Posted by CJ on July 6th, 2009 under Octagon Buzz

Seldom has a mixed-martial arts contest captured the imagination of fans in the way that the Brock Lesnar-Frank Mir contest at UFC 100 has.

In many ways, the enthusiasm surrounding the main event is representative of the overall state of mixed martial arts in society today. At the very core, Lesnar is the everyman—the fighter who came from a farm, took part in other sports and forms of entertainment, then waltzed into the UFC and captured the heavyweight title. The former professional wrestler is both the perfect hero and the perfect heel. Optimists love to hear about the pure athlete who emerged out of nowhere to reach the pinnacle of a new, untapped sport. Pessimists see Lesnar as the problem with the sport, suggesting that there is nothing in place to make a fighter “pay his dues,” and weed out those who may just get lucky, defy UFC betting odds, and win a few fights.

Those same pessimists are the ones who appreciate Frank Mir, one of the most gentlemanly, technically sound MMA fighters in the world. Thus, in every way, this yin and yang matchup is the perfect one to headline the centennial event in this budding sport.

In the beginning, the UFC was a niche—only those with satellite TV or access to black market VHS tapes could see the action. Today, one can look anywhere and see evidence of the UFC’s popularity—t-shirts, hats, DVDs, action figures. Now, in 2009, Lesnar and Mir are expected to draw huge sports gambling numbers and pay-per-view figures—many are estimating, higher than any boxing betting or pro wrestling totals this year.

Lesnar will be looking to avenge a loss to Frank Mir, which took place in his first UFC tilt. In that bout, Lesnar appeared to have won before being called for a questionable illegal blow to the back of Mir’s head. Consequently, Mir soon wrapped him up in a leg lock and ended the fight. Now however, MMA betting experts are suggesting that Brock is a more well-rounded fighter, which was evidenced in victories over Heath Herring, and also his title victory over Randy Couture.

For Mir, question marks swirl above surrounding his time away from the octagon and recent knee injury. Mir is a natural striker who may not have the solid base he once did, especially against a monster who, before training, tips the scales at around 320 pounds…of muscle.

There’s no doubt that the majority of UFC betting money will be coming in on Lesnar, and that fan support will likely be split down the middle.

What everyone can agree upon, however, is that MMA is here to stay.