Brock Lesnar's pre-UFC tryout for the National Football League showcased the ridiculous athleticism he demonstrated in the Octagon.
Before Brock Lesnar made his first appearance in the UFC Octagon, and in the midst of a WWE hiatus, he turned heads at the 2004 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
A physical specimen during his UFC prime, Lesnar was brought in by the Minnesota Vikings as a defensive lineman during the 2004 preseason as he tried to secure a spot on an NFL roster. Although he was unsuccessful in this pursuit and was suspended during the preseason, his performance at the NFL Combine was one of the hottest topics in sports at the time.
As Joe Rogan noted on an earlier episode of his podcast, Lesnar's stats at the NFL Combine were absurd for someone of his size and stature.
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Brock Lesnar's NFL Combine shocked Joe Rogan
During a 2015 episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, Rogan marveled at Lesnar's athletic benchmarks while at the NFL Scouting Combine.
“Look at his 40 yards… By the way, 283 pounds, 4-7-40 (4.7 seconds to run 40 yards), 35-inch vertical jump, long jump 10 feet! Standing long jump 10 feet, bench press 225 (lbs) for 30 reps. Jesus f****n Christ. A running back who lives in the body of a defensive end. He's a freak,” Rogan said.
“This isn't something he trained for. This is not someone who wasn't on his way to becoming a professional football player.” (h/t SportsKeeda)
Despite never playing college football in favor of wrestling, Lesnar almost earned a shot in the NFL after his ridiculous Scouting Combine performance. Four years later, he became the Baddest Man Alive when he defeated Randy Couture at UFC 91.
Brock Lesnar wowed UFC fans during the WWE break
During his MMA career, Lesnar defeated the likes of Frank Mir, Shane Carwin and Heath Herring. After back-to-back losses to Cain Velasquez and Alistair Overeem, Lesnar made his surprise Octagon return at UFC 200, defeating Mark Hunt by unanimous decision.
Lesnar's success story inspired MMA notables like CM Punk, boxing great James Toney and others to appear in the UFC Octagon. After some early career magic, he was unable to recapture that success as his UFC tenure continued.
Lesnar will go down as one of the most intimidating presences in UFC history, and while he didn't have a Hall of Fame in the promotion, his unique personality and physical gifts are still a hot topic to this day.
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