Boy, those are words you never thought you’d see. Anyway, the former WWE champ turned UFC contender was interviewed in the NY Times always entertaining “Freakonomics” blog. Those of us with triple digit IQs enjoy this blog almost as much as the knuckle draggers of the world enjoy the “Hometown Honeys” section in Maxim magazine…

Among other topics, Lesnar was asked about Jesse Ventura’s recent comments on the Howard Stern show that MMA was a “work” like pro wrestling and that the competitors were merely “working stiff”. Brock was very diplomatic in his response:

Q: Gov. Jesse Ventura recently stated during an interview on The Howard Stern Show that he felt M.M.A. fighters were “working stiff,” or that the match outcomes are already decided but there is no “script” to be followed by the athletes. As a former professional wrestler, do you believe his comments have any merit whatsoever, or do they stem from an unfamiliarity with M.M.A.?

A: I think Jesse was unfamiliar with the sport when he made those comments and probably has a different view after sitting ring-side at U.F.C. 87 last Saturday. It’s one thing to see it on the TV, but it’s a completely different experience when you are there live.

BTW, there’s a SavSci feature article in the works about this very subject. We’re a lot less diplomatic than Brock.

Here’s another good question:

Q: How do you respond to critics who say that you have not “paid your dues,” in that the only reason your fights have been televised twice is because of your name and not necessarily your skill?

A: A lot of people lose sight of the bottom line: this is a business. It’s about making dollars by selling tickets, Pay-Per-Views, and merchandise. It’s up to the promoter to decide what is televised. I just train hard, then get in the octagon and fight.

In regard to the “You haven’t paid your dues” stuff: sure, I came into this sport with a name, but I didn’t just build my name and my reputation in pro wrestling. I also came in with twenty years of amateur wrestling experience.

The entire interview is solid–Brock comes off as very thoughtful and serious about MMA and credit to Stephen Dubner who obviously did his research on what questions to ask.

Brock Lesnar interviewed on the ‘Freakonomics’ blog @ NY Times

Props to our Eastern European correspondent Edo for pointing this out–get the latest UFC odds and free betting tips and analysis at his website, BetWWX.com