That is because all the hype for the event was centered on the UFC debut of former pro-wrestling superstar Brock Lesnar. Prior to UFC 81, Lesnar had only fought one MMA bout which, to his credit, he won in under 2 minutes. However, given the fact that his victory came at the expense of an obvious tomato can (who was himself a last-minute replacement for Korean circus attraction Hong Man Choi), many hardcore mixed martial arts fans vocally protested teh fact that a 1-0 "sports entertainer" was being pushed so hard so soon. The UFC brass buttressed the fans' inclination to cheer against Lesnar when they matched him up against one of the organization's former heavyweight champions Frank Mir. For many, Lesnar was the UFC's shameless attempt to court Pay-Per-View buys over Super Bowl weekend by bringing in someone that WWE fans unfamiliar with MMA would likely want to see irrespective of his fighting credentials. By contrast, offering support for Mir became a means for established fight fans to show their solidarity with real athletes.
Moments before Lesnar and Mir locked horns, I was still marveling at Lesnar's physical presence inside the Octagon. Now I closely followed Lesnar's entire 2-year run in the WWE, and saw him performing at 290 lbs on pretty much a weekly basis. But when you always see him going up against the 500-lb Big Show or even the 310-lb Hulk Hogan, the sheer mass of Brock Lesnar is easily lost in context. Two weeks ago, Brock weighed in at 265 lbs- the maximum one can weigh and compete as a heavyweight -and I betcha he cut a few pounds to make that. Frank Mir tipped the scales at a solid 255 but the staredown during the referee's final instructions made it clear the ex-champ was comparatively undersized. Adding further mystic to Lesnar's physicality, reports circulated in the days before the fight that the UFC had to special order XXXL gloves for him because the XXL gloves were so tight on his hands that scissors were required to remove them. In the seconds before the opening bell rang, the PPV production team made sure to showcase the WWE personalities at ringside, which included Stone Cold Steve Austin and known MMA aficianado The Undertaker.
Lesnar took the center of the cage with a mix of intensity and control. He took Mir down quickly and began reigning down heavy punches and hammer fists. Mir, a Brazilian jujitsu black belt, tried to pull himself close to Lesnar and get his massive opponent in his guard lest he be decapitated by strikes. While tucking his head close in to Lesnar's chest, Mir (according to referee Steve Mazagatti) received several illegal blows to the base of his skull. The ref calls time out, stands the fighters up, and instructs the judges to deduct one point from Lesnar on their score cards. The fight has only been going on for about 50 seconds.
Upon resuming action, Lesnar lands another fast takedown and Mir is once again attempting to pull guard. Lesnar is so damn strong that he simply pushes Mir flat on his back. Mir tweaks his strategy and makes an attempt to catch one of Brock's arms in a submission hold. He fails. Mir makes a second attempt at an armbar and Lesnar defends by standing straight up with his legs spread wide. The crafty Mir makes an instantaneous adjustment and wraps his entire person around Lesnar's leg, simultaneously sweeping Brock off his feet and securing a leg lock. Brock isn't too proud to tap before his knee is ripped apart. Mir spoils the former WWE champion's UFC debut, winning by knee bar. For all the fight's intensity and drama, it ends just 1 minute and 30 seconds into Round 1.
I must confess I was pulling for Mir in this fight but not for the sorts of reasons discussed above. Mir is a unique fighter: a big heavyweight with slick jujitsu. I like that about him. He's also cheerable because he's on the comeback trail. Not long after he won the title in the summer of '04, he was in a motorcycle accident and suffered a broken femur. The UFC eventually stripped Mir of his belt when it became unclear whether he would ever fight again. When he did resume fighting, Mir looked unimpressive and sometimes out of shape. Because success came to him easily early on, he's never had the greatest work ethic. Rushing back from a near career-ending injury didn't help his performances either. Before the Lesnar fight, Mir blew through Antoni Hardonk in under 2 minutes and fans began speculating that the "old" Frank Mir was back. This story felt too good for me to cheer for Lesnar over Mir.
Brock looked good though, even in defeat. He's ridiculously strong, amazingly fast for a man his size, and his solid amature wrestling background was evident in this fight. He's training with the same camp in Minnesota that former UFC Lightweight Champion Sean Sherk trains in, and he displayed a humility and poise in his post-fight interviews that I never saw him exhibit during his pro-wrestling career. The UFC also gave him a tough match-up in his debut. Wrestlers new to MMA are typically susceptible to submissions and Mir is one of the best submission artists in the division. Brock Lesnar has a future in the UFC if he maintains humility and dedication in his MMA training. Expect the UFC to give him an "easier" opponent in his next bout, like an average stand-up fighter with little to no ground game. Hopefully the casual fans saw how dominant Brock was for 85 of 90 seconds, and will pay to watch him again. They certainly paid up this time. Estimates are that UFC 81 did 650,000 PPV busy, making in the 3rd most watched UFC PPV ever.
Oh yeah...Nogueira defeated Sylvia with a guillotine choke in the third round of the main event to become the first man to hold a championship belt in Pride and the UFC. If you were looking solely at the mainstream sports media, you would have no idea that Nog's amazing comeback performance ever took place.
