Mark Calaway who is better known as WWE legend The Undertaker gave his thoughts on new UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou being compared to former UFC heavyweight king Brock Lesnar.
Calaway spoke recently with ESPN’s Arda Ocal on the show Sports Nation about the similarities between the two UFC heavyweight champs and why he views comparing the Cameroonian champion to his fellow WWE counterpart as completely fair.
“I think they are legitimate,” he said (h/t BJPenn.com). “I mean you can just tell that Ngannou… There’s a switch that kind of flipped. Somewhere along these past couple of years and he is just, I mean look at his size and strength. The way he knocks people out, the damage he does, you know and the way everything is reported, with all the different things, he kind of gets this mythical, you know this mythical stature about him. Just like when Mike Tyson was smashing people. Like people were beat before they ever took the first punch. I remember watching Frank Bruno walk to the ring against Tyson. You could tell he was terrified, and well he should be.”
The professional wrestling great who has long been an avid MMA fan continued on about the comparison of the heavyweight behemoths and even teased the chance that with the right financial incentive, he believes Lesnar might even be willing to step inside the Octagon with Ngannou.
“And with Lesnar, you know, he was just a legitimate beast. Because your mind would see somebody that big and you can’t imagine how fast of a human being he is. He walked around at what, 290? You know he had to cut weight to make 264, but your mind says there is no way he can be that fast. He shoots like a 190-pound guy, and then when he gets a hold of you, he’s so strong, so I can definitely see the comparisons. I just think Ngannou has that fear for when he hits you. He will just take your head right off, so that is kind of the narrative now that is being told. So all of that kind of build-up, and Brock got the same sort of build-up, so there’s many comparisons I see there. Hell, you throw enough money Brock’s way, he will fight him I bet. You know Brock is a businessman. You put the right money in front of him and he will probably be open to anything.”
I asked @undertaker about the recent comparisons of @francis_ngannou to @brocklesnar in terms of fear and reputation. Also, Taker knowing Brock the way he does, would Brock ever return to the UFC? @espnmma pic.twitter.com/Xz0G5PmLeY
— ᴀʀᴅᴀ Öᴄᴀʟ– (@Arda) April 9, 2021
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