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Cheers follow Brock's new calling
Brock Lesnar, a force as an NCAA heavyweight and as a pro wrestler, turned heads again in his latest pursuit.
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For years, Brock Lesnar, a cartoonishly large amateur wrestler turned mixed martial artist, has been viewed as a freak show. He was even dubbed "The Next Big Thing" during his career as a professional wrestler.
But his victory over MMA veteran heavyweight Heath Herring in front of his hometown fans on Saturday night at Target Center helped Lesnar make a claim as a legitimate mixed martial artist in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the premier MMA organization in the world.
Lesnar dominated Herring -- who had nearly 50 fights under his belt entering the bout, compared with Lesnar's two -- for three rounds and earned the unanimous decision, as fans chanted "Brock! Brock!"
Former Augsburg wrestler Roger Huerta, a lightweight, lost a unanimous decision to Kenny Florian, while welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre held on to his title with a brutal victory over Jon Fitch, whose black, blue and purple face required numerous stitches and a hospital visit.
But for local fans -- there was an announced crowd of 15,082 -- Lesnar's victory clearly carried the day.
"Anybody's got a good chance to win every night," Lesnar said after his fight. "We put a good game plan together. It feels good." He added: "I feel like this is where I belong."
Lesnar's first UFC fight in February lasted only 89 seconds and ended when Frank Mir sneaked a submission hold on an unsuspecting Lesnar, who had controlled the bulk of that fight, too. He didn't make the same mistakes against Herring.
Lesnar began the contest by faking a jab and throwing a crushing right hand that hit Herring square in his left eye. Herring rolled backward and Lesnar pounced on him, nearly ending the fight in the first round.
Throughout the night, Herring never recovered from the blow. His eye swelled rapidly, and every attempt he made to swing the momentum was stopped by the superior wrestling skills of Lesnar, the 2000 NCAA heavyweight champion for the Gophers.
"I'm telling you, I'm blown away by his performance tonight," UFC President Dana White said. "One of our guys said it looks likes he's hitting him with lunch boxes, his hands were so big."
Huerta lost his first fight in the UFC. The St. Paul-based fighter said he's not sure what his next step will be after publicizing his concerns about the UFC's pay scale.
Huerta admitted that he didn't prepare for Florian's elusive style. Florian threw punches, kicks and knees in flurries, avoiding a brawl at all costs and won over the judges.
The main event, St-Pierre vs. Fitch, was a grueling bout between two relentless fighters. St-Pierre proved to be too much for a battered Fitch, who was cheered when he entered the postfight news conference with a left eye that was swollen shut.
Overall, the UFC accomplished what it set out to. It broke every Target Center gate record with $2,251,748 from ticket sales. The former record was set by a concert featuring Billy Joel and Elton John that pulled in $2,062,120 in May 2001.
Based on the numbers, the atmosphere and the performance of the fighters, White said it's likely that the UFC, a $1 billion enterprise, will bring its show back to the Twin Cities in the near future.
"It's like the best-kept secret in the world," White said. "I came here and I'm blown away."
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