Brock Lesnar was given a UFC title shot with a 2-1 MMA record. Would fans riot if something like that happened again?

Söze Aldo

Söze Aldo

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In hindsight, he won it and even defended it a couple of times, so it worked out.

However, I can't imagine fans not going crazy today if someone who was such an MMA novice was given a title shot based only on name recognition from outside MMA.
 
Brock was a special exception, but there were also special circumstances. Frank Mir returned from injury, and even though he had fought since returning, there were questions about his title that he never technically lost. So it was kind of a 4-man tournament (Brock, Randy, Mir, and Nog) to unify the heavyweight title.

The title picture gets weirder though, because back then they never really stripped people of the title unless they went somewhere else. After Mir came back from injury he was given some tune up fights, and lost two of them. That being said, Mir vs. Nog at UFC 92 was billed as a title fight for the interim HW championship.
 
oski said:
Hell no... at least with Gable coming in. If they gave him Tommy tomorrow (or whenever he can see again) he wins easily.

Tommy might even tap to being mounted.
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I suspect a lot of people on Sherdog would not be happy with Gable getting a title shot on the timeframe of Brock, but he would be the one guy who could possibly follow that expedited path.
 
In fairness, the division was a complete fucking mess with the whole Couture situation. The division was incredibly thin, and IIRC they had already had an interim title fight in Randy's absence(or at least had it scheduled). When Randy came back, they didn't really have anybody but Brock, because they weren't gonna waste time with Couture sitting on the sidelines after they just got him back. They had a money fight in front of them, and they went with it.
 
HereticBD said:
In fairness, the division was a complete fucking mess with the whole Couture situation. The division was incredibly thin, and IIRC they had already had an interim title fight in Randy's absence(or at least had it scheduled). When Randy came back, they didn't really have anybody but Brock, because they weren't gonna waste time with Couture sitting on the sidelines after they just got him back. They had a money fight in front of them, and they went with it.
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Was it in a worse place than UFC HW in 2026?
 
LOL at acting like that title shot was out of character for the UFC. Gustaffson got a title shot after getting KTFO, literally crying over it, and nearly retiring just a few months prior... Brock's was well-deserved if you're comparing it to the disgraceful matchmaking that has happened in the years since
 
Söze Aldo said:
In hindsight, he won it and even defended it a couple of times, so it worked out.

However, I can't imagine fans not going crazy today if someone who was such an MMA novice was given a title shot based only on name recognition from outside MMA.
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Bro it happen again. Like a lot!!!

Jiri was 3-0 when he got titleshot. Kai Askura got title shot on his debut. Pereira was 3-0. Kayla was 2-0. Chandler was 1-0.
 
No?

Give me a jacked up 6'5 - 285lbs monster who was a NCAA wreslting champ for a title shot tommorow.


Yes, he was 2-1,
the 1 being Vs a former UFC champ...


Also, pretty sure they were right because he FCKNG WON...

09' Brock would easily be one of the best MMA HW on the planet today.
 
Dreyga Hates You Sherbums said:
Bro it happen again. Like a lot!!!

Jiri was 3-0 when he got titleshot. Kai Askura got title shot on his debut. Pereira was 3-0. Kayla was 2-0. Chandler was 1-0.
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Brocks entire MMA record was 2-1, not his UFC record.

Jiri was 28-3 in MMA when he got his UFC title shot. Chandler famously had a whole career in Bellator before he joined the UFC.
 
Sonny Qc said:
No?

Give me a jacked up 6'5 - 285lbs monster who was a NCAA wreslting champ for a title shot tommorow.


Yes, he was 2-1,
the 1 being Vs a former UFC champ...


Also, pretty sure they were right because he FCKNG WON...

09' Brock would easily be one of the best MMA HW on the planet today.
Click to expand...

Would a jacked 285 lbs Olympic Gold medal wrestling champ do?

backflip-gable-steveson.gif
 
Söze Aldo said:
In hindsight, he won it and even defended it a couple of times, so it worked out.

However, I can't imagine fans not going crazy today if someone who was such an MMA novice was given a title shot based only on name recognition from outside MMA.
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Who would you have given the shot to?

This was when the rankings after Brock won the belt.

1. Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera (Interim Champion)
2. Brock Lesnar (Champion)
3. Randy Couture
4. Gabriel Gonzaga
5. Frank Mir
6. Shane Carwin
7. Cain Velasquez
8. Junior De Los Santos
9. Cheick Kongo
10. Heath Herring

You gotta note that Nog then fought Mir, Mir won and fought Brock and got destroyed.

Cain was 2-0 in UFC but didn't have much name value and his biggest win was Jake O'Brien.

I think JDS made his debut a month before Brock's title fight.

At the time Brock beat Herring, Herring himself was coming off a win over Kongo.

There wasn't really an obvious choice, Brock with the money fight makes sense.
 
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