UFC Odds – Can Anyone Beat Brock Lesnar?

The odds were stacked against him, the crowd thinking that this was the opponent that could end his championship run, and once again, Brock Lesnar persevered. At UFC 116 the 33-year old seemed at his most vulnerable. After a year away from the octagon, Lesnar was scheduled to meet interim heavyweight champion Shane Carwin, who had eliminated every opponent that he had faced during his career in the first round. He was undefeated, overpowering, and seemingly unstoppable. Lesnar was lighter than he had been in years after an illness that nearly took him away from the sport he loves, he hadn’t been there in so long, and when he stepped in to the octagon in Las Vegas, for the first time since he won his belt it seemed as though perhaps he could lose. 

How he was able to withstand the barrage of punches he took from Carwin in that first round remains unknown, as several times a bloodied Lesnar looked like he was done for. The man known as, “The Next Big Thing” from his days in the WWE was battered and bruised, seemingly down and out, and Carwin had barely even taken a punch to that point. Even still, Lesnar survived, and when the second round started he held a big grin on his face, one that revealed a sort of misplaced confidence that bordered on the lines of cockiness. Then, it happened. With Carwin on the ground, fatigued from all the shots he had thrown, Lesnar locked in a triangle choke hold and submitted him, holding on to his belt and becoming the undisputed number-one heavyweight in the UFC. Who was left for him to beat? If Carwin couldn’t do it, who could?

Fabricio Werdum and Fedor Emelianenko are the top-two ranked heavyweights in the world behind Lesnar according to MMA Weekly, but after those two hooked up it is clear that Emelianenko could not compete with an animal like the UFC champion. Werdum has shown poise and much improvement over the years, but may not be physically imposing enough to battle with someone as massive and talented as Lesnar. Cain Velasquez in the fourth ranked heavyweight according to their system, and is next up on the list to challenge Lesnar for his title.

However, given his strengths and weaknesses Velasquez seems like little more than a lesser version of Lesnar. Those three are the top ranked, but along with Werdum, two other fighters may be better opponents to face the man. Shane Carwin came very close to scoring the first round knock out win that he is famous for, and with some improved conditioning and a better game plan could take him down with another chance. Meanwhile, Alistair Overeem is making noise over in Strikeforce, and if his team can figure out Lesnar’s vulnerabilities – if he has any – he may stand a better chance than Velasquez.

Overall the top three opponents to challenge Lesnar right now remain Carwin, Werdum, and Overeem, and in that order.

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