Most days, the Minnesota martial arts academy is filled with students starting on the ground floor. In one way, you could say Lesnar is among them.
"There's a lot to learn in this sport," Lesnar said.
He is new to the mixed martial arts fight game, but brings skills and expereince that make him a natural.
"It took me a while, actually, to figure out what i wanted to do with my life," Lesnar said.
The path to this point has not been boring. A national championship with the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers led to fame and fortune with the WWE. The one-time South Dakota farm boy made millions, but somethin was missing. In 2004, he ditched professional wrestling for a shot at the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings.
"That's one of the reasons he wanted to get out of professional wrestling and into football," said David Olsen, Lesnar's agent and attorney. "He wanted to compete again, he wanted the real deal and it doesn't get any more real than mixed martial arts fighting. "
Lesnar is buildin on his considerable mat skills, learning to strike, kick, and apply jiu-jitsu techniques. In February, he made his "Ultimate Fighting Championship" debut against veteran Frank Mir. Lesnar was dominatin the fight before falling into a submission hold.
"I got overexcited, got sloppy in my first fight," Lesnar said. "I think this fight you're going to see a calmer fighter in me, and a much more polished fighter."
Lesnar insists his feature bout on August's "Seek And Destroy" card is a must-win to fast track a shot at a title belt. He's hungry again, doing something that "feels right.""I've been in clutch situations before, and i believe this is one of those," Lesnar said.
Lesnar will fight Heath Herring on August 9th at Target Center in Minneapolis. It will be the first mixed martial arts card to be held in the Twin Cities.
