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Brock Lesnar v. Mark Coleman Predictions

UFC 87 is still a ways off, schedule for Saturday August 9th in Brock Lesnar’s home state of Minnesota. But if it’s scheduled, Jimmy Boyd is ready to go to work handicapping it. The heavyweight bout pits former WWE star Brock Lesnar against Hall of Famer Mark “The Hammer” Coleman. This fight takes on an interesting dynamic with both fighters heavily experienced in wrestling. The 43-year-old Coleman has enjoyed a great career, but many feel he is on his last leg. Lesnar still has plenty of good fights left in him but was defeated in his UFC debut by another former UFC heavyweight champ Frank Mir via submission. Will another vet add to Lesnar’s tough UFC start or will this be the start of a great MMA career for the imposing Lesnar? Jimmy Boyd weighs the odds and the fighters and delivers his Lesnar-Coleman predictions right here.

The Favorite: Brock Lesnar

Many fighters with solid wrestling backgrounds have excelled in the UFC. Lesnar’s opponent, Mark Coleman, is one of them. After being submitted in his first ever UFC match, you can bet that Lesnar will be ready to have his revenge. Lesnar’s WWE success speaks more of his acting ability than his fighting ability, but we can’t forget that he was the 2000 NCAA wrestling champion. He returned to the mat in 2005 and wasted no time making his mark by winning the IWGP Heavyweight Title in the New Japan Pro Wrestling league. Lesnar did have one MMA fight prior to Mir in which he won, but that fight made it clear that he still has a ways to go before being a legit heavyweight contender.

The Underdog: Mark Coleman

Coleman is also a former NCAA wrestling champion and a former UFC Heavyweight Champ. He also conquered the PRIDE 2000 Grand Prix title when he left the UFC. Coleman is actually a more accomplished wrestler than Lesnar, having placed seventh in the 1992 Olympic Games. The 43-year-old Coleman is just 4-4 in his last eight fights, but he believes he has one more good fight left in him. Coleman does not lack any confidence either, going as far as to say that he would match up well with current UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture. He’ll be looking to cap off a Hall of Fame career with a big upset win.

Prediction:

Hall of Famers aren’t supposed to still be fighting, especially when they are 43 years of age and haven’t fought since 2006. The UFC has obviously thought this fight out well. After Lesnar was submitted by Mir, they decided to pair him with someone who has the same skillset – wrestling. Coleman does not have much of a standup game or submission game at this stage of his career. Oh yeah, and he’s well past his prime. Lesnar will pretty much just be able to wrestle him, and at 13 years his junior has a lot more power. I’m not expecting much of a technical fight. I just expect Lesnar to out muscle the Hall of Famer to win his first UFC fight.

Lesnar/Coleman UFC 87 Odds at BodogLife.com

Brock Lesnar -295
Mark Coleman +235

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