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With a one-fight winning streak and a 1-1 UFC record, Brock Lesnar was given a title shot in the biggest MMA event in the world. Following the win, sporting a rather unimpressive 2-1 UFC tally, he is now the heavyweight champion. How and why did this happen?
The simple answer is money. Do I blame the UFC for this? Not completely, do I think Lesnar deserved a shot coming off one victory over Heath Herring? No, not from a sporting aspect anyway. The heavyweight division is a thin one, no one disputes that. In fact many of the best heavyweights in the world don’t even fight in the UFC. Top ten heavyweight fighters such as consensus number one Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski, and Josh Barnett compete outside the UFC rendering an already thin division anemic.
Before UFC 91, I went back and forth and eventually picked Couture to come out the winner in the bout, obviously it was the wrong choice, but I wasn’t the only one who was wrong. Lesnar, who cuts weight to make the 265 lbs. heavyweight ceiling, wields impressive athleticism and mobility for a man his size. His impressive amateur wrestling credentials, on top of his physical acumen make him a dangerous opponent for anyone, and now he is the champion to prove it.
When the UFC brought his 1-0 MMA record into the fold I was confident that they were grooming him to one day be the face of the division, what I didn’t expect was the speed with which it all came about. With his impressive victory over Couture, despite his lack of MMA experience, he remains a force and could be for quite some time, experience be damned.
I fully expect him to move on and become the PPV ace for the UFC for years to come, in fact he already is. Most of the biggest UFC cards moving forward will feature Lesnar, and he will do just fine handling the job. He has performed in front of bigger crowds than the UFC has ever pulled in, and backboned countless PPV broadcasts before he ever fought in the UFC. His star-power was a proven commodity before he ever set foot in the Octagon.
So what is next for the big man? Rodrigo Nogueira or Frank Mir. I have a feeling the bigger money would be made if we see Mir win this fight following the close of TUF 8 and rematch Lesnar. A bout to remove the lone stain on Lesnar’s record could be a PPV bonanza for the UFC and give Lesnar an opportunity to cleanse himself of his only blemish. It could be one of the biggest PPV’s of 2009, while a fight with Nogueira is less engaging for fans. In fact, Nogueira may even be seen as a bigger threat for the newly crowned champion. Nogueira will never sell the PPV’s like Lesnar will, neither will Mir. In fact, no one else in the division will not yet anyways.
Right here right now more fans know Lesnar from his work in pro wrestling than in MMA. I think in a year that will change. The pundits in the UFC offices are very intelligent people. I know that for a fact, the UFC makes more money than most of us will ever see for a reason, and with the addition of sound minds such as Marc Ratner the curve is definitely going up. However, an important distinction must be made.
The UFC is not a sport, it is business, and it would be silly to confuse the two, the sport is mixed martial arts, Ultimate Fighting is a brand. When we watch a UFC card, we are watching an amalgamation of sport and business. It is obvious which factor is the overriding one. In fact, if the financial aspect withers, so does everything else.
When Zuffa first took over the UFC they tried to run it in a more sporting manner with more logical contender-based bouts and statistical matchmaking. From a financial point, it didn’t work, they lost money hand over fist, had it continued, they would be gone like any other business. Enter The Ultimate Fighter.
The UFC took fighters and put them on a soap opera for men, and when the graduated placed them on the PPV cards to increase their visibility and profits. It is a similar format with their acquisition of Lesnar. He is a ready-made star. His personality has been crafted for years on the coin of Vince McMahon. Why wouldn’t the UFC use it to their advantage if they could? Well they did. McMahon actually tried it first by luring Ken Shamrock away from the UFC and putting him in the then WWF.
Brock Lesnar was just put over the top with a victory over a marketable, and respected, but aging Couture. The former WWE star now stands alone atop the UFC food chain, all 2-1 of him. He languishes ahead of former Pride champion and current interim UFC title holder Rodrigo Nogueira (31-4-1), and also ahead of Frank Mir (11-3) , who recently defeated Lesnar in ninety seconds.
We will always have to have this type of matchmaking, from a financial position we need them in order to have the other more sporting match-ups. This is not a knock, this is reality, get used to it.
Oh, and congratulations to Brock Lesnar, I expect to see you making money for the UFC for a long time, that is until someone else can make more money for them.
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