| First off, I'd like to point out that I'm not a hater. I have pretty much no problem with a former professional wrestler in MMA. One of my favorite fighters is Sakuraba, who had the same background.
Where I have some issue is how the UFC has used him. Pushed him, as it were. I understand all the logic and justifications - he had a big contact so they had to headline him, it was a good business move, the weight class is barren, the win over Couture justified everything - but I just don't like that they treated a completely untested guy in a manner in which they don't treat anyone else. That what bothers me about Lensar. You can even say its the UFC's fault - and choice - and not the fighters. No matter how well it works for the UFC in the end, even if Lesnar becomes the crossover superstar that the sport needs, I'll still always question that a bit.
The UFC's heavyweight class has been lacking in quality depth for a long time. It was when Sylvia was the champion and it is now. They have Couture, Lesnar, and Nogueira. They have Mir, who I don't think is a top ten HW - his only win of note in the past two years is Lesnar in his 2nd MMA fight and arguably Dan Christison. I don't think Herring is top ten at this point. Gonzaga is, but his loss to Werdrum was bad. Werdrum probably is, too, but I'm not sure he's even in the UFC after his loss to Junior dos Santos. As for Dos Santos, he might hit that leve but one upset win doesn't put him there yet. Carwin and Velaquez have yet to beat anyone of note. Guys like McCully are mid-level and nothing more. The thing is that the UFC had a chance to add some of the top heavyweights in the world in the past two years, since the fall of Pride, and has chosen not to (for various reasons). The division could have become one of the strongest in the promotion but it remains an outright weakness. The return of Couture helps, but who knows how long he has left or how long he'll need off between fights?
As for Tim Sylvia, he's underrated. It pains me to say that, since I really don't like him as a fighter. He's boring as hell. But he is effective at what he does. He has some quality wins. And his losses are against some of the top heavyweights in the game (the Mir loss notwithstanding, til Mir proves he belongs at the top again). Sylvia might not be absolutely elite, but he's right up there. And for Fedor to dismantle Sylvia in that manner was very impressive, even if you don't like Sylvia. It took Couture five rounds and he couldn't finish off Sylvia. Arlovski did it quick and the UFC made him out to be a monster because of it.
I won't get into Fedor much, but for anyone in the UFC to question the guy is ridiculous. He's beaten the interim heavyweight champion twice in an absolutely decisive manner. If Fedor is "a joke", what does that say about one of the best heavyweights in the UFC?
Nogueira does provide a very interesting challenge to Lesnar, if they do meet. Yes, anyone can be knocked out. But the fact that Big Nog has really only been truly rocked once (Herring) in any fight of his that I've seen of his (pretty much all of them), says something. Especially for a guy who has faced some of the best strikers in the heavyweight world, including kickboxers like Schilt and Sapp. Even on the ground, Nogueira can take some monster shots. Its not just his chin, but the technique he has of rolling his head back with the blow. Big Nog has pretty good striking, but its his submissions that are formidable. He's a world class submissions artist. He doesn't have the most exotic submissions, but he's absolutely amazing at the stuff he does. Going to ground with the likes of Nogueira is dangerous, whether you take him down or get into his guard. He's able to transition into submissions very quickly and he's constantly looking for something, even when taking a beating. Perhaps that's what makes him most dangerous, that he's still trying to grab those submissions even when he's getting hit. You can't take him off his gameplan by hitting him in the face a few times. Given that Lesnar's only explosure to a very good submission fighter resulted in him losing to a low-percentage submission that is relatively easy to get out of, Lesnar facing an even better submissions guy is obviously a style concern.
And as for the UFC fighters making pretty good money, the top guys are. The lower guys are not. The last UFC in Nevada before 91 was 86, and on that card, there were 7 guys total making $10,000 or less in base pay. The win bonus is usually double the base pay, plus any fight bonuses (Fight of the Night, etc). None of those are guaranteed, though. And sponsorship monies the fighters arrange themselves and vary heavily. 10k for one nights work might seem like a lot, but not when you consider the costs inovlved with trying to train full-time, plus you really only usually fight once every couple of months. For every guy in the UFC making it rich on his base pay alone, there are a half dozen guys who don't make any better money than most blue collar jobs. If you look at the Fight Night Live pay scales, you'll see guys making $3-5k for their fights... |