Former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight king Brock Lesnar may have been considered the baddest man on the planet at one point, but those days are in the past as Lesnar just informed UFC of his retirement. Long before Lesnar ever made his way into the octagon, he was the “Next Big Thing” in the World Wrestling Entertainment and with such a storied wrestling background, he considered himself one of the toughest guys in the locker room.
While there is no doubt that he was, and still likely is, but Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle wanted to know how a wrestling match with Lesnar would go in the locker room. No script. No pre-determined finishes. Just pure wrestling. Angle tells the story on Ring Rust Radio:
“When I did wrestle Brock, the rumors fly around, but it was a very close match. Basically, whoever got the first takedown in the match it was going to be over and I, fortunately, got that takedown. It lasted 15 minutes and we went at it for a long time. I knew I would beat Brock. There’s a difference between a NCAA champion and Olympic gold medalist even if I did give up 80 pounds. Brock was about 310 pounds back then and I was about to 225, but I’ve always wrestled guys that size. I wrestled heavyweight in college, so I wasn’t new to it.”
“I think Brock knew that he got beat. Brock is the greatest athlete I’ve ever gotten in the ring with. He can be the best at whatever he wants to be. He was an NCAA champion, a UFC champion and he was one cut away from making an NFL team and without ever playing a game in his life. The Minnesota Vikings wanted him to go to NFL Europe for a year and come back. They were going to do a deal with him. He would’ve been a ten time All-Pro there’s no doubt about it. I know his capabilities and he has that kind of potential. He would’ve been a Hall of Famer in any sport he wanted to. To show that kind of versatility, not many people can do that. Brock is a special athlete not because he is so big and strong, but because he’s such a great damn athlete and one of the best I ever got in the ring with.”
