Post UFC 81 Musings

Part 1
Part 2


Congrats UFC, You've got the 3rd best heavyweight in the world
Big Nog was able to with stand a ton of punishment but came out of the fight with the W. the only thing that came out of the fight with more damage was the image of the UFC Heavyweight division. With his dominant wins over Nog, there is little doubt that Fedor is the better fighter, whether they hold the fight in a pride ring, UFC cage, YAMMA Pitfighting hydraulic dome of doom. And though I'm not sure who would win between the two, most folks are gonna place Couture ahead of Nog as well. Couture has generated enough goodwill over the years that many will place him ahead of NOg, though he probably wouldn't deserve it otherwise.

UFC Brass - The Model of Professionalism
Once again, after the fight we get to see that the entire UFC crew are a bunch of homers, from the refs down to the matchmakers. The point deduction by Mazzagatti was kinda ridiculous, there was no warning and it didn't really look like Mazagatti even checked to see if Mir recovered from the blow... he didn't have to because it hardly even grazed him. Mir sold it like a champ, though, so who knows maybe he and Brock can exchange careers. Mir was clear eyed and cognizant until Mazzagatti told him that he was hit in the back of the head, but that was a nice stagger he did getting up. Then after the fight, UFC matchmaker Joe Silva engaged in a passionate man hug with Mir that made the Jean Claude Van Damme - Fedor embrace at Yarennoka look absolutely heterosexual. They cut away real quick, so there may have been a liplock in addition to the earlier leglock, but I can't confirm it. This was shades of the Forrest Griffin - Shogun fight when every UFC employee in sight was visibly plotzing themselves after the win. Mazzagatti was reffing that fight and could hardly keep the grin off of his face. A little professionalism isn't much to ask for, is it?

Brock - Meet Eddie Sanchez, Antoni Hardonk, and Cheick Kongo.
Brock looked very impressive in his performance, and the fans will buy him as legit if the UFC bookers look to build him up rather than throw him to the lions. The next ideal match-up for Brock would be someone like Hardonk or Kongo, strikers that can be taken down at will. Have him work with some BJJ guys while taking these other fights. Hell, I'd send him out to Vegas every so often and have him roll with Mir to get some live action BJJ training. IF they are just gonna throw Brock to the wolves so to speak, Luke Thomas over at bloodyelbow.com had a good suggestion in putting on a Mirko Cro-cop vs Brock Lesnar fight. I would love to see that.... if you are gonna pay both guys big money then get something out of them.

Mir - Is his resurrection a Mir-age?
While Mir has looked good in his last two fights, folks are a bit misguided in thinking this is some kind of resurrection of sorts for his career. Some folks are even talking title shot. Slow Down....... He was able to work his BJJ against noobs on the ground in Hardonk and Lesnar. This is still the same guy that destroyed by Brandon Vera in record time and the one who took a beating from Pe DePano. The best fight for Mir next would be a re-match with Big Tim, a fight that could be sold as a grudge match and one that Mir stands a chance in hell against. Trying to throw him in with Nog would be a mismatch of epic proportions. Mike Goldberg stated after the PPV that we saw two of the greatest BJJ practitioners in the history of MMA on the card. Well, one guy is and the other guy is probably not even the best BJJ guy in his own dojo.....I'll let you decide which is which.....

Boestch wins, IFL gets credibility boost
IFL veteran Tim Boesch just demolished UFC vet Heath. You have to think this is a feather in the cap of the IFL. While the IFL is dismissed as a second rate org with third rate fighters by UFC nut huggers of the world, Boestch's win shows that the IFL guys would hold their own with a lot of the UFC roster. Wonder if this will bring the odds down any on the upcoming Jon Fitch - Chris Wilson fight. Wilson is another IFL vet who is great with the stand up game.

The disembodied randy Couture
Ralph Ellison may have written Invisble Man but it was also an apt description of Couture's persona non grata presence at the PPV. Randy was cornering Tyson Griffin for his fight with Gleison Tibau and you heard a disembodied voice that seemed familiar but the camera shots were so tight on Griffin that you couldn't make out who they were coming from. Oh Yeah, that was the company's current Heavyweight champion . Rogan and Goldy no sold it, something a crew like Lampley and Merchant wouldn't do over at HBO.