MMA's 3'Rs 7.13.09: UFC 100 - Making History: Lesnar vs. Mir II

Posted by Larry Csonka on 07.13.2009

UFC 100 is in the books, and the event has been heralded as a huge success. Brock Lesnar is now the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion, Sexyama’s debut brought mixed reactions, Dan Henderson KO’d Michael Bisping, Bruce Buffer debuted the Buffer 360, and guys still don’t know when to take their 5-minutes. The 3R’s of MMA breaks down the Right, the wRong, and the Ridiculous from the UFC 100 weekend!



* Welcome *
Welcome back to another edition of MMA's 3R's! 411's Matt McEwen is on holiday right now, and had to miss out on the glory that was the build to UFC 100. But his loss is my gain as I take the column concept that I started many moons ago and give it a go in MMA. You may have noticed that the R's have been farmed out to the other zones, and I have to say that I am proud to see that. Once my lawyer finalizes things, I will be receiving approximately $562 and a hot roast beef and provolone sandwich. But today we are here to discuss UFC 100, the biggest event in the history of the company. But did the show deliver? Let's find out!

* Thanks *
Before we get in with things, I want to send out some special thanks. First to you the readers of 411. You have stayed loyal to us for years, and have been here as this MMA Zone has grown from a dream into a full reality. As the UFC has built to their biggest event, this Zone has grown along with that, and as one of the people in charge, it makes me very happy.

Also a special thanks to our very dedicated staff. Not only have they worked hard in their weekly contributions, but they took a lot of time to make the Countdown to UFC 100 a reality.

* Best UFC Events *
* Best UFC Fighters *
* Best UFC Main Events *
* Favorite UFC Memories *
* Worst UFC Events *

* The Column Concept *
For those of you unfamiliar with the concept of the column, here it is. The column will look at events and or happenings in the world of MMA. They will be broken down into the three categories, the Right, the wRong and the Ridiculous. The Right will be the good and great fights or positive news items of the week. Perhaps even big fight announcements. The wRong will be bad fights, bad booking decisions and the like. Finally, the Ridiculous are the things that were just the worst of the world of MMA. They get grouped in their categories, and for a show, they will get a score from 1-10, based on the 411 ratings scale.


* And now, the 3R's of… *



* The Results *
* Shannon Gugerty defeated Matt Grice via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 1, 2:36
* Tom Lawlor defeated C.B. Dollway via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 1, 0:55
* Dong Hyun Kim defeated T.J. Grant via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
* Jon Jones defeated Jake O'Brien via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 2, 2:43
* Jim Miller defeated Mac Danzig via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
* Mark Coleman defeated Stephan Bonnar via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
* Yoshihiro Akiyama defeated Alan Belcher via SPLIT decision (30-27 Akiyama, 29-28 Belcher, 29-28 Akiyama)
* Dan Henderson defeated Michael Bisping via RD2 (3:20) KTFO
* UFC Welterweight Title Bout: GSP defeated Thiago Alves via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-44, 50-45)
* UFC Undisputed Heavyweight Title Bout: Brock Lesnar defeated Frank Mir via RD2 (1:48) KO
* Jon Fitch defeated Paulo Thiago via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

THE RIGHT:



Countdown And Hype For UFC 100, Extras: My plan is to take a look at the entire event, from the pre-event stuff to the actual event itself. First of all, the word on the event really picked up on Friday. With the countdown show already aired, and I will talk about that, the Expo about to begin and the Dana White video blogs in full effect, UFC 100 was a huge topic of discussion. On Friday it was trending high in the top TWITTER topics and on Google trends. These are all good things heading into the biggest show the company has ever put on. Since I can't attend the Expo, I just want to mention that this is a great thing that they are doing, and I am also glad to hear that they are exploring doing more events like this.

As for the countdown show, that shit was awesome. The UFC countdown shows tend to deliver and deliver well. For those unfamiliar with the concept of the show, the goal is to hype the main matches for the upcoming PPV, those being Lesnar vs. Mir, GSP vs. Alves and Hendo vs. Bisping. The Lesnar vs. Mir stuff was tremendous. Mir comes off as so unlikable, and when it was all said and done, I wanted to see the man get destroyed. The GSP vs. Alves stuff was fine, but I was really impressed with the Hendo vs. Bisping segment. To me, this came off as the second most important fight on the show.

The countdown special also did something that no other countdown special had done up to this point, it drew 1.11 million viewers. These specials usually average around 600,000 viewers, so that is even more evidence that the expectations for this event are much higher than usual. Since most are throwing them out, I will make my prediction for the event. 1.35 million buys.

Holly Madison: Cage Chick: No harm, no foul. They didn't blitz us with annoying advertising, they just had a hot chick that has some fame from reality TV hold the damn cards. I have no issue with this, besides, have you seen the chick's body?


Tom Lawlor Is My Hero: First of all, he gets my love for the weigh-ins, where he decided to imitate James Ladner from UFC 15 with the JUST BLEED pose and paint work. This made me laugh…

But it got even better. Tom Lawlor decided that this was the perfect weekend to show us just how much charisma that he has. Not only were his antics at the weigh-in great, but after he defeated C.B. Dollway via submission in under a minute, he cut a tremendous post fight interview. Lawlor, a middleweight, called out the winners of Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir, and then the winners of Georges St. Pierre vs. Thiago Alves. I think he also called out the WEC. He showed a ton of charisma after a quick victory, and that goes a long way.

$100,000 Fight Night Bonuses: During the preliminary bouts of UFC 100, UFC president Dana White told the press that the UFC 100 "fight night" bonuses will be worth $100,000 each to commemorate UFC 100. Usually we see bonuses from $30,000 up to $85,000 for the events, s the fact that they are jumping them up to $100,000 for the event is not only a nice gesture, but also a sign that they expect a big buy rate. These are the biggest bonuses they have ever given out. Also, all too often people complain that the fighters do not make enough. While in some instances I agree, the fact is that Zuffa has been very smart business wise, and has never overpaid. Elite XC overpaid and they are gone. Affliction is over paying, and with that and PPV buys nowhere close to where they thought they would be, they aren't making money. UFC is making money, having more shows than ever, which means more fighters are employed now than ever. That's a good thing. Hell, they gave out extra bonuses on he last fight night show.

Mark Coleman Lives To Fight Another Day: While I feel that this fight should have been on he main card, that isn't what we are about to discuss. But the good news out of this fight is that Mark Coleman was the winner, and he lives to fight another day. Coleman returned to the UFC and lost to Mauricio Rua in January. Coleman looked bad, and should have been finished much sooner in the fight, but the heart was still there for him, and he made it a battle and survived into the third round. While only 0-1 since his return, I felt that he needed to win the fight at UFC 100 to mean anything to the company. And what I mean is that he still has a name, and a name that will mean something to PPV buys and if an up and comer defeats him. The win over Bonnar looks good for Coleman, but you have to wonder what the future for Bonnar is. But the bottom line is that Coleman won the fight, overcame the odds since many thought he would lose again, and now will move on, and that's a good thing I think.

That's HENDO to you, douchebag…: The first of the three main evens of the evening was the battle of the Ultimate Fighter Coaches. To me Dan Henderson vs. Bisping was a match I really wanted to see, and I expected a three round war. Well, that didn't happen. Bisping decided to stay with a game plan that in the past had worked, which is exit left, and circle. Well, that game plan was the wrong one for UFC 100, because Hendo's execution was just too good. Bisping kept exiting left, which was to the power hand of Hendo. His corner even told him to stop doing that, but he didn't listen. Poor game plan + ignoring your corner = KNOCKED THE FUCK OUT. You really couldn't ask for a more impressive victory from Hendo here. He started with two losses in the UFC (to Rampage and Silva) but is now 3-0 in his last three. I personally think that he deserves another shot at Silva, he looked great and seems to have a newfound motivation. Book it. The only compliant was that Hendo admitted to hitting Bisping when he knew he was out. That's not cool in my book.

UFC Welterweight Title Bout: GSP defeated Thiago Alves via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-44, 50-45) : The second main event of the show was the welterweight title bout. It was a very simple bout, as GSP used the same strategy as he used against Fitch and BJ. Work the takedowns, keep control and work on tiring out his opponent. This was especially a good plan against Alves as he cuts a ton of weight, and the dehydration can really hurt your cardio. GSP had nine takedowns in the fight, and controlled the dangerous Alves with relative ease. GSP won the decision, and I give him a ton of credit, ad he suffered a torn groin in round three, and fought the last two rounds an injured man. GSP continues to prove that he is on a different level than anyone else in the division. The winner of Swick vs. Kampmann looks to be next, but after that, I want to see GSP vs. Silva.

UFC Undisputed Heavyweight Title Bout - Brock Lesnar defeated Frank Mir via RD2 (1:48) KO: And now we come to the BIG main event of the evening. When they announced Brock vs. Couture and Mir vs. Nog, I was in full support of Brock and Mir winning to set up the rematch, to me that was the biggest business, and I also wanted to see if Brock could get his win back so to speak. Short and simple, all Mir was now was talk. Brock mauled him. He took him down and just beat on him like the first fight, but longer. Mir got a quick flurry in round two, but Lesnar was just too much for him. He took him down, beat on him and the fight was stopped. Lesnar won, and the talk now turns to the after fight stuff. If you were offended, get over it. He apologized because people are afraid of characters. Although the same people that were MAD at Brock, love Nick Diaz's antics, double standard much. We'd had this argument before, pure sport alone will not always work. When a guy has charisma and doesn't mind playing the heel, let him, controversy creates cash and people will line up to see that cocky ass pro wrestler get his. While bashing Bud Lite wasn't the smartest thing, talking shit and telling everyone that hates you that you're going to go home and lay and pray on your hot wife for hours is hilarious. If I had to guess, Lesnar will face the winner of Couture vs. Nog and then (the winner) moves onto the winner of Cain vs. Carwin.

THE BUFFER 360~!: He did it as promised…

THE wRong:



I expected…: I have to say that while this isn't the most important thing, I do think that the UFC missed the boat on another aspect of the big UFC 100 event. I have to admit that I thought that this would be the show that the run a 4-hour PPV. This is not a change I want for all the time, but something they could do occasionally. UFC 100, UFC 150, UFC 200 and so on and so forth. Before the event took place I had discussed this with many, and I think that they missed the boat with running three hours and leaving the Jon Jones vs. Jake O'Brien and Mark Coleman vs. Stephan Bonnar fights off of the show. Jones is a hot up and comer, and Bonnar and Coleman are loved by the UFC fans, I really think that they could have taken the chance for the 4-hours here, and hell, make a bit more money in the process.

Yoshihiro Akiyama defeated Alan Belcher via SPLIT decision (30-27 Akiyama, 29-28 Belcher, 29-28 Akiyama): I was not as excited as most when they announced that Akiyama would debut at UFC 100. First of all, debuting on the biggest UFC show of all time puts a ton of pressure on the guy. Secondly, for his first fight, I would have made it a TV bout and against an easier opponent. You have to give the guy a chance to get used to the cage, it's just a different animal from the ring. But hey, that's just my opinion. As for the fight, I liked it. I thought both guys worked hard, and it was entertaining. Unfortunately, this is a fight that will be scarred by some shady judging. Round one was a toss up in my opinion, Akiyama soundly took round two, and I feel that he took round three, but also that it was a toss up. It should have been a split decision with 29-28 scores, but in NO WAY should any judge have scored the bout 30-27. That is insane, and another reason that they say not to let it go to the judges.

Jon Fitch defeated Paulo Thiago via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28): I appreciate a good chess match, grappling bout as much as the next guy, and what my issue is has nothing to do with the fighters. First of all, this was a needed win for Fitch. He lost his title bout and was looking to come back and come back big. Thiago stormed onto the scene with the KO of Koscheck, and was looking to continue his rise against Fitch. They had a beautiful grappling bout that showed off a ton of skill, and Fitch got the important win as he tries to rebuild himself. I say that after re-watching the fight on Sunday. On Saturday night it was boring as piss, and that is the fault of the company. They decided to make it a swing bout, and unfortunately for both guys they got tossed on AFTER the main event. At this point I was done, I saw what I wanted to see, and had no interest in this grappling bout. Also, there was really no reason to move it here but they did. In hindsight a fun fight, but on that night, I wanted nothing to do with it, and that is the fault of the company.

THE RIDICULOUS:



Dear Fighters…: Dear Fighters, I want to tell you something. If during the fight you get hurt or kicked in the balls, and the referee offers you five-minutes to recover, TAKE THE FIVE-MINUTES. The five-minutes is your right after absorbing an illegal blow during a sanctioned fight, and no one will think that you are a pussy for taking the time. I'm not kidding, it isn't a bad thing to take your time and recover. All to many times I see a guy get racked in the balls, and he takes a few seconds and then gets right back into the bout. And then they either lose or get rocked for a bit, because they aren't recovered. The bottom line is this, take the time given to give yourself the proper recovery time. There is nothing wrong with that.

* The 411 *

Overall I have to say that I was satisfied with the event. I loved the countdown special and video blogs, I didn't mind the hot chick as the ring card girl and yes, I rocked out to the SPIKE TV marathon before the PPV to get hyped up. I watched the show on my HD Projector in the game room, 8 feet by 8 feet of UFC 100 greatness and I was very happy. Hendo killing Bisping was spectacular, GSP's domination is undeniable and people need to stop making excuses when Lesnar wins, because the guy is the real deal.

I liked Akiyama vs. Belcher, and it likely deserved the FOTN, I haven't seen the prelims. But really, bad judging again comes out and ruins some of the enjoyment. And while I can appreciate the chess match that was Fitch vs. Thiago, at that point in the evening I am not afraid to day that it bored me to tears after round one. Maybe one day the UFC will run the four-hours on a special show, but I felt that this was their time.

In the end, I was satisfied with the show. It felt like a big event, the guys I like won, and the heavyweight picture is now solidified and they can move on. With the Couture vs. Nog and of Cain vs. Carwin. Fights coming up, contenders are at the ready. Also, if Mir can win 2-3 fights in a row, he is back in it for the rubber match. Add in TUF and other HW signings, and the division is something to talk about once again.

Thumbs up for UFC 100!

SHOW RATING: 8.2

* TWITTER *

* CSONKA TWITTER! *
* http://www.twitter.com/411mma *
* http://www.twitter.com/411wrestling *
* http://www.twitter.com/411moviestv *
* http://www.twitter.com/411music *
* http://www.twitter.com/411games *