Brock seems to be able to take a punch but his reaction to those punches is what gets him in trouble. He needs some serious sparring. Look at his reaction to getting hit by Randy. Mir in the 2nd fight. Of course Carwin and Cain fights.
Hungry4Stink - No matter what he does it's going to be tough for him. It's weird to watch because the vast majority of guys that fight MMA don't react that way and I'm sure most of them didn't need brutal sparring to desensitize themselves. We see guys who are new to MMA fight often and not many react like Brock, it's a very strong innate reaction he's having and that is going to be difficult to overcome.
"Brutal" sparring? No. But he does need GOOD sparring and lots of it. That will help him to relax in there and to train those bad instinctual reactions away. He looks like most first timers when they spar. As much money as he stands to make, it would be in his best interest to work on that.
It takes time and experience to learn how to take a punch. Your natural reaction is to close your eyes and turn away, which is the opposite of what you should do in a fight.
chadk Pw3nd this thread!
N5Z -+1chadk - I dont think it's that he cant take a punch, I think it's more a matter of him not getting enough GOOD sparring in. I do not believe he sparred much with people good and/or big enough to scare him, because he's clearly very uncomfortable when people are punching at him.My thoughts exactly
Sticking your arms out, closing your eyes, turning away or flat out running away from your foe is a natural instinct but it's not an intelligent defense, nor a sign of someone with even cursory sparring experience.
If you look at his face post fight, the only conclusion possible is that he can take an extraordinary amount of punishment. The shellacking he took from Carwin only to come back and win is further proof.
TTT for better sparring.
Bolo Da Great - Brock seems to be able to take a punch but his reaction to those punches is what gets him in trouble. He needs some serious sparring. Look at his reaction to getting hit by Randy. Mir in the 2nd fight. Of course Carwin and Cain fights.
This.
WidespreadPanic - Just spit-ballin', but could it be that some guys with big thick necks are actually vulnerable to being punched in the head, much like guys with big arms are vulnerable to the americana and kimura?
ISTM that it's more than just getting used to taking a shot, watching how he reacts to head shots.
<br type="_moz" />
Boxers build up their necks to prevent their heads from bouncing back and forth when punched.
supersaiyan - oh shite...now we know...whew....i thought it was something else like being scared
This...completely.
How remarkable...both his last fights he ended up in the same fetal position, cowering and cringing.
WTF was with the falling back, stumbling where am I routine? Did Cain connect which led to that?
vruntson -supersaiyan - oh shite...now we know...whew....i thought it was something else like being scared
This...completely.
How remarkable...both his last fights he ended up in the same fetal position, cowering and cringing.
WTF was with the falling back, stumbling where am I routine? Did Cain connect which led to that?
yes ..just as brock went for that takedown...Cain planted a left hook/uppercut to his face that sent him spinning more times than a DJ at a house party
Which heavyweight can take a punch from cain and carwin ?
Maybe Brock is deaf.
Hungry4Stink - No matter what he does it's going to be tough for him. It's weird to watch because the vast majority of guys that fight MMA don't react that way and I'm sure most of them didn't need brutal sparring to desensitize themselves. We see guys who are new to MMA fight often and not many react like Brock, it's a very strong innate reaction he's having and that is going to be difficult to overcome.
Actually, most of them do undergo a good deal of sparring to not react that way, I dont about "brutaL" s that is not productive.
Guys "new to MMA" if by this you mean guys in the UFC, well most new UFC guys have 5+ years of gym time dedidcated to fighting and have more fights than Brock....so, they have done the work.
Brock's biggest problem by far, is he is like a guy that guy hired for a job he was not qualified for, and now he needs to make himself catch up. He can do it, but he has to WANT to do it, that is the question mark.
He spent 20 years of his life not getting punched int he face. Most of the wrestling converts to MMA are much younger than him, or did boxing/kickboxing in their youth.
Who says he can't take a punch? He is afraid to get hit. Probably doesn't happen to him in training and when it happens in the fight he crumbles. Mir is the same way when he gets hit hard he freezes. 
Unseen - Maybe Brock is deaf.
Lol
Mrs. Intergalactic Rock Star - everyone gets hit when training..
There is a rumor goin' 'round that Brock doesn't allow his training partners to hit him in the face.
I think part of the problem is his stint in pro wrestling where he sell taking punches where it just became a natural reaction for him.
Kirik is right.. Brock has a hard head and a solid chin.
Its how he reacts to getting his bell rung that is the problem.
Alot of big guys have this problem. Throughout their lives not many people challenge them, and the ones that do get overwhelmed fast.
Look at Bob Sapp.
Beock needs big hard hitters ringing his bell every day. He also needs a world class striking coach.
And from the looks of it, Brock needs to drill his clinch takedowns. The shoot leaves him vulnrable when its stuffed.