-Kelly Crigger

Question #1-Does the fact that Brock Lesnar is the UFC heavyweight champion make the sport more attractive to potential fans or more ludicrous to those who don't know much about it? Will this open the doors for more wrestling stars to try their hand at MMA?

Kevin-Yes, this does make the sport more attractive to potential fans as they may have already heard of Brock Lesnar. Also, at this point I would not classify Brock as the Heavyweight Champion of the UFC (even though he technically is) until he has defeated either Frank Mir or Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira to unify the title. Brock Lesnar will bring more fans to the sport because he is already a known entity and because he is a known entity he will garner more press. After the PPV event had ended I tuned into ESPN News and they had on the bottom ticker as “BREAKING NEWS” that Brock Lesnar had defeated Randy Couture to gain the UFC Heavyweight Championship. Without Lesnar that wouldn’t have happened. Because he already has a background in competitive sports (2000 NCAA Wrestling Heavyweight Champion) the fact that he was once a professional wrestler does not take away any credibility of MMA as a real sport. If, for example, Jake “The Snake” Roberts had come to MMA and dominated then their might be a problem. Brock Lesnar’s size, strength, speed, quickness and athleticism is undeniable. He hasn’t been fully tested yet as an MMA fighter, but I believe that a rematch with Mir or a fight with Nogueira will provide the complete legitimacy of Brock Lesnar as an elite MMA fighter should he come away the victor or at least go the distance even if he loses a decision.

More pro wrestlers may come over to MMA, but they will find it very difficult to make the same money as they make in the WWE. Nobody cares if you win or lose in pro wrestling, they only care if you entertained the crowd. In MMA if you don’t win consistently you’re not going to make any decent money. We’ve already seen Bobby Lashley, another former pro wrestler and collegiate amateur wrestler attempt to join MMA. He hasn’t fought yet, but he does have a fight coming up shortly. He’s another amazing athlete who could potentially earn a decent living as an MMA fighter, but only after he has learned enough skills and proven them in the cage or ring.