The fallout for UFC 100 may be even more interesting than the actual night of fights. While there are plenty of questions left from the undercard that will be debated and discussed in the coming weeks (what’s next for Mark Coleman and Jon Jones has to be at the top of that list) but most of the postfight discussion centered on Brock Lesnar, which is a shame.
I say that not because of his post-fight antics. In Lesnar’s mind he was back in the WWE, cutting a promo as the heel. The reality is more complicated than that and Lesnar isn’t nearly as bad a guy as he’s trying to appear. Sure, fans hate him now. But this whole thing isn’t nearly as bad as some are trying to make it out to be. Dana White shut him down fairly effectively and we won’t see this in the future. Lesnar’s WWE background made him a huge draw in the UFC and brought many new people to the sport. That’s a good thing. This is one of the few negatives that comes with bringing a Brock Lesnar to the sport. It’s still worth it in the end. Anyone who complains about Brock’s trash talking sounds like the aging broadcasting vet that whine about touchdown celebrations in the NFL. Get over it.
The reason Lesnar taking center stage is a shame is because Georges St. Pierre should be the talk of the night. He’s simply a freak. The welterweight division is much deeper than the UFC’s middleweight division and St. Pierre’s streak has been more impressive than Anderson Silva’s, yet GSP still has to fight to earn the respect he’s due. This was a huge test for GSP and he cruised. There’s no one left for him in the welterweight division that will be much of a challenge. Jon Fitch is next in line and I don’t think too many fans are clamoring for that bout.
Hopefully, what’s next for GSP is Anderson Silva. Silva has to take care of Forrest Griffin at UFC 101, which isn’t guaranteed, but a Silva-GSP superfight would be the best MMA fans have seen in a long time. Dana White has been talking about this fight since December and it would shock me if they don’t make it after UFC 101.
The next biggest fight the UFC can put together is Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brock Lesnar. The time is right. Randy Couture vs. Fedor wouldn’t have been nearly as big as Lesnar- Fedor. Fedor’s contract is up after the August 1 fight with Josh Barnett and moving to the UFC to fight a detested opponent is a brilliant move for Fedor. If he’s looking to make a name for himself stateside (among the casual fan that’s just hopping on the UFC bandwagon), what better way to do it than by destroying the man MMA fans have quickly grown to hate?
Lesnar probably poses more problems for Fedor than anyone currently in the UFC’s heavyweight division, but those problems are offset by the numerous question marks surrounding Lesnar. There are still so many holes in his game that are offset by his tremendous size and wrestling ability. The way he neutralized Frank Mir (who came into that fight with plenty of questions of his own) by lying on top of him and pulverizing his face was impressive, especially when some thought Mir would destroy Lesnar. Instead, he barely mounted much of an attack.
With Mir ruled ineffective and with Lesnar already sporting a win over Couture, the list of challengers is fairly weak. Shane Carwin would be an interesting match with Lesnar, and the winner of the Carwin vs. Cain Velasquez bout will likely be Plan B for Lesnar if White can’t sign Fedor. Still, Carwin wouldn’t be able to keep the fight standing and Velasquez won’t be able to outwrestle the monster.
Dana White claims the UFC will get Fedor and will get him soon. That’s exciting news. Of course, I was excited the first time I sat in a UFC news conference and heard Dana White say that. More than two years ago.
There are several elite fighters outside of the UFC. Jake Shields comes to mind, along with a number of lightweights. No omission is bigger than Fedor, arguably the greatest fighter in the history of the sport. The UFC’s heavyweight division is thin but adding the Last Emperor is the key to rebuilding it. The rest of the pieces of the MMA puzzle will come together after that but the key for the UFC is to sign the only heavyweight that can make Brock Lesnar the massive underdog.