Full Contact Talk: MMA discussion

UFC president Dana White has pitched UFC 91 as the biggest potential pay-per-view sale in the company’s history. But the event doesn’t come without a bit of controversy and criticism. For one, former WWE superstar Brock Lesnar is getting a title shot tonight with only a one and one record in the UFC and two and one overall in MMA. But fans are split over Lesnar’s attempt at the heavyweight championship. A large percentage of fans cite Lesnar as the future of mixed-martial-arts while others hail Randy Couture as king.

Tonight’s title bout is Couture’s first fight in MMA following a turbulent year of lawsuits with the UFC where his heavyweight belt lay in limbo while seeing an interim title come to the surface. And such is the fuel that fires the furnace of disgruntle fans. Antonio “Minotauro” Nogueira sits on the sidelines presently watching Lesnar get the shot while he waits for a fight with Frank Mir whom handed Lesnar his first UFC loss.

Regardless of the divide, the clash between Randy Couture and Brock Lesnar is definitely one for the ages. Whether or not Lesnar is popular with a portion of the MMA community, those who dislike him are still going to tune in to hopefully see his destruction. Win or lose, all things point to the potentially high sales numbers Dana White has been harking about for since as far back as UFC 88. And certainly if Lesnar wins, he’ll deserve a minimum of respect from his previous detractors. After all, a win is a win. Right? Especially a win over a legend of mixed-martial-arts.

Although many analysts and even several professional fighters have picked Lesnar to win, it’s hard to count Randy Couture out. Countless times Couture has defied the odds of age and size to come through in stunning victory. And Couture is absolutely famous for his amazing ability to design gameplans and execute such plans with authority. And statistically, whenever Couture goes into a fight as the underdog, he normally gets the win. And guess what? Tonight Couture is yet again an underdog.

One thing is certain. Although UFC 91 is a little thin in the middle not being the most stacked card in recent months, the main event is a monster. Two big monsters in fact. Dana White estimated 1.2 million pay-per-view buys earlier in the week. If this happens, not only is Mr. White and the UFC winners, but the sport of MMA comes back into the spotlight devoid of the same dirty laundry that has plagued the sport in the fallout of EliteXC’s October CBS debacle and even the latest round of drama and legal moves within the Affliction organization.

UFC 91 is available on pay-per-view through most cable and satellite services in the United States and Canada. Streaming is also available through Yahoo! Sports. The telecast begins at 9:30 p.m. eastern standard time.

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Tags: Brock LEsnar, mma, Randy Couture, UFC, UFC 91.