5 things to take away from UFC 100

After the glorious weekend that was UFC 100, it is now time to sit back and reflect on what happened at the historic event. Although I've chosen to go into further detail about 5 happenings, there are many runner-ups that could easily make the list. Three events that I've chosen not to write about but brought a tear to my eye? Tom Lawlor's "Just Bleed" body paint and painful flexing during the weigh-ins. What a throwback for us die-hard fans and UG'ers! Absolutely amazing Tom, you're my hero! Bruce Buffer, one of the most supportive figures in MMA today, pulled off the amazing "360" while he was introducing Brock Lesnar. While this has been talked about on the UG, the actual move was absolutely amazing and was not caught by the PPV camera crew. What a shame! Bruce, thanks for the amazing job you do every event, and thanks for pulling off such a stunning move! Lastly, Mark "The Hammer" Coleman's first win in the UFC since his submission victory over Dan Severn at UFC 12! Congrats on a gutsy win Mark! On to my five...

1. The UFC is here to stay

I can't tell you how much attention this event brought to the sport of MMA and the UFC brand. I've been a paying customer since UFC 5 and have seen every pay-per-view live since. There were times that I thought the sport was dying and we would not be able to see a UFC 100. The "Dark Days" nearly consumed our sport when events drew more opposition than fans. It was common practice at the earlier events to pull fans from the nosebleed seats down to the ringside seats just to make the arena look fuller than it actually was to the pay-per-view crowd. There was that time that we had to switch to satellite because cable dropped the UFC because of the violence. There was that one idiot, John McCain, who said he would not stop until the UFC was shut down because it was human cockfighting. Well guess what folks? The UFC is here to stay and for a long, long time! After hearing radio ads, seeing billboards, commercials, internet ads, and most importantly every major sports station covering the event in-depth, it became quite apparent how big this fight card had become. What's even better than pre-fight hype? Post-fight coverage! And there was plenty of it! From ESPN to Yahoo, Sunday became the news coverage extravaganza that Dana White dreams of in his sleep! Everyone had an opinion about what they thought of Brock Lesnar's post-fight antics, Dan Henderson's destruction of Michael Bisping, and GSP's gutsy shut-out of the welterweight division's #1 contender Thiago Alves. I couldn't surf the internet without seeing something about the event, and this my friends is what MMA fans have been dreaming about forever. Congrats and a huge thank you to Dana, Frank, Lorenzo, Joe, and all the higher-ups at Zuffa that contributed to the success of the most exciting sport in the world!

2. Brock Lesnar is the real deal

Ok, ok, I know, he's only 4-1 and he's already the UFC Heavyweight Champ? Has he fought his way up the ranks and become a champ by fighting in smaller organizations in front of 50 drunkards? Nope! Was his path paved with yellow bricks by munchkins and his title given to him by a man behind a curtain? Heck no! Honestly, it's taken me a while to warm up to this behemoth of a man. I couldn't help but think that a former pro wrestler laying waste to true mixed martial artists would delegitimize our sport. I imagined every pro wrasslin' fan suggesting that Hulk Hogan could be an MMA champ, or maybe Batista would be a true test for Fedor's WAMMA belt. It literally made me sick. Looking at his credentials, the only thing that hurts his popularity for MMA purists is his stint in the WWE. Well, his post-fight antics might turn some of us off as well, but I believe Dana took care of that immediately after his fight! Bottom line, the guy has wins over Heath Herring, Randy Couture, and Frank Mir in the UFC. 'Nuff said. His wrestling skills are ridiculous, his strength is unmatched, and his intensity is off the charts. Given some more time to fine tune his skills, Lesnar could pose a threat to Fedor Emelianenko and that is coming from a HUGE Fedor fan. Like him or not, he's here to stay and he's going to make the UFC a LOT of money. Welcome to the big league Brock, now let's hope you learn how to be respectful in victory 'cause I feel like you're going to be there a lot!

3. Georges St. Pierre is in the top three of the pound for pound list

GSP is my favorite fighter and I feel like his complete shut out of Thiago Alves on Saturday should easily place him in the top 3 of any P4P list. His striking was crisp, his takedowns were brutally effective, and his ability to control the pace and direction of the fight was insane. Looking at him, you see a ripped physique but he almost always looks like his opponent will have the strength advantage, but Georges seemingly always has the answers. Alves, a fighter who prides himself on takedown defense and gave Josh Koscheck and Matt Hughes fits with his wrestling, was taken down on 10 of 12 attempts by GSP. What?! On top of that, almost half of those were completed after St. Pierre tore a groin muscle in the third! Unbelievable performance by an unbelievable athlete. It didn't even look like a fight, it was absolute dominance from start to finish. Congratulations GSP! Good luck against the winner of the Swick-Kampmann match!

4. Dan Henderson deserves the title "A Real American Hero"

Whether it be good editing (or bad editing depending on which side you're on) or perhaps Michael Bisping really was that much of an ass on TUF, Dan Henderson shut him up for all the yankees on Saturday night! With this season being billed as the UK vs US, it was hard not to feel a since of pride in our American team and coach. Hendo has always been a class-act and is a pioneer of the sport. Bisping, on the other hand, has fought sub-par opponents and talked his way to the top. Sure, Bisping's a great fighter, but he was not ready for a fighter of Henderson's caliber. Dan was mostly quiet throughout the show and chose the correct time to shut Bisping up by his fighting instead of his talking. It was the most exciting part of the night and I literally screamed, jumped up and down, and then ran laps in excitement in my brother's basement. I hope Bisping learned from this and hopefully he will learn that hard lesson of writing checks your arse can't cash. The takedown attempt late in the first was laughable, the stand-up was just pitter patter, and his defense was exposed as a mediocre tactic at best. Dan Henderson, the quiet, humble fighter who has worked his way to the top by defeating world class opponents, he's the definition of a mixed martial artist. A GI he is not, an average Joe he definitely is not, but he is A Real American Hero!

5. Jon Fitch got screwed...again

Man, what does a guy have to do to get a break? First, he goes on an 8-fight win streak in the UFC before he gets a title shot and any sort of recognition at all. Then, in the midst of the THQ drama, gets cut by the UFC due to a lifetime likeness contract dispute only to be re-hired a few days later. Now, he's scheduled to fight after the Henderson-Bisping fight and gets pushed back for a slot between the two title fights. After GSP-Alves goes to a decision, it is decided by the higher-ups that the main event should begin. Both main events have taken place, the climax has happened, Jon's warmed up twice now and is trying to stay focused in front of a waning crowd and a winding-down pay-per-view broadcast. Man, I feel sorry for the guy! How he continues on with his quest to be welterweight champ with a smile on his face I'll never know. He's a good guy, a great fighter, but his decision ratio is starting to outweigh his skills. I hope he can start to turn up the heat and finish some fights so he gets some more airplay on the broadcasts!

Well, that's it! My 5 things I took away from UFC 100. Thanks for taking the time to read, I will keep up with this more consistently I promise. Keep coming back for more up-to-date articles and don't forget to spread the word! Thanks everyone, until next time...