Brock Lesnar Heavyweight Title Contenders

Any thoughts of a more humble, less controversial Brock Lesnar after his bout with diverticulitis were squashed recently, as Lesnar called out the four main challengers to his heavyweight throne in the UFC, including Frank Mir.

Mir, who will battle Shane Carwin for the UFC Interim Heavyweight Title at UFC 111 in March, remains the only man to beat Lesnar. Mir essentially predicted that he would beat Lesnar in a possible upcoming rubber match after he dominated Cheick Kongo at UFC 107, blasting him with a massive left hook before finishing him with a choke.

Lesnar shot back at Mir in a press conference, calling him a “stalker” and reminding UFC betting fans that he is still the true heavyweight champion while adding that the four main contenders for his crown are “****ting their pants right now.”

The four contenders are Mir, Carwin, Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira and Cain velasquez; the latter two have a main event fight scheduled for UFC 110 in late February.

So, which of the four would have the best odds and the best chance to beat Lesnar? Let's explore:

Frank Mir vs. Lesnar Odds

Between his first win over Lesnar by kneebar and his recent addition of 20-25 pounds of legit muscle through powerlifting, plus his familiarity with Lesnar, Mir would have a solid chance to beat him in a rubber match. But Lesnar would probably be a slight-to-moderate favorite among MMA betting lines on the BetUs.com Sportsbook depending on how impressive Mir's hypothetical win over Carwin would be.

Shane Carwin vs. Lesnar Odds

Carwin is the one fighter who matches up with Lesnar the best physically, and his status as a former Division II wrestling champion is something that would allow him to keep the fight standing like Randy Couture did against Lesnar despite weighing 40-60 pounds less on fight night.

If Carwin impressively knocks out Mir, he can be as high as even odds against Lesnar going into their potential summer title fight, since he is still undefeated in the UFC and Lesnar would have “Octagon rust” to brush off. But the likely odds for this fight among the MMA betting community would be Lesnar as a solid-to-moderate favorite.

Minotauro Nogueira vs. Lesnar Odds

The Brazilian jiu-jitsu master and technically sound boxer can prove once and for all that he's still an elite fighter with a win over young stud velasquez at UFC 110 while improving potential odds against Lesnar.

Nogueira would likely only get the title shot immediately due to an injury or poor performance from Carwin or Mir, however.

If the above does happen and Nogueira looks sharp against Velasquez, perhaps submitting him, he could be as high as a slight underdog to Lesnar. But the size differential of 30 pounds or so means Nogueira is almost certainly going to be the underdog in a title fight against Lesnar.

Cain Velasquez vs. Lesnar Odds

One of the most impressive young prospects in the game, Velasquez is nonetheless an underdog against Nogueira. But if he continues to impress and beats the MMA legend, a fight with Lesnar could be in the cards soon. Still, Velasquez also gives up 30 pounds or so to Lesnar. His quickness will win him some points with the oddsmakers but his lack of size and knockout power should make him a solid-to-big underdog against Lesnar in a potential title fight.

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