Showdown on MMA: Head of the class

On Tuesday UFC President Dana White made many fans smile from ear to ear by making two announcements that will quench the rabid fan base for MMA in The Great White North.

The first announcement was that former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar and top contender Junior dos Santos would oppose one another as coaches for Season 13 on The Ultimate Fighter. The two will square off inside the octagon in June. As it stands right now, the only pay-per-view event rumoured for the organization that month, is UFC 131 on the 11th in Vancouver.

White also announced that should featherweight contender Mark (The Machine) Hominick of Thamesford, Ont. come out unscathed in his bout with George Roop, he will be granted a title shot versus current champion, Jose “Junior” Aldo. The bout is now expected to be the co-main event at UFC 129, taking place in Toronto on April 30.

While both of these proclamations by White have those North of the Border anticipating an exciting year of MMA on their home soil, it’s the news about Brock Lesnar that has flooded my twitter account, as well as every other way one can message me on my Blackberry.

There is a segment of the hardcore and mainstream MMA fan base that is not overly happy about Lesnar being selected as a coach for TUF 13 (which incidentally will feature a cast of only welterweights). I sympathize with their belief that the former champ, with a record of only 5-2, is still relatively green when it comes to MMA technique, and that he cannot offer much to his team. To be frank, that’s looking at the situation from the surface. There are many more layers to this coaching equation than the average eyes can see.

First and foremost is Lesnar does not have to be the coach per se. He can leave that up to his assistants — a stellar bunch which will likely include Marty Morgan (wrestling), Erik Paulson (legendary grappling and MMA coach), Rodrigo Comprido Medeiros (two time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion) and perhaps Peter Welch (boxing coach extraordinaire).

I also cannot help but think that Brock’s work ethic will likely spread through the team, especially if he decides to put the work in himself.

His advice on “how to market yourself” would simply be invaluable to any of the athletes who are part of his team. Let’s face it, we are talking about the No. 1 pay per view draw in MMA today. For a guy who conducts the bare minimum of interviews, he is a captivating figure, not just because of his sheer size, but the fact he needs just a few seconds to make headlines for months. Case in point: His post-fight interview at UFC 100 still has fans talking.

Every fighter aspires to be in the position Lesnar is in: Headlining pay per views, on the cover of magazinesand most importantly they would love to be cashing cheques like his at the bank. For those that say otherwise, I’d be interested to hear your counter-argument. In fact, I retract that statement — you need a reality check.

Another key item that should not be overlooked here, is Brock’s agreement to face JDS next.

We all recall what Shane Carwin did to Lesnar in the first round of their fight. Critics quickly piped up that Lesnar’s striking was suspect and that he had yet to learn how to stay in the pocket, bob, weave, etc. This was confirmed when he lost the title to Cain Velasquez, where the critics stood in unison saying Lesnar could easily be defeated by any competent striker. To wit, Junior dos Santos is the best heavyweight striker the UFC has on their roster – and Lesnar accepted the fight.

He now has an opportunity to prove his critics wrong, and to showcase the “mixed” in Mixed Martial Arts. If he decides to stand and trade with “Cigano”, no one likes his chances. But if he can take the Brazilian down to the mat, and punish him with some ground and pound to earn a victory, then what will the critics say?

JDS is coming into this fight as the favourite, but I’m not sure I agree. If he cannot stop the takedown, he will look similar to how Frank Mir looked post-UFC 100. But if he can stop the takedown, or at least do what Velasquez was able to do, and get right back up when he was taken down, perhaps, at UFC 131 it could be the last time we see Brock Lesnar compete in mixed martial arts.

Note: The timing and selection for this TUF 13: Team Lesnar vs Team dos Santos is very strategic on the part of the UFC. The show will go head to head with the epic Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix.

Their first show on Feb. 12 will see Fedor Emelianenko return and face Antonio Silva, while Andrei Arlovski will take on Sergei Kharnitonov. The second is rumoured to take place on Apr. 17 which features current champ Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum, while Josh Barnett, (licensing issues aside,) will take on Brett Rogers. The semi’s are expected to take place in June or July, with the finals likely in September or October.

On the flip side, TUF 13 goes to air on Mar. 30 and and it will officially end when Lesnar and dos Santos square off on June 11.

2011 may be remembered as the year of the heavyweights – I for one, cannot wait for the sound of the bell that gets these fights underway.