UFC and Brock Lesnar Must Keep Momentum Going

Regardless of the negativity shown towards the post-fight antics of new Undisputed UFC World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar, the UFC and Lesnar himself must strike while the iron is hot.

While the UFC prides itself on being a company of respect, honor, and tradition (?), Brock Lesnar is the anti-hero that Dana White has been looking for since Tito Ortiz decided to bow out quietly and focus mainly on getting on top of his wife (the most famous porn star ever, Jenna Jameson). The die-hard MMA fans are having a tough time adjusting to a guy like Lesnar. These fans do not understand how this ex-professional wrestler can just waltz into the biggest mixed martial arts company in the world and be put in a position to headline UFC Pay-Per-Views. Dana White knows this...and he is using it to his advantage. My concern is that after all this negative backlash, will he continue to use it? I believe that he has no choice...and here is an example why.

Time and time again, Dana White has taken these alleged 'real life situations' and turned them into entertaining build-ups to his monthly Pay-Per-View events. Ken Shamrock (a former WWF Superstar) and Tito Ortiz may have had the most heated rivalry in UFC history. Tito Ortiz disrespected Shamrock to his face on numerous occassions. At UFC 40, UFC 61, and a free on Spike Special called "Ortiz vs. Shamrock: The Final Chapter", Dana White was able to continually sell these fights.

The first fight had most of the country backing the wiley veteran of Ken Shamrock against the young, cocky, champion Tito Ortiz. Ortiz played the heel...and he did so extremely well. He defeated Shamrock decisively with excessive strikes. UFC 40 had a certain buzz around it because of Shamrock's star power from his pro wrestling run and the curiosity of people who have heard of Ortiz and have never seen him fight live (like myself at the time). At the time, UFC 40 was the most successful UFC event to date.


The Ultimate Fighter 3 had gained a fair measure of momentum after the first two seasons became success stories in their own right. What better way to set the stage for a future Pay-Per-View then to have a rematch of a fight that drew more buys than ever before? Dana White made sure he put Ortiz and Shamrock in situations to make the bad blood boil over and it worked to perfection. UFC 61 had become the most successful Pay-Per-View in UFC history once again...because of this build for Shamrock and Ortiz. And the same formula was used for the third fight that was free on Spike TV. This fight once again hit a homerun for Dana White and the UFC. My problem with this whole issue with Ortiz and Shamrock is that after each and every fight, these two shook hands and hugged...and then went on to tell Joe Rogan how much they respect one another...


Are you kidding me?


When I witnessed this, I looked back at all the bad blood that was boiling over. The selling point that made me intrigued to purchase these events were that these two men outright loathed each other. And now, these two expect me to believe that everything is well and good? I am a die-hard pro wrestling fan..but I couldn't believe I saw something so damn fake on an Ultimate Fighting Championship show. Until the dominance of Chuck Lidell and Matt Hughes, the UFC lost me.

Tito Ortiz worked as a heel in the UFC so well that Dana White himself teased a possible showdown in The Octagon with "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy." This fight never happened, but what did happen was an hour long special on Spike TV selling the "real life" beef between Ortiz and White.

The UFC now has another top heel. A top heel who knows exactly how to play the heel. Not too long after UFC 100, news broke that Tito Ortiz is ready to finally return to the UFC. Could the UFC be on the verge of having TWO top heels? Is this a coincidence?

Dana White is too smart for even the most well educated Mixed Martial Arts fan. What he does with Lesnar in the next few months leading up to his next title defense is crucial. White must make sure that Lesnar is near front row for each Pay-Per-View. White must also make sure that they give Lesnar some well deserved interview time to keep this momentum going. There is no doubt in my mind that the next time Joe Rogan stands next to Lesnar, the boo's will be defeaning.

Brock Lesnar is the UFC's top draw of all time in just 4 fights for the company. He is the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World. He is a big, dangerous man who has a first hand education in selling himself in whatever way he sees fit.

The success of the UFC is on the rise. There is no telling just how big this sport can become. And with Brock Lesnar leading the way...there may be no way to stop this freight train.

UFC 100 = HUGE SUCCESS!!!

Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir: This fight has many aspects surrounding it that are very intriguing to fans around the world. First and foremost, this fight was exactly what Dana White wanted for his company. He was praying that this would happen...rather than Brock vs. Minotauro. No offense to Minotauro Nogueira...but this was the BEST possible scenario for the UFC's biggest Pay-Per-View of all time. Secondly, Lesnar had his chance to avenge his one loss in the UFC. This loss took place at UFC 81 and was controversial to say the least. Lesnar dominated the fight, but simply got caught in a ridiculous leg lock by Mir and was forced to tap out. The third aspect that made this fight so intriguing was the fact that the true, die-hard Mixed Martial Arts fans were so anti-Lesnar it was ridiculous. The boo's that filled the Mandalay Bay when Lesnar was introduced was really shocking to me. What does this man have to do to prove that he is done with his WWE-roots and is now a true, passionate fighter? This is what I thought before watching the fight..

The Fight: As soon as these two men met in the middle of the Octagon and were issued the instructions by Referee Herb Dean, it was ON! Brock passed on the pre-match touch of the gloves and made the entire building give a collective gasp. This usually does not happen in the UFC. The protocol for bad blood between two fighters is for this so-called bad blood to build hype for the fight. Pre-fight and during the fight, these guys want to kill each other. Post-fight, however, the two fighters almost always show mutual respect for each other with a big hug and an interview putting over the other guy. This is expected. As I mentioned in my analysis of the Dan Henerson and Michael Bisping fight, this bad blood is what creates the record buy rates for UFC Pay-Per-View events!


Back to Lesnar vs. Mir. Brock Lesnar absolutely pounded Frank Mir's face for nearly two straight rounds. Aside from a couple of knees that connected to the face of Lesnar, Mir had zero offense during this brutal beat down. Mir is a great fighter and I'm sure he will be back with a vengeance and earn himself a rematch against Lesnar. A rematch that will make even more money than UFC 100 because it will be the rubber match between the two. The fight at UFC 100 was stopped when Mir was pushed up against the cage by the much stronger and much bigger Lesnar. Mir, while on the mat against the cage, was repeatedly pounded in his face and could not continue. Brock Lesnar was once again an Undisputed Champion of the World. Only this time, Vince McMahon didn't decide to put the belt on him. Brock Lesnar decided to take it.


Post-fight, Lesnar did something that I almost expected him to do. He trash-talked Mir, flipped off the crowd, publicly disrespected the sponsor, and told the world he might get on top of his wife. Brock Lesnar became the biggest heel the sports world may have ever seen. If Lesnar took anything from his time working for Vince McMahon, it looks like he took the power to market himself to millions of people. He took control of the night and everything else that happened was put on the back burner. He cemented an image for himself. And considering he is already the UFC's biggest drawing star of all time, it looks like he has guaranteed himself millions of dollars.


I have read many columns talking about this topic and I have to agree with these columnists. Dana White should give Lesnar the ball and let him run with this. He should allow Lesnar to continue to piss off the crowd. He should allow Lesnar to continue to do whatever he wants pre and post-fight. If White trusts Lesnar to sell tickets and draw Pay-Per-View buys, the UFC's popularity may become scary. Ladies and gentlemen...the Brock Lesnar era has officially begun.

UFC 100 = HUGE SUCCESS!!!

GSP vs. Thiago Alves: What is amazing to me is that Georges St. Pierre has stolen the spot of "Best Pound for Pound" fighter in the world from Anderson Silva without any kind of argument. In my mind, if "The Spider" can defeat Forrest Griffin next month in Philadelphia (I wish I could go) then there is no doubt in my mind that Silva IS the "Best Pound for Pound" fighter in the world. Thiago Alves is one tough son of a bitch. This guy took everything that GSP would give him, and he kept coming back. I believe that Alves has some great things in his future and may be able to carry the Welterweight strap someday...as long as someone gets it off of GSP!

The Fight: GSP dominated this fight. It is as simple as that. He took down Alves with ease whenever he felt like it and controlled every second of every round. Post fight, however, it was confirmed that St. Pierre was hurt in the third round and was able to continually dominate Alves! Too bad Alves was unaware of this apparent injury. Will this injury slow down GSP long enough for someone to step up to the plate and defeat the dominate Welterweight Champion of the World? I honestly don't think so...but only time will tell what is next for the mega-popular GSP.

UFC 100 = HUGE SUCCESS!!!

Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping:
The Ultimate Fighting Championship continues to take monumental strides in the right direction. Dana White and his staff continue to produce tremendous Pay-Per-Views with intriguing battles. Matchmaker Joe Silva has a roster of talent that can fill arena across the country on a nightly basis if they wanted. Dana White and his staff have been able to create rivalries through his hit show "The Ultimate Fighter" (UFC's Marketing Machine and Cable Ratings Powerhouse) and is able to parlay these rivalries into record-setting Pay-Per-View buy rates. Such rivalries that have spawned from the competitive atmosphere of "The Ultimate Fighter" have been Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra, Tito Ortiz vs. Ken Shamrock, and the latest being Dan Henderson vs. Michael "The Count" Bisping.

Henderson vs. Bisping was a key element to Dana White producing his single most successful UFC Pay-Per-View of all time. These two had their respected teams battle for not only a guaranteed UFC six-figure contract, but for the respect and admiration of their countries. Henderson represented The United States in a calm, cool, and respectful manner, while Bisping took the cocky, arrogant, and trash-talking approach. For the professional wrestling fans out there, Dana White was able to create a rivalry between The USA and The United Kingdom. He created Henderson as the respect, veteran babyface for American fans and did the exact opposite with Bisping. I will not buy the fact that these two weren't produced to do just that during the filming of "The Ultimate Fighter." It created intrigue and added to the already raucous atmosphere in The Mandalay Bay. On the other side of the coin, White has used Bisping to draw packed venues in The United Kingdom on past UFC cards. At UFC 100, Henderson was the hero. Bisping was the asshole. Dana White was the genius behind it all.

The Fight: This fight created the "KO of the Night" at UFC 100 and rightfully so. The strategy of Dana White worked to perfection and the hero prevailed. Henderson unleashed his possibly deadly right hook to the jaw of Bisping early in the second round. Henderson then pounced on the unconscious Bisping and hammered down with another hay maker that could have killed the man. This is where my curiosity comes into play. Henderson knew damn well that Bisping was knocked out. With an astounding record of 25 wins and just 7 losses, Henderson gave the fans exactly what they wanted and knew what he was doing. His post match interview raised a few eyebrows. He admitted that the second, near fatal hay maker was done on purpose. This was the first interview of the night...and was only a taste of what was to come. Michael Bisping took a huge hit not only to his jaw, but to his drawing power for future UFC events. Stay tuned....