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Brock Lesnar's UFC debut on Saturday was as memorable and exciting as he could have hoped for. In the end, though, the rookie got caught by a superior submission fighter and found himself on the wrong end of a tapout.
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Frank Mir survived a flurry of strikes by Lesnar to trap the former WWE superstar in a kneebar for the win at 1:30 of Round 1 in the semi-main event of UFC 81 on Saturday.
Mir threw a kick to start the fight. Lesnar effortlessly used the leg to take Mir to the ground and unleash a barrage of fists and elbows on Mir. Referee Steve Mazzagatti separated the fighters and docked Lesnar a point when one of the fists connected with the back of Mir's head.
When the fight resumed, Lesnar went right back to his frantic, unrelenting ground and pound attack. Lesnar used a somewhat awkward, bent-over stance in hovering over Mir and looking for an opening to knock him out. Mir went for an armbar on two occasions, but couldn't muster the strength to completely apply the hold. After one of the armbar attempts, Mir rotated on his back and trapped Lesnar's leg for a kneebar, forcing the heavily-hyped former NCAA wrestling champion to tap out.
After the win, an elated Mir (11-3 overall, 9-3 UFC) offered the obvious explanation for why he couldn't lock on the armbar.
"Look at the guy's arms," Mir said.
Mir gave himself credit -- much deserved -- for withstanding Lesnar's strikes and keeping his head on straight long enough to outsmart the rookie.
"I had Brock Lesnar dropping elbows on my head and I still pulled through," he said.
Lesnar (1-1, 0-1 UFC) looked disappointed immediately after the loss, but was soon smiling and offering Mir congratulations.
"No excuses," Lesnar said. "He's a top-notch jiu-jitsu guy. He's the better fighter."
Lesnar went directly to WWE after capping his college wrestling career at the University of Minnesota with an NCAA Division I heavyweight wrestling title in 2000. After finding quick stardom on the pro wrestling circuit, Lesnar left the promotion and tried out for the NFL's Minnesota Vikings in 2004, nearly making the practice team despite having no prior experience in football.
Given Lesnar's past, there was natural speculation going into his UFC debut that he might lose interest in MMA if he didn't succeed immediately. After the loss, Lesnar assured UFC interviewer Joe Rogan that he was in the sport for the long haul, and he'd be back in the Octagon soon.
"You win some, you lose some," Lesnar said.
