This is Georges St-Pierre or GSP, and he is the UFC Welterweight Champion of the World. He is also quite possibly the best fighter currently in the UFC, he also happens to be an Oiler fan.
Well, that's where I am going to leave both GSP (for the moment) and the Oilers. I just want to talk about what I have (affectionately) called UFC 100: Disappointment.
To be honest and fair, I haven't watched the undercard bouts, and I liked 3/4 of the maincard fights, but the "Main" Event Lesnar v. Mir 2 was a MASSIVE let-down.
I want to talk about the first 3 fights on the card first:
Yoshihiro Akiyama v. Alan Belcher
I don't really have much to say about this fight. Belcher caught Akiyama with a really brutal groin kick, so kudos to Akiyama for still dominating the fight. I also don't understand how this was a split decision and not unanimous in favour of Akiyama, I felt he really dominated the fight.
Michael Bisping v. Dan Henderson
There was a lot of bad blood going into this fight for Dan Henderson. Bisping had been doing a good job of bad mouthing and getting press for the match, at the expense of Henderson and the Americans (who lost TUF 9). I have to admit to being a Bisping fan, and I actually was liking the way the fight was going for him. With the exception of a poor start (and a VERY good one for Henderson) I felt Bisping did a good job of controlling the fight. However, Bisping made one small mistake andwalked right into Henderson's wheel house, and took a right hook to the side of the head so hard he was out before he hit the mat. The only thing I have that's bad to say about this fight is the TOTALLY unnecessary "Falcon Punch" Henderson delivered to Bisping after he had obviously KO'd him. Now in the heat of the fight, I can understand following a guy to the ground, but that was overkill, and it isn't good for the UFC's image. I wasn't a fan of the UFC for a long time, mostly because I thought it was too brutal, but after watching a lot of MMA (and becoming obsessed with it) I can understand following a fighter to the ground, I mean you have to make sure you finish the fight, right? But for the (new) fans watching the UFC for the first time, that punch only served to validate the "Human Cock-Fighting" argument. I definitely place some blame on the Ref for not stopping Henderson from delivering his flying elbow.
Georges St-Pierre (GSP) v. Thiago Alves
To me, maybe because I am such a huge GSP fan, any fight with GSP in it always has the making of a great fight, and this one didn't let me down. GSP totally dominated Alves (who never had a chance anyways) and won it by decision. The fact that GSP pulled his groin in the third round and still beat the hell out of Alves only puts the exclamation mark on the match. However, probably most importantly GSP acted like the fighter the UFC needs more of, humble, appreciative, and gentle. While this kind of fighter will not bring in the money, like say a guy such as Brock Lesnar, GSP is the image the UFC wants and needs.
Frank Mir v. Brock Lesnar 2
This was the one fight that I didn't like, and it was truly god awful. If there is any fighter I like more than GSP it's Frank Mir, however, while I was upset that Mir didn't win, it didn't factor that much in this decision. This was the most hyped fight I have ever seen, Mir v. Lesnar 2 posters were every where. You couldn't watch/listen/read an article on MMA that didn't mention it. The fight started off ok, there was a little awkward stand up, and it seemed to confuse Mir, then most of the rest of the fight was spent with Lesnar laying on Mir punching him in the face. To Mir's credit he almost dropped Lesnar with a vicious knee in the second round but to no avail, the first round repeated itself. Now this was a disappointing fight for a hardcore fan, I can only imagine how disappointed first time viewers might have been. Mir v. Lesnar was supposed to carry the UFC into the future with a new wave of fandom, and I doubt that's what will happen now. On top of the boring/brutal fight, all the crap Lesnar said at the end of the fight like "who knows, maybe I'll get on top of the wife too" and insulting the sponsors. This fight was just plain horrible for the UFC. Instead maybe the UFC should focus on the sportsmanship displayed by Mir throughout this whole thing. He promoted the fight without being arrogant or abrasive, he offered to touch gloves before the fight, he was gracious in defeat, and stood there while Lesnar put on his show. Last night Mir and GSP were the ultimate display of what a UFC fighter should be.
I guess all I can say in conclusion is I can't wait for Mir v. Lesnar 3 (which is probably inevitable) and hope Mir (or anyone else, but mostly I hope Mir) can give Lesnar a good ole piece of Humble Pie.
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