Tuesday, August 12, 2008 Quijano: Being Brock By Jingo Quijano Last Round
AFTER brutalizing and dominating veteran MMA heavyweight striker Heath Herring, Brock Lesnar wasn’t exactly shy about letting Herring know exactly how he felt after beating him.
Maybe it’s a carry-over from his gung-ho, bellicose pro-wrestling days where he flourished in his role as a big bad hulk.
Or maybe he’s just being Brock- but it certainly was quite different from the usually subdued and affable tones we have come to expect from the winning fighters in the UFC.
In a report on fightnews.com, Brock initially apologized about his reaction and was sorry if he offended anybody. But in the same breath, he immediately retracted it and said, “No, I’m not”.
His actions were apparently a direct retaliation to an undisclosed comment made by Herring’s camp prior to the fight.
If it’s true, then future Lesnar opponents should think twice about provoking a guy who looks like he can dismember a tank with his takedowns.
It’s too early to brand this powerhouse as the next dominant UFC heavyweight superstar, but what came to my mind watching him manhandle Herring was that styles indeed make fights, just like in boxing.
I always thought matching him up with former UFC heavyweight champ Frank Mir in his UFC debut was a marketing mistake. Rookies make rookie mistakes, and jiu jitsu expert Mir was a bad fit for a guy out to make a sudden impact.
The more feral Herring who counts Sambo and kickboxing as his disciplines was a perfect match-up to showcase Brock’s explosive power inside the octagon.
Brock really hasn’t achieved anything yet with this victory but at the end of the day, it’s all about making money and winning more fans.
I can hear the cash registers ringing after his fearsome display at UFC 87.
YAW-YAN. Meanwhile, on the local scene, here are the main event results of Yaw-Yan ArDigma Martial Arts Federation Inc.’s in-house competition held last Saturday.
Fil-Italian David “Dynamite” Denisi won by rear naked choke over Junrey “the Hitman” Soquite while at the kickboxing main event, Danilo “Alasan” Tudtud of Team Yaw-Yan Ardigma and Jay-R “The Standard” Dela Torre of Team CMAC Kickboxing Club figured in a draw.
Alvin “The Heat” Amistoso of Team Mixed Fighting System finished off Jonjer “The Danger” Cabalhug of Team Durex via guillotine choke in 58 seconds.
In the special kickboxing bouts, Renan “Limbas” Noblefranca of Team Yaw-Yan Ardigma defeated Lito “Fearless” Malabago of Team CMAC while Johndave Epile of Team Soma beat Clester Caparida of Black Scorpion via split decision.
YANI’S REFRAIN. Reacting to my series of articles on the proposed De la Hoya-Pacquiao bout, Last Rounder Yani Dy shares his thoughts:
“This Oscar fight is just a show, not
a sport. Pacquiao will just be overwhelmed.
Oscar took the best shots of super heavy hitters like Trinidad, Vargas, Mayorga, Hopkins while Pac got wobbled by a super bantam Larios. Imagine if that left cross was a left cross from hell by Oscar.
Greed is a factor, Pac is getting greedy but who’s to blame for a 20 million purse.
Boxing is short and what’s he going to do when he’s 40 years old or 60 years old while he has three or four young kids.
Oscar will spar and train with fighters like Bernard Hopkins, Winky Wright, or whoever to get ready for his fight with little Packy. So now you and I know what’s in store for Pac’s greatest beating of all time”.
I agree Yan. But what bothers me about this fight is that it wasn’t Manny who initially wanted it. But after being fed by speculations and half-truths by men who wanted it more than he did, Pacquiao is now convinced he is in no real danger.
Of course, after Bob Arum and company get their cuts from his purse, we all know it will be Manny who will be suffering the real cuts inside the ring.
THE LAST ROUND. It’s on Charleston U. Chua of Armored Transport Plus. Cheers!
