UFC 100 Exposed

Tuesday June 30, 2009

When Frank Mir and Brock Lesnar tangled at UFC 81, Lesnar basically came forward like a lightning rod looking to use big punches to set up a fast takedown. Once he got the takedown, he followed with some furious ground and pound that almost took Mir out.Keyword- almost. Instead, Lesnar’s aggressiveness opened him up for a kneebar that ended the fight. According to UFC.TV, Mir believes that Lesnar’s best bet would be to attempt that exact same strategy in their rematch at UFC 100.

“If Brock really comes out and tries to abandon the running at me, heads over heels and just trying to knock, bull rush me over, I honestly think that’s his best approach,” said Mir. “I would just come after me - take a chance, ’cause to sit there and play the cat and mouse game with me, and jab and slip and move around, I think that’s a slow death for him that he can’t possibly win.”

Is that good advice? Only to an extent. The reality is that Lesnar should not play a slow ground game with Mir and will need to use his sheer size, power, and athleticism to push the pace. Slow is the name of the game in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, which is Mir’s forte. If Lesnar doesn’t do some fast damage on the ground then he’ll likely find himself tapping. By the same token, a berserker style is what put Lesnar in a position to be submitted at UFC 81 in the first place. Thus, he’ll need to use his power and sheer athleticism to stun his opponent without making that one big mistake.

It will be interesting to see if he can pull it off.