UFC Heavyweight Division: Now what?
Posted on 12. Jul, 2009 by nostraboris in MMA
The premise of the Ultimate Fighting Competition, two equally skilled and sized fighters going toe to toe, did not survive entirely at UFC100. Brock Lesnar pummeled Frank Mir like a school yard bully. Holding his head in one Gorilla sized hand, he clobbered him with the other. Within minutes, Mir’s face resembled an allergic reaction to a bee sting, and I almost felt bad for the 245 Lbs Jiu Jitsu black belt.
Almost.
In the pre-fight segment, Mir’s camp ridiculed Lesnar, imitating him while muttering “This isn’t the WWE” as he lay knocked out on the floor. Dropping Jiu Jitsu terms left and right, he mocked Lesnar’s training practices as well as his credibility as a fighter. Mir came off as a smart ass, and just like Dan Henderson did with Michael Bisping, Brock Lesnar shut him up.
In MMA, nobody likes a rout, and Lesnar did not silence the fans that paid to see a battle. Are most UFC fans bored with the dominance of Brock Lesnar? Or was it simply a hometown crowd booing the 265 Lbs champ, who returned the sentiment with two gigantic middle fingers?
Even though he initially wasn’t my favorite, Lesnar impressed me with unprecedented speed on a 265 Lbs man. I also thought it was hilarious when he announced in his thick Minnesota accent that Coors Lite would be his post-fight beverage of choice, before getting on top of his wife, three time Playboy cover girl Sabre. Brock may just as well have “Fuck The World” tattooed on his forehead..
In showbiz, there’s a fine line between rebellious behavior and biting the hand that feeds. I was on a Miller sponsored tour with my old band Epidemic and Breaking Benjamin in late 2002 when Ben (BB singer) took a sip of a Bud light on stage, in front of some horrified miller reps. Our label at the time, Elektra Records was crumbling, and we were perfectly aware that without Miller paying our tour buses and crew for a month my band would have been sitting on the couch waiting for a radio hit.
Lesnar forgot for a moment where his salary came from, and after a little pep talk by Dana White, he appeared at the post fight press conference with a Bud Lite. No biggie. It seems however that Brockzilla is getting a bad rep, and is haunted by his WWE past. His post fight antics, although completely understandable from a human standpoint, didn’t help him.
What’s next for the heavyweight division? I don’t see anyone who can take on the champ, except maybe for Fedor, the legendary Russian heavyweight currently under contract with Affliction. UFC attempts to contract Fedor never materialized, due to deal breakers like an attached UFC adventure in corrupt and maffia-ruled Russia, while Fedor would continue to compete in Sambo events.
Dana White is hoping he can hold out until the cries for Fedor die down. Understandable, because what if he wins? The UFC will be stuck with a belt holder that may dilute, if not pollute the brand. A nightmare for White, who has been meticulously carving out the that brand since 2001.
If the Russian legend remains undefeated, the cry for him to come to the UFC will remain haunting White. At the same time, Fedor’s next opponent, Josh Barnett, would provide him with a convenient challenger to Lesnar’s belt.
I know who Dana White is routing for on August 1st, when Fedor defends his Affliction title against Josh Barnett.
7 Responses to “UFC Heavyweight Division: Now what?”
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12. Jul, 2009
[...] post by Nostraboris [...]
They should have more fights in Vegas.
Are you from San Diego?
http://www.nostraboris.com – cool!!!!
Interesting site, but much advertisments on him. Shall read as subscription, rss.
Good to see you’re doing some research to fill in the ???
Fantastic news!
You think everything sounds like existentialism.