Brock Lesnar came in with a bang. He went out the same way.
After being throttled by Alistair Overeem in just 2 minutes 26 seconds last Friday, the former UFC heavyweight champion called it a career and publicly retired.
UFC president Dana White apparently had no inkling the ‘Next Big Thing’ was thinking about putting his professional fighting days. “I had no idea he was going to do that,” White said. Am I surprised? No. Brock has may a lot of money in his career.”
If White is upset about losing his biggest draw, he did a good job hiding it from the throngs of media asking questions. Lesnar didn’t attend the post-fight press conference. White reported that the former champ believes he suffered a broken rib from the liver kick that shortened his night.
“When a guy decides he wants to retire, that’s his thing,” White added. “This is the real deal. You don’t half ass this stuff. When you know it’s over, it’s over. The hard part is when I think it’s over and the guy doesn’t think it’s over.”
If Lesnar had his way, his MMA days were numbered regardless. During his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, he revealed that he would have fought once more—presumably against champion Junior Dos Santos—and retired as the UFC heavyweight champion.
Overeem had other plans and the kick that sealed Lesnar’s career was all a part of a grand vision, the new number one contender stated.
“I predicted it,” Overeem said of the finish. “I said first I’m going to do this, then I’m going to do that, and I’m going to finish it with the liver kick. I don’t know if it’s luck or strategy, but it turned out the way it did.”
Many pundits and fans gave a slight edge to Lesnar due to his UFC experience. Lots of fighters talk about ‘Octagon jitters’ the first time on the big stage. ‘The Reem’ having fought on big stages all over the world was having none of that. Though, he admitted the experience was the biggest of his career.
“It’s big, it’s huge. I think it’s like one hundred times bigger than Strikeforce. K1 is big, but this is bigger. I was blown away. But I love it, every second of it.”
Overeem was cool and calm in the days leading up to the fight and seemed to be taking in the reception he got from the fans.
Lesnar’s first failed takedown attempt likely sealed his fate. For Overeem, the sense of urgency kicked in much earlier – after his opponent’s first punch landed.
“Brock cut me with his first jab. I couldn’t see out of my right eye. I had to adjust. That also made me put more pressure because I didn’t know how severe it was. I didn’t know if there would be a medical intervention and I wanted to finish the fight before it got there.”
Though Overeem is moving forward and Lesnar is moving out ‘The Demolition Man’ expressed some regrets about seeing Lesnar walk away from the game.
“I think he shouldn’t walk away. Love him or hate him, it’s always something when Brock’s fighting. I think he achieved a lot in a short span and it’s a shame if he stops now. There’s more of the game for him.”
Overeem meets champion Junior Dos Santos next. Speculation is flying on the Internet that Lesnar will make a much anticipated return to WWE for the 2012 Wrestlemania.
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