In Lesnar’s next fight, he will hook it up with a very different type of contender, undefeated Cain Velasquez (8-0).

What worked for Lesnar on Saturday was surviving Carwin’s first-round onslaught. As Lesnar withstood Carwin’s attack, he knew that as long as the fight wasn’t stopped, he had four rounds left against a tired opponent.




Velasquez doesn’t have Carwin’s punching power, or his ability to finish as brutally fast. But what he does have is amazing cardiovascular conditioning. NFL legend Herschel Walker, who has trained with Velasquez over the past year, has called Velasquez the best conditioned athlete he’s ever seen.



Velasquez and his trainer, Javier Mendez, were very interested spectators at the arena on Saturday night. Mendez said he felt Lesnar proved he was the real champion, and that he answered any questions about his chin and resilience.



“But I think Cain’s better in every category,” Mendez said. “He’s got better stand-up. He’s got better conditioning. He’s got more skill on the ground.”


Death Clutch Brock Lesner UFC Heavyweight Champion Black T-shirt Tee
And Lesnar’s size advantage may not be all it is cracked up to be when he meets Velasquez, at a date and time yet to be determined.



“What people don’t realize about the size difference is that Cain is used to facing guys the size of Lesnar [Velasquez, who fights at 235-240 pounds, was usually the smaller man as a college heavyweight wrestler]. I think he even has the slight edge in wrestling because he’s younger [Velasquez turns 28 this month; Lesnar 33 next week] and he’s never stopped competing.”



Mendez notes that Lesnar is more explosive, and he’ll probably have a 25-30 pound size advantage and an edge in physical power.



Dana White said he’d have to sit down with Lesnar to plan when the match would take place.



An interesting aspect of a Lesnar vs. Velasquez match is its potential effect on the UFC growth in a new market: Mexico.



White spoke of wanting to do a show in Mexico City, but he doesn’t know if the timing would work out for a Lesnar-Carwin fight. The UFC has exploded in popularity on Mexican television over the past year, but it remains well behind the boxing and pro wrestling that have long been staples in the culture for decades.



Lesnar is already a star in Mexico from his tenure with World Wrestling Entertainment, not to mention the phenomenal ratings his match with Frank Mir did on national television last summer.



The UFC has attempted to market Velasquez as a Latino hero. Velasquez was born in the U.S., the son of an undocumented immigrant.



Even before Velasquez had his first UFC fight, Mendez raved about Velasquez as the best prospect who ever walked through the doors of the American Kickboxing Academy, one of the premier MMA gyms in the country.



He would note that not only did Velasquez have the physical skills to be a champion, but that there was huge marketing potential because there has never been a world champion heavyweight of Mexican ancestry in a major combat sport.



“You’re going to see Cain improving with every fight,” Mendez said. “He is still two or three years from his peak.”



Lesnar, though nearly 33, also hasn’t hit his peak. On Saturday, he showed submission skills that he had never shown in the past, and while he said he was embarrassed a little about his boxing in the fight, he noted how hard he’s worked and how much he’s improved on it since the last fight.



“Each win, you’ve got to move forward,” Lesnar said. “We’ll train and keep doing the right things. Let’s face it, I’m a wrestler. I’m trying to evolve. It’s pretty remarkable that I have only six fights and I’m UFC heavyweight champion. I’ve got a lot of room to grow. I’ll be the first one to tell you.”



When things looked bad for Lesnar on Saturday night, he said the beating he took was nothing worse than he’s endured in camp. But he was scared referee Josh Rosenthal would stop it.



“There was a time I was worried, but he [Rosenthal] came to me [before the fight] and said if the fight gets ugly and somebody is in a bad situation, you have to show me you’re still staying alive,” said Lesnar. “It kept going through my mind. Every punch felt less and less.”



“I’m a human being,” said Lesnar. “My training partners get me down and they beat on me. They get me down, they get me really tired. I’ve been in those spots. The hardest part is the training. This stuff tonight is what we live for. This is the most awesome stuff. I don’t know if it’s better than sex, but it’s right up there. It’s great. I enjoy it.”
Brock Lesnar’s journey back from a life-threatening illness was capped with his stirring comeback victory over Shane Carwin on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.




“Honest to god, from what I’ve been though since Nov. 6 [when he was diagnosed with diverticulitis], it feels like it’s been 10 years,” said Lesnar. “It’s been a grueling, grueling road.”





In Brock Lesnar's next fight, his opponent's cardio won't be a problem.


by
yahoomaa.com / Meltzer

But his journey as the UFC heavyweight champion is far from over. In Lesnar’s next fight, he will hook it up with a very different type of contender, undefeated Cain Velasquez (8-0).