During "UFC 77" on October 20, Lesnar joined Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). On February 2, 2008, Lesnar made his debut with the promotion in an event titled "UFC 81: Breaking Point" against former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir. Due to his large hands, Lesnar was wearing 4XL gloves for the fight, making him the second man in Nevada's combat sports history to wear such gloves, after Choi Hong-man. Lesnar secured an early takedown and began landing numerous punches, but was docked a point after a punch hit Mir on the back of the head. Following another takedown by Lesnar, Mir managed to secure a kneebar and forced a submission at 1:30 of the first round, causing Lesnar to lose in his UFC debut. At "UFC 82" on March 1, former UFC Heavyweight Champion and Hall of Famer Mark Coleman was announced to fight Lesnar at "UFC 87". However, Coleman withdrew from the fight due to an injury and was replaced by Heath Herring. On August 9, Lesnar defeated Herring by unanimous decision.