Brock Lesnar Prepares for Frank Mir at UFC 81

MMA newbie Brock Lesnar is very confident in his preparation for his UFC debut against former champ Frank Mir. Lesnar discussed the upcoming and anticipated event with the crew of TAGG radio on Wednesday. The following excerpt is from the interview:

“I’m very excited,” Lesnar said. “Frank is more than a credible opponent for me, and it’s a true test for me. It’s a make-or-break opportunity for me to bust into the MMA world."

The Lesnar-Mir fight is set for UFC 81, which takes place Feb. 2 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The bout appears on the televised main card of the pay-per-view event.

Lesnar, a former high school and collegiate wrestling stand-out, said he would not hesitate to go to the mat with Mir, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt.

“I’m not afraid to take this fight to the ground,” Lesnar said. “The key for me is to be able to control his hips on the ground… and in the meantime put as much leather on his face as possible."

In just his second professional MMA fight, Lesnar recognizes that Mir will have the edge in overall cage experience, but he doesn’t see many other factors in Mir’s favor. “I don’t think Frank is going to be able to overpower me,” Lesnar said. “If he does get his hands on me, I don’t think he’s going to be able to finish it. And I’m very confident in my stand-up game… I plan to be in his face the whole time and break him. I’m going to push the pace of this fight to a limit he’s not going to be able to hang with. I do believe that."

Lesnar has been training at the Minnesota Mixed Martial Arts Academy, the home gym of former UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk. Lesnar also credited Shooto veteran Erik Paulson for being the training partner most able to emulate the style of Mir in sparring sessions.

And while Lesnar admitted to the importance of this fight for his budding career, saying that he has “all to gain and everything to lose,” he’s not focused on the fact that he’s actually considered a small favorite to defeat a former champ so early in his career.

“I don’t have any added pressure,” Lesnar said. “I’ve got one plan, and that’s to go out and perform to the best of my capabilities and to win this fight."


If Mir returns to the form he once possessed prior to his motorcycle crash, it might be a humbling experience for the former WWE champ. He's a very credible opponent and we'll find out February 2nd if Lesnar jumped into the fire too soon.