first, like, jitters of getting in an Octagon,” Lesnar admitted. “I’m like, ‘Dana, I want an Octagon’ and like, ah boom, [the UFC] shipped an Octagon. So I can fight in it and practice in it, you know? But then you’re in front of 20,000 people and they shut the door and it’s like, ‘Ahhh’.”
“Boom, then it took off. I fought Heath Herring and then I got Randy Couture and won the belt.” (h/t The Sun)
While Lesnar has alluded to his cordial relationship with White, he has admitted that he feels he should’ve been compensated more for his efforts. This comes amidst current UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou’s call for a better pay structure for fighters.
Lesnar continues to be a prominent figure in the WWE and can be seen competing in the promotion’s Monday Night Raw shows, among others.
Where would you rank Brock Lesnar amongst the best all-time UFC heavyweights?
