Return of Brock Lesnar

A busy few weeks for MMA are afoot. On Saturday gone, MMA renegade Nick Diaz successfully defended his Strikeforce welterweight title against KJ Noons, settling their venomous grudge. Thirty minutes later he was backstage hurling a bottle of water at Jason Miller, bringing a newer grudge nicely to the boil.

By Alan Murphy

This weekend, UFC 120 hosts a bevy of Anglo action at the O2 arena in London. Michael Bisping, Dan Hardy, John Hathaway and James Wilks will all be desperate to impress on home turf.

But the real box office comes a week later at UFC 121 in California. 'Brocktober' (as the media have dubbed it) has already begun with the first installment of a UFC Primetime special on Brock Lesnar's title defence against Cain Velasquez.

Astonishingly, Lesnar need only win this, his seventh fight, to become the most successful ever UFC heavyweight champion. In a sport with so many avenues of loss – KOs, TKOs, submissions, cuts, decisions (good and bad) – blink and title reigns can be missed.

In particular, the UFC's colossuses have lagged behind their smaller colleagues in belt retention. Randy Couture and Tim Sylvia currently share the record with two successful consecutive defences apiece. Contrast with Anderson Silva's seven at middleweight, or Matt Hughes' five at welterweight.

Building upon freakish athleticism and world class amateur wrestling credentials, he dedicated himself to MMA from day one.

If anybody can buck the trend of underachieving champs, it's Lesnar. "I love to fight and it's all I want to do," he says. "I just want to be a gladiator."

Empty words? Fans were understandably sceptical when a hulking former WWE star first set his sights on UFC glory. In latter years, the sport has been awash with crossover celebrities fixing to cash in on the MMA explosion: Jose Canseco, James Toney, Ray Mercer and Kimbo Slice to name a few.

Lesnar is different. Building upon freakish athleticism and world class amateur wrestling credentials, he dedicated himself to MMA from day one. Fight camps unfold behind the closed doors of his purpose-built, private 'Death Clutch' gym in Minnesota.

Emphasising the gym's singular goal, no non-heavyweight fighters are found within. Only Brock's sparring partners, and an expensively assembled team of recognised experts who constantly mould the champion and maximise his athletic potential.

Brock Lesnar's best bits - with a shockingly poor soundtrack:

"If you want to fly with the eagles, you can't hang out with the crows," says Lesnar of his boffin brigade. It is an operation that has borne plentiful fruit: Lesnar knocked out Randy Couture to become champion in only his fourth ever fight, and in three years has become the biggest draw in all of MMA. All doubters have been silenced, and he is the consensus world's best heavyweight.

Cain Velasquez looks to halt this momentum on October 23rd. He's an excellent fighter, and might succeed. If not, Lesnar will take another step towards becoming the dominant heavyweight champion the UFC have always coveted, but never had.