Brock Lesnar
Height: 6’ 4”
Weight: 265
MMA Record: 4-1
UFC Record: 3-1
Fighting Style: Wrestling, ground and pound

Brock Lesnar is a relative newcomer to MMA, but has a very decorated NCCA wrestling career, winning numerous Big Ten and All American awards. He also was a 2000 heavyweight champion with a career record of 106-5. Many know him because of his professional wrestling background in the WWE, but he is truly a talented overall fighter with a blend power, athleticism and raw size.

Lesnar got started in MMA after getting injured training with the Minnesota Vikings and decided he was not done with sports. So he began talks with promoters on getting a chance to fight and prove his worth. His first shot was in K-1 at Dynamite USA in 2007. He defeated his opponent in 1 minute, 8 seconds by TKO after a takedown and vicious ground and pound. His next fight was against Heath Herring, a decent heavyweight from PrideFC. Lesnar easily controlled the fight both standing, and on the ground. He would win the decision after a brutal 3 rounds.

He would go on to lose to Frank Mir via knee bar at his next UFC event, but the loss was obviously not taken in vane and used what he learned to defeat UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture at UFC 91. He will again face Frank Mir for the UFC Heavyweight title a UFC 98.

Anderson Silva
“The Spider”
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 185/205
MMA Record: 23-4
UFC Record: 8-0

Anderson “the spider” Silva started his fighting career back in 2000 in the Mecca (Vale Tudo) organization. He started off with a decision loss, but quickly went on a nine-fight win streak. Silva is one of the most feared strikers in the world, showcasing world class Muay Thai kick boxing skills, which were honed at the infamous Chute Boxe Academy in Brazil. He also happens to have a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu from Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, earning impressive victories over Travis Lutter and Dan Henderson via submissions.

Silva started his pro MMA career in Vale tudo Brazilian fights under the Mecca organization. After several wins he moved to Shooto and then moved to Pride FC and Cage Rage. He amassed a very impressive record, which prompted the UFC to sign him to a multi fight deal. He left Cage Rage and began his destruction of the middleweight division in the UFC, leaving such fighters as Nate Marquardt, Chris Lebon, and Rich Franklin still feeling the bite of the spider.

Now Silva has run through every UFC middleweight and is still currently the champ at 185. He has stated that he hopes to retire soon from fighting after his current UFC contract is up. He is currently ranked the number one-pound for pound fighter in the world by many MMA sites. His next title defense is set at UFC 97.

Rich Franklin
Nickname: “Ace”
Height: 6’ 1”
Weight: 185/205
MMA Record: 24-4-1
UFC Record: 11-3
Fighting Style: Kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Freestyle

Rich “Ace” Franklin hails from Cincinnati, Ohio where he was a math teacher before taking up MMA. He began his training in a shed with friends with the use of instructional videotapes. He would later join Jorge Gurgel – a black belt in BJJ – and trained under Neal Rowe for kickboxing. He has since earned a brown belt under Gurgel and continues to improve his wrestling and striking in Ohio.

Franklin got his nickname from Jim Carry’s “Ace Ventura”, which Rich resembles strongly. He is good friends with Tim “the Maniac” Silvia, who was shown crying after Franklin was beaten badly in his first bought with Anderson Silva. He would get a rematch, but suffered a similar fate in the cage.

He has fought at 205 and 185 in the UFC, appearing leaner and quicker at middleweight (185). He holds notable wins over Ken Shamrock, Evan Tanner, and a huge stunning knockout over Nate Quarry. He had run through most of the UFC’s 185lbs division until losing to Anderson Silva. Franklin had recently been on a two-fight win streak before Dan Henderson defeated him. He is set to face Wanderlei Silva at UFC 99.

Frank Mir
Nickname: N/A
Height: 6’ 3”
Weight: 250
MMA Record: 12-3
UFC Record: 10-3
Fighting Style: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Wrestling, Kickboxing

Frank Mir was certainly given the pedigree to fight. His parents run a Kenpo Karate school, he is a former Nevada state-wrestling champion, and he just happens to have a black belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu.
Growing up he sparred with his father and other students in order to get him ready for a martial arts career and after seeing the Gracies and their jiu jitsu destroy people in the original UFCs, he took up wrestling and jiu jitsu.

Mir met UFC’s Joe Silva, and talks began about starting to take on local MMA fighters at smaller promotions to see how he’d fair. After going 2-0 he was invited to fight at UFC 34, which he won by submission via armbar. He went on to go 7-1 and fight Tim Silvia for the UFC heavyweight title, which once again he would win by armbar, only this time snapping Silvia’s forearm. This earned him his black belt in jiu jitsu.

Everything looked to be going well for Mir. He got married, was a champion, and was making a career out of what he loved. Then in September 2004 he was in a tragic motorcycle accident, one in which shattered his leg.

After finally recovering from the leg injury and getting his mind right again, he finally came back to the UFC.

He had a shaky start, going 1-2 until he decided to dedicate himself to his fighting career once again. Mir has since gone 3-0 and just won the UFC Interim Heavyweight championship by TKO over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, who had never been stopped. He is set to face Heavyweight champ and former WWE star Brock Lesnar, which would unite the two titles. Mir already owns a victory over Lesnar.

–Written By TSR Contributor John Duke

BJ Penn
Nickname: The Prodigy
Height: 5’ 9”
Weight: 155/170
MMA Record: 14-4-1
UFC Record: 13-3-1
Fighting Style: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

“Baby” Jay Dee Penn was born in Kailua, Hawaii and has been fighting out of Hilo at BJ Penn MMA. He is a world champion jiu jitsu competitor, and was the first American to win the World Jiu Jitsu Championship at a black belt level in Brazil. After this victory, the UFC approached him about entering the organization.

The fighting prodigy started out with knockouts of Din Thomas and Caol Uno, both well-respected fighters. He fought Jens Pulver for the UFC Lightweight title, but lost by decision. He would fight Uno once more, drawing again to miss out on the belt. After the UFC stopped the Lightweight division, Penn moved up to 170 to face Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes. He submitted Hughes via a rear naked choke in the first round in a massive upset, earning him his first UFC title.

Contract issues and other organizations caused the UFC to strip Penn of the belt, but he would reconcile and return to face Georges St. Pierre. Even though he lost against St. Pierre and his rematch with Matt Hughes, he continued on, deciding to drop back 155, which was a more suitable and natural weight class.

Penn dominated everyone the UFC threw at him in the 155-weight class, and by doing so he earned his rematch against St. Pierre. If successful, he’ll be the only person to have two UFC titles at the same time.

On January 31st Penn vs St. Pierre 2 will show just how good the prodigy is and if he’s successful, it’ll prove he can fight in two separate weight classes as a champion.

–Written By TSR Contributor John Duke

Georges St. Pierre
Nickname: Rush, GSP
Height: 5’10
Weight: 170
MMA Record: 17-2
UFC Record: 13-2
Fighting Style: Kyokushin, Wrestling, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

Georges began his training in Kyokushin karate to help deal with bullies at school. He did this until the age of 16, when his sensei died and he was forced to try something else. This is when he began to wrestle and take jiu jitsu with many of his fellow Canadian counterparts. St. Pierre has trained with many top fighters and coaches in his young career, recently making the move to train in New Mexico at Greg Jackson’s camp. He now trains with other top MMA fighters including UFC Light heavyweight Rashad Evans, Keith Jardine and Nate Marquardt.

GSP began his UFC career winning against Karo Parisyan and Jay Herion. Those victories earned him a shot at the vacant welterweight UFC belt. He eventually lost to Matt Hughes via an arm bar at 4.59 of the first round. He would later say that his loss to Hughes was the best learning experience of his career.

Pierre rebounded to defeat a who’s who list of UFC fighters including Jason Miller, Frank Trigg, BJ Penn and Sean Sherk. At this point he was the number one contender at 170 and again would fight Matt Hughes for the title, which Hughes held for almost five years. St. Pierre would run through Hughes and take the title in dominating fashion.

Although he eventually lost the belt to Matt Serra in a huge upset, GSP walked through other top fighters such as Josh Koscheck, as well as Matt Hughes for the third time. He again earned a shot to fight Serra to regain his welterweight championship.

Georges currently holds the UFC welterweight title after successfully defending it against John Fitch.
He is currently regarded as the top 170-fighter in the world and considered one of the top 3 pound-for-pound fighters in all of MMA. St. Pierre will defend his belt at UFC 94 against Hawaiian jiu jitsu specialist BJ Penn on Saturday, January 31.

–Written By TSR Contributor John Duke

Wanderlei Silva
Nick name: The Axe Murderer
Height: 5’11
Weight: 205
MMA Record: 32-8-1
UFC Record: 2-3
Fighting Style: Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

Born in Curitiba, Brazil, Wanderlei Silva started training at the age of 13 because he wanted to learn how to defend himself. He learned Muay Thai from the famous Chute Boxe Academy in Brazil and eventually earned a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu from Carlinhos Gracie.

His professional career started in Vale Tudo (anything goes) competitions in Brazil, where Silva had an impressive 7-1 record. It was then that he started to get noticed by the UFC and he made his debut at UFC 8 ‘Ultimate Brazil’, where he suffered a loss to Vitor Belfort only 44 seconds into round one. The loss was considered his worst showing to date.

After a win and a title loss decision to then champ Tito Ortiz, Silva left to fight in Japan for Pride Fighting Championship. He would go on to dominate Pride and have a 20-fight win streak, earning him a reputation as the killer Brazilian who destroyed many Japanese strikers.

He reined atop the middleweight division until Dan Henderson knocked him out with a huge left hook in Round 3 of a championship bout to take Silva’s belt. This knockout, as well as a brutal head kick KO from Mirko Cro Cop led to more talks about a mega fight with The Iceman Chuck Liddell, which would take place at UFC 79. And even though he eventually lost a decision to Liddell, he viciously knocked out Keith Jardine early in Round One.

The Axe Murderer has now moved to the United States with his wife and kids. He currently trains at Xtreme Coulture, which is Randy Coulture’s training center and home to many fighters, including Forrest Griffin. He’s currently training for his next match at UFC 92 against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and has recently said that he plans to open his own Mixed Martial Arts School in January. The school will offer training camps for fighters as well as classes for the public.

–Written By TSR Contributor John Duke