WWE HOFer JBL Recalls Attending Brock Lesnar's First UFC Fight

In the early 2000s, Brock Lesnar burst onto the main event scene in WWE after a short time in Ohio Valley Wrestling, quickly becoming one of the company's most dominant stars. However, after a few years and multiple championship rivalries, Lesnar left for the UFC, becoming one of the most successful pro wrestlers to set foot in the world of mixed martial arts.

According to John Bradshaw Layfield, he and The Undertaker supported Lesnar's jump to the UFC. During an episode of "Something To Wrestle," he recalled how he and the "Deadman" went to watch Lesnar's first MMA bout. "We were at ringside with his first fight with Frank Mir," JBL recalled. "Unfortunately, he got caught in a leg bar and [lost], [but] he done made up for it in the next fight. A pretty lopsided fight, the second one."

"I loved what he was doing. I thought it was great. I thought he had an incredible chance [to make it in UFC]," JBL added, explaining how legitimate Lesnar was regardless of pro wrestling and a former NCCA All-American to boot. "He just beat people up! So we knew he had a great chance of being UFC Champion. We were certainly hoping that he'd be! And he did it, made a huge name for himself; that tells you something about guys that leave the business, make a name for yourself, and come back."

Lesnar is often touted as a top-tier athlete. As the only person to ever have held the NCAA Division 1 National Championship, the WWE Championship, and the UFC Heavyweight Championship, he has a claim to fame that nobody has matched since and would be hard-pressed to follow.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Something To Wrestle" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.