Brock Lesnar training session and press conference notes: NCAA Champion among sparring partners, action figure of a former pro wrestling coworker hanging in the training area

Wednesday, JULY 23 - 12:35 P.M.

I attended Brock Lesnar workout session this morning at the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy. It's a cool venue and one can only assume there will be thousands of similar venues popping up all over the country due to the MMA boom.

Brock went through a basic workout with members of the local media standing by. One of his sparring partners was Cole Konrad, a two-time NCAA Hvt. Champion, and another played defensive line for the University of Oregon football team.

This was a light workout that was designed for photo opportunities. He rotated between mat work and striking with various partners.

-Lesnar was in a good mood and seems more relaxed with the media than he was in his younger days. He greeted the media members with a handshake and was polite and accommodating throughout the session. He faced the cameras and answered a series of questions, then took part in a series of one-on-one interviews. He answered all the one-on-one questions and let his reps play the bad cop role by stepping in after 15-20 minutes.

-There was a Kurt Angle action figure attached to the fencing that surrounded the workout mats. I asked Brock if he was responsible. He laughed and said one of his guys hung it up recently as a joke. I also pointed out a few sledgehammers that were behind the fencing and asked if Triple H had stopped by.

Brock said he's not sure whether any of his former WWE coworkers will be making the trip to Minneapolis for his fight against Heath Herring on Aug. 9 at the Target Center.

He said he hasn't talked to anyone lately, and I informed him that Steve Austin and Undertaker attended the Affliction show over the weekend. He said he didn't watch the Affliction show, but heard the fights were entertaining. He also agreed that competition in the MMA world is a good thing.