UFC 81 Thoughts

Don’t miss Luke Thomas’ post show thoughts on Any Given Saturday radio.

Man what a great night of MMA! Quick Thoughts:

• Welcome to MMA Lots of WWE fans tuning in to see their first MMA show got a GREAT introduction to the sport.
• A Jiu Jitsu Showcase The Mir/Lesnar and Nogueira/Sylvia fights were both great introductions to the magic of jiu jitsu in MMA. The WWE kids tuning in for the first time tonight must’ve gotten a comparable mind blowing experience watching those fights as us old schoolers got the first time we saw scrawny little Royce Gracie using Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to win fight after fight.
• What’s next for Brock? A match between Brock Lesnar and Tim Sylvia holds a lot of intrigue — which fighter can come back from a huge loss? Can Lesnar handle Sylvia’s powerful striking? Can Big Tim sprawl and brawl against a guy his own size? On the other hand, Lesnar’s drawing power could certainly justify Zuffa spending the $300,000 that Cro Cop costs them.
• The legend of Big Nog comes to America. And with Fedor no where in the picture, Nogueira could enjoy a long and happy title reign. Have to wonder if they’ll pull the rug out from under Werdum and give the first shot at Big Nog’s belt to someone more marketable — like a newly revitalized Frank Mir.
• Marquart/Almeida? Both guys looked ultra sharp tonight. Putting them in the ring together seems like a no brainer. If Evan Tanner loses to Okami, I’d love to see that Horn/Tanner fight we’ve been hoping to see for 8 years.
• Tyson Griffin Wins Another Decision And this one was not quite as controversial as his “win” over Clay Guida, but still wasn’t the kind of performance that will get him a title shot in the jam-packed 155lb division. As I thought Tibau’s size advantage was a factor.
• Tim Boetsch! This guy was VERY impressive. Making a short-notice debut in the UFC is never easy — unless you’re Tim Boetsch that is. Looking forward to seeing how he fares in the packed 205 class. I expect that’s the end of David Heath’s UFC career.