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By: Jason Bent, MMATorch Columnist The only things missing from the countdown to UFC 91 are Dick Clark and a large Waterford Crystal ball, as the atmosphere surrounding this one is nothing short of electric; and it is in stark contrast to the usual pre-fight prognostications and pontificating by all of the usual suspects. This PPV, and its main event in particular, are being heralded as the biggest of all time in this very young sport's history, and it is virtually impossible to disagree with the hyperbolic claims being made.
Far too often we make the mistake of getting ourselves too worked up for something, and then are forced to suffer with the feeling of being let down because our expectations were simply too high to begin with. You only have to go back to the time you lost your virginity to know how true this can be, and how painful it is when the end result was nothing like the back flips and fireworks you had envisioned in your head for the entire time leading up to the big moment.
In your teenage mind it was going to be like something out of a "Penthouse Forum" letter, and you were going to unleash every single technique you had ever seen put into action from every scrambled adult film you had craned your head to try and see on the television in the basement. She was going to scream your name for hours; and she would prove to be so pleased with you that the night would end with three of her friends stopping by to join in and share you like the plate of spaghetti from "Lady and the Tramp," as you proved to be a tireless lover who just happened to be to lovemaking what Tiger Woods is to golf.
Exactly three minutes later you came face to face with the stark realization that this was not true; and rather than hoping she would tell her friends about your skills in the sack, you were begging her to not tell a single soul that this ever happened. Not that she was exactly throwing it back at you like Jenna Jameson, as she too was an awkward pile of flesh who was probably petrified due to you pawing at her like Ricco Rodriguez would a box of "Munchkins" from Dunkin Donuts.
The point id that the anticipation was so much better than the real thing; and you were left to wonder just what went wrong and why it didn't turn out like you had imagined it would. Later on you would realize that every first is awkward, and that in time all things would end up working out. You are glad you didn't videotape your first time but imagine that it would be good for a laugh if you could go back in time to simply watch. By no means is this to suggest that your first time was dreadful, but it just wasn't as great as you imagined it was going to be and this is because you expected way too much going into it.
Brock Lesnar knows all about awkward first times; and his was aired live on PPV and shall exist in the form of a permanent record by way of UFC 81 DVDs. Lesnar went into this fight with a head full of steam and visions of bashing Frank Mir's head inside out before having his hand raised while the crowd roared so loud that he lost the hearing in his left ear. Much like your first time in bed, Brock Lesnar only lasted a matter of moments in the Octagon before it all ended unceremoniously.
Brock and all of his supporters thought things would turn out much differently, and envisioned Brock pounding out a victory by way of slamming his frozen turkey-like hands into Mir's skull at least two dozen times. While the fight started out like a dream for Lesnar, it ended like a nightmare when he made a rookie mistake and got caught in a submission by the cagey veteran.
After this fight we all wondered aloud if Lesnar was a fraud; and we all had thoughts that he surely must be out of his league in the UFC, because he was beaten in a matter of a minute and a half by a fighter who clearly wasn't at the top of the food chain any longer. The prefight hype told of how this was going to be Lesnar's coming out party, and after UFC 81 was done it seemed that many of the hardcore fans were wanting him to just go away.
Fighters such as Brandon Vera and Tim Sylvia openly questioned the high rate of pay that Lesnar was receiving for his first fight, and were more than glad to have watched the golden boy tap out to Mir as they felt this more than justified their arguments. Perhaps it did at the time, but it could not be disputed that Lesnar's appearance on the card drew more buys than Brandon Vera and Tim Sylvia ever could in a lifetime.
However, this made for a curious argument as suddenly we were being forced to decide if this is in fact a business in which Lesnar deserved his spot due to buy rates, or that this is a sport in which you must earn your place based on paying your dues. Both can be argued successfully but it appeared to everyone that Lesnar was not ready for the prime time just yet. Lesnar came up short in his first time out in the UFC, but unlike the days following your first time in the bedroom, there were hopes he would get another chance to show what he could do if only he had more time to become more skilled.
Brock's chance would come at UFC 87 in the forms of a bout against the battle tested veteran Heath Herring. Again, there was hype before this fight but more folks questioned Brock's chance of success than had done so before his bout with Mir. It seemed to all that Herring would prove to be too much at this stage of Lesnar's career and that it could destroy his future in the UFC to begin his career with an 0-2 record. The expectations were present but not near the level at which they were before UFC 81. Lesnar's second chance was going to come in front of an MMA audience who had their arms folded and were daring him to try and prove them wrong.
Brock Lesnar decimated Heath Herring, and in doing so would officially arrive on the MMA scene, as his victory was of the unquestionable variety. In fact, the only thing that can be questioned is why he didn't finish this one off sooner; he owned Herring from the opening punch which sent the "Texas Crazy Horse" flying backwards as if he were a Kia Sephia having been driven into a telephone pole.
In many ways the lack of expectations for Lesnar made this victory even sweeter for both Brock as well as his supporters, who suddenly had ammunition to defend their claims that Brock belonged in this sport. Lesnar exhibited some less than sportsmanlike actions after this one was over with, but who can blame him for doing so? Lesnar had bombed on the big stage against Mir and now he spent three rounds landing blows to Herring and giving the middle finger to anyone who dared write him off based on that one performance.
This was Brock's second chance to make a first impression and dare I say that he did enough in this fight to make most forget how easily he was submitted by Mir. Lesnar didn't look like a polished pro in his first UFC fight, but the first times are always awkward and he surely showed marked improvement in his second outing. This is when the hype really began for Brock Lesnar.
This leads us to today and the palpable wave of anticipation that is in the air for this historic main event of UFC 91. We collectively did not expect too much at all in Lesnar's second fight, and this meant that we were absolutely bowled over after seeing with our own eyes just how special of an athlete that this man is. Now the hype surrounding Brock Lesnar is at an even higher level than ever before, and the anticipation for his next bout is higher than has been for arguably any fight in this sport's history. Are our expectations for this bout so high that there is no chance it can even come close to meeting them?
In this particular case I have to emphatically say no; this fight has no chance of being a failure so long as it actually takes place. The only thing that could cause this one to bomb would be if either man decided to roll with Ken Shamrock at 10am on Saturday and force Dana White to call up Seth Petruzelli and ask if he "wants to be a f***ing fighter." As long as we do not expect this to be the greatest fight in history we will not be let down. This one may be the biggest ever, but it will probably not be the most graceful and sound fight of all time; it may not even be all that good by the time it is over, but it isn't about the fight itself but instead what this fight represents that we are salivating over.
This fight is about finding out if Randy Couture can turn back time like Cher, and hoping if he does so that he refrains from wearing assless shorts to the cage. This fight is about finding out if Brock Lesnar can hang against the grappling Methuselah and if he can improve even more since his win over Herring, and show us another glimpse of just what he can do in the Octagon. As long as we are only expecting to find out answers to these questions this fight will be everything we had hoped for and so much more.
This fight will not declare who the number one heavyweight in the world is; and until Nogueira and Mir settle things it will also not crown an undisputed UFC champion at this weight. Randy Couture vs. Brock Lesnar is just the biggest and best fight if you feel it is the biggest and the best, and so long as you aren't looking for it to be anything more than you will not be let down. This show shall be an unequivocal success. This one can only fail if you are looking for it to be more than it is capable of and this is how expectations can cause us to suddenly feel letdown once the moment has passed.
This fight is not necessarily about Randy Couture, in all honesty, and this is why I have not focused on him instead devoting my time and energies on Brock Lesnar. What I mean by this is that Randy Couture cannot achieve any more or be worthy of any less acclaim regardless of how this one turns out. Couture's body of work is nothing short of awesome, and beating Lesnar does not suddenly trump any earlier success while at the same time a loss to Lesnar will not diminish his greatness.
This is our chance to see Randy Couture once more and we should savor this for all it is worth. This is Randy Couture's chance to earn a payday that is commensurate with all that he has done for this great sport, and I for one am glad to see him enjoy the fruits of all of that hard work for once. This fight isn't Randy Couture's big chance to prove anything because he simply does not need to prove himself any longer to anyone.
Randy's contributions to this sport are bigger than he is, and this fight in some measure also casts a larger shadow over this man. Should Randy pass the torch to Brock it does not mean that he shall fade away or be written off, as this man's value to this sport is immeasurable, and his name will forever remain as bright in our minds as it is up on the marquee. Couture does not need to fight this fight, and he surely doesn't need to win it, as it is his presence alone that has made this one larger than life. A win or a loss will do nothing to change that by any means.
This fight is about Brock Lesnar, and this is his chance to silence any critics he may have along with showing those who wish he would disappear that he is going to hang around for a while longer. The truth is that most who hate Brock Lesnar do so because they hate that he represents pro wrestling, or possibly those pro wrestling fans that no one seems to ever wish to be associated with. To like Lesnar means to join the pack and be a part of the mainstream which so many seem hell bent on avoiding.
This is why so many folks always prefer the "indie" bands and loathe those who "sell out" and have their t-shirts worn by pudgy teens at the mall, as they would much rather have something for themselves and not have to share it with a soul. MMA is on the verge of becoming mainstream, and some of the elitist snob fans are desperately hoping for Brock to lose because they feel that a Lesnar win could open the floodgates and give cause for even more casual fans to show up in hopes of getting a seat on the bandwagon along with a free TapOut t-shirt.
MMA is special and near and dear to the hearts of these fans; it has been that way for years, and they fear losing this special thing that has always been their very own to the masses. This is why so many seem to love to hate Lesnar; and do not let their claims of despising his lack of sportsmanship fool you, they hate him because he represents the chance for Joe Average to latch on to their sport and pry it away from their hands and force everyone to share this wonderful thing.
Brock Lesnar could be the man to take this sport further than it has ever been, and this notion frightens many of the hardcore fans who spend their days scolding fans for having fallen in love with the UFC due to "The Ultimate Fighter." If you love this sport you should want it to succeed, and by proxy you should wish for the fighters to succeed; and in all honesty a Brock Lesnar win could do more to help this sport grow than anything else in the world right now. Your support of Randy does not have to be disdain for Brock, and it would be a shame if anyone views this fight in such a manner. It is about Brock Lesnar, but this fight is just an absolute win for the sport of MMA and the UFC in particular.
UFC 91 is going to be Santa Claus riding the Easter Bunny into town with a Thanksgiving t,urkey leg in one hand and a 4th of July sparkler in the other and is essentially a MMA holiday brought to us by Zuffa. We should be glad to know that this is not a make or break night for the UFC, but rather a night on which we can show the whole world that this sport is here to stay, and prove it by the number of buys it does. This sport no longer has to prove itself, and Randy Couture surely doesn't have to, but in many ways Brock Lesnar does. This is why this fight is about Brock Lesnar more than anything else, and it can go a long way towards showing that he belongs and establishing that he is going to be the face of the new generation of UFC superstars.
My prediction for this fight is that we are in for 2-½ rounds of excitement, and that Randy Couture is going to be locked inside of the Octagon with a wild animal and fighting, not for his career, but his life. There is no way that Lesnar will submit Couture, and I honestly do not see Brock putting himself into a position to be submitted himself. The first round will establish who the stronger man is, and Couture will survive based on his heart as well as his ever sharp skills.
The second round will begin the end for Couture and I truly do see a tireless Brock dictating the pace and beginning to cause Randy to wilt. By the midway point of the third round it will become apparent to everyone that Brock is not going to quit or tire and I feel that this will be the moment that the cumulative amount of the damage will come into play and force the referee to wave this one off.
Couture will never quit; Brock will not give in; and the irresistible force shall topple the irreplaceable legend in what shall be a fight for all of us to savor on Saturday night. This one will not go to the scorecards, and I believe it will go down as a definitive victory for Lesnar and the beginning of his rise to the top of the MMA world with Fedor on the horizon. The only thing bigger than this sport in the near future may well be Brock Lesnar's hands; and on Saturday night at UFC 91, those hands will prove to be big enough to not only hold the world, but shake it up just a bit as if he were a large child shaking a snow globe and laughing maniacally.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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