THE NEXT BIG THING?

Former World Wrestling Entertainment star Brock Lesnar is taking his act to another pay-per-view organization Saturday, and his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut has attracted plenty of credibility questions.

Is this a novelty?

Can a first-time fighter beat former UFC champion Frank Mir?

If Lesnar wins, what does that say about the level of UFC competition?

Lesnar and UFC President Dana White say they expected such scrutiny and understand how some mixed martial arts purists want nothing more than to see the 30-year-old former showman defeated in the Octagon when UFC 81 takes place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

“I’ve got a lot to lose in this,” Lesnar said. “A lot of people are watching to see how I make the transition against a credible fighter.

“Let’s get one thing straight: Pro wrestling is clearly entertainment. We go out there knowing the outcomes of the bouts. This [UFC] is real.”

White said although Lesnar’s mug is being prominently advertised on UFC 81 billboards as a headliner because of his WWE-generated name recognition, there is also reason to believe the former NCAA heavyweight wrestling champion has what it takes to ultimately compete for the UFC heavyweight title.

That would be a marketing boon to the UFC, which lost popular heavyweight champion Randy Couture to a contract dispute last year and is now suing the fighter.

“If Lesnar gets past Mir, look out heavyweight division,” White said. “I like real fighters, guys who want to fight, and this guy’s a real big athlete who’ll fight anyone we put in front of him.”

Still, skepticism exists at the heavyweight division’s highest levels.

Tim Sylvia, who’ll fight Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira for the UFC’s interim heavyweight title Saturday, said Lesnar was originally “babied” in practices last year with other UFC fighters, and believes there are several peers and intent MMA watchers who “know he’s going to get beat.”

Couture, in an e-mail, said: “Obviously I have a lot of respect for Brock Lesnar’s wrestling ability. He was an NCAA champion, which is an elite group of individuals. I don’t think it was a wise choice to jump in and fight a former heavyweight champion.

“He has the potential to be a legitimate MMA contender. But we won’t know until he fights legitimate MMA competition.”

The 6-foot-2, 265-pound Lesnar has credentials in “real” wrestling, which is considered the essential foundation of an MMA fighter’s skill set. At Minnesota, Lesnar was the 1999 runner-up and 2000 NCAA heavyweight champion.

“He has legitimate roots, tools and credentials to go into this platform,” the 6-1, 240-pound Mir said. “Obviously, Brock Lesnar is stronger than me. If you stand still, all that weight is going to bear down on you.”

Mir, however, is a submission specialist who won the vacant UFC heavyweight title in 2004 by locking Sylvia in an armbar less than a minute into the first round and “snapping Sylvia’s forearm in half,” as White described it. Mir, 28, lost the belt after being seriously injured in a motorcycle crash and struggling to recover in 2005. He was strong in his most recent fight, however, beating Antoni Hardonk by submission in the first round in August to improve his MMA record to 10-3.

Questions persist about Lesnar’s stand-up striking ability too, and he said in a recent conference call that, “If things go awry, I’ll resort to my amateur wrestling.”

The UFC’s only similarity to pro wrestling, Lesnar said, is being the center of attention in a large arena.

Lesnar said his involvement in Vince McMahon’s World Wrestling Entertainment arose when McMahon set $250,000 in front of him at age 21 after his college career. The offer was irresistible, he said. Lesnar would earn far more as he ascended to WWE “undisputed champion” by 2002 with a scripted victory over Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

Excessive travel and acrobatic moves, including one that left Lesnar with a severe concussion in 2003, contributed to his decision to part with McMahon in 2004 for a tryout with the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings. Lesnar was cut before the regular season began.

Lesnar declined last week to answer questions about his WWE departure and how he viewed criticism of the organization after last year’s double-murder and suicide by a former opponent, Chris Benoit, who was found to have steroids in his Georgia home.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission will test Lesnar, Mir, Sylvia and Nogueira, along with others, for steroids before the UFC card. Lesnar previously passed steroid screening by the California State Athletic Commission when he fought in Los Angeles on the chaotic K-1 Dynamite card at the Coliseum in June. He submitted replacement opponent Min Soo Kim in less than two minutes via strikes, catching White’s attention.

Lesnar signed with UFC in October, and said he had trained in MMA for nearly two years, devoting extra time to striking.

“Obviously, some disapprove of where I’m at on this card, there’s animosity about my visibility,” Lesnar said. “I just need to shut up and play ball.”

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lance.pugmire@latimes.com