Issue 051

July 2009

Over the past few months there has been a lot of conjecture surrounding Brock Lesnar’s hastened ascent to the pinnacle of the UFC heavyweight division. 

Arguments rage about his worth as champion, his position as a legitimate MMA fighter and the capitalist motives that led to the opportunities given to him. All of these are valid concerns, and each worthy of much debate, but I believe Brock Lesnar is as good for the heavyweight division as he is for Dana White’s pocket.  

The UFC heavyweight division was dealt a death-blow on July 8 2006, when Tim Sylvia defeated Andrei Arlovski in the conclusive fight of their trilogy. The fight signaled the eventual defection of the charismatic and thoroughly entertaining Belarussian, who left the UFC stuck with title contenders such as the limited Jeff Monson.  

This article is in no way an attempt to criticize Tim Sylvia as a fighter or man. He holds an impressive 24-5 record, is a two-time heavyweight champion and fought the best of his generation throughout his career. Unfortunately, he lacks the personality, marketability or style to lead a division, a flaw the UFC were well aware of and prompting them to bring in the legendary dual-weight champion, Hall of Fame member and fan-favorite retiree Randy Couture, who was called upon to save the day in a manner befitting his ‘Captain America’ moniker.  

Now, I’ll admit I possess an almost sycophantic affection for Randy Couture, but his position as champion actually weakened the validity of the UFC heavyweight title. He retired a year previously, after two devastating knockout losses to Chuck Liddell had ended his quest to reign at light heavyweight. That a 43-year-old man (albeit Randy Couture) could return after a year of inactivity and claim the heavyweight title spoke volumes. Couture’s position as champion exposed the weakness of the division.  

Couture was a popular champion, and his return to action revived interest in a division dangerously devoid of both talent and glamour. The UFC were aware that, due to age (and a burgeoning film career), Couture was a temporary solution, so they set about bolstering the caliber of heavyweight competitors by signing the vaunted and much-marketed pair of Pride fighters, Mirko Filipovic and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.  

Filipovic was all set to be Couture’s first challenger but suffered a loss via an extremely ironic head kick (and an immediate demystification in the eyes of the casual UFC fan), while the UFC-version of Nogueira has never convinced. He was seriously troubled by both Heath Herring and Tim Sylvia, and the signs of his decline were evident long before his demolition at the hands of Frank Mir. The situation was further exasperated by Couture’s year-long hiatus following the Gonzaga fight. In his absence the division continued to flounder.  

The UFC heavyweight division was reborn February 2, 2008, when Brock Lesnar made his UFC debut at the Mandalay Bay Events Center (even if he did lose to Frank Mir). Less than a year later, both combatants would hold a share of the heavyweight title. The fight itself was as spectacular as it was short. Lesnar’s inexperience was obvious as he attempted to escape from a leglock in the frenzied way a panicked schoolchild might adopt if their shoe became stuck in mud. The dominating power and raw potential of Lesnar was unveiled. Mir received enough exposure and popularity from his victory to get a shot at the interim champ. The fight was set for December and the heavyweight title was put on hold until then.  

Confusion began when Couture decided that he would return in the intervening months, creating a problem for the matchmakers of the UFC. Aside from Lesnar, what other viable opponents were available to mark the third coming of a legend? Mir and Nogueira were both locked into The Ultimate Fighter series. A rematch with Gonzaga a year after their first meeting made little sense, and novice fighters such as Shane Carwin and Cain Velasquez, while extremely impressive, had yet to come close to earning a shot and would prove insufficient to the grandiose event planned to welcome back the champion. Aside from turning the Liddell-Couture trilogy into a ‘quadrilogy’, the answer was simple.  

With Lesnar at the top of the heavyweight division, the title has again become relevant. The UFC has a polarizing focal point, capable of headlining an event on his own and around which a whole career of explosive fights can be built.  

Even if, as I suspect, Mir is to repeat what happened in the first fight, it is Lesnar that will prove the defining factor in the rebirth of the heavyweight division. Both he and Mir endorsed the validity of their title shots through victory. Thankfully, for the first time in a long time the UFC shall have a definitive champion in a competitive heavyweight division.