Lesnar Is Champ, But Don't Crown Him King Yet

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Brock Lesnar survived his first title defense in the UFC.

Now, isn't THAT the biggest understatement of the year?

Lesnar, the UFC heavyweight champion, dismantled interim heavyweight champion (whatever that means) Frank Mir and won by TKO at 1:48 in the second round of UFC 100's main event.

People criticize Lesnar saying that he only wins because of his incredible size and that he is not incredibly skilled. To a point, I believe this is true, but you have to know how to use that size in order for it to be an advantage for you. We also can't forget Lesnar was an NCAA wrestling champion.

Lesnar outweighed Mir by 20 pounds, with the former weighing in at the maximum 265, while the latter showed up at 245. Lesnar had a good game plan going in against Mir and more importantly, he was able to execute it. He took the fight to the ground early and controlled the action almost from the start, not allowing Mir to showcase his alleged improved striking or his jui jitsu. Mir only once appeared to make an attempt at a submission when he made a half-hearted attempt at an armbar that Lesnar quickly caught on to.

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

So does this mean Brock Lesnar is the best heavyweight in the world? Not by a long shot.

The fact that Frank Mir was the number one contender for the UFC heavyweight crown just lends to the idea that it is the weakest weight class in the organization. Let's not be mistaken. Frank Mir is a good fighter. He's a former champion and has done an amazing job reconditioning himself as a fighter after his devastating motorcyle accident that nearly cost him his career. But he got his opportunity to fight Lesnar a second time after beating Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, who is considered by some to be past his best days. Lesnar took the title by beating a 46-year-old Randy Couture, who is a legend, but also isn't the same fighter he once was. These are the best the UFC has to offer.

Some might consider a Josh Barnett (undefeated over the last two years), Shane Carwin (won his last three fights by knockout or TKO due to strikes) as potentially better competition.

Then there's still a guy out there by the name of Fedor Emelianenko. It's been just about eight and a half years since Fedor has lost a professional fight. It just doesn't happen. While Fedor would give 30-35 pounds to Lesnar, remember that he has beaten much larger opponents in the past.

But will we see any of these matchups anytime soon? Fedor is still under contract with Affliction, though that ends after his next fight, so that will have to wait. Barnett will have to wait as well since, well, he's the guy fighting Fedor.

In the meantime, surely Couture, who felt like he was winning the first fight before getting caught on the top of the head with a punch, would like another shot at Lesnar. A Mir and Lesnar rubber match could also be on the horizon. Does Big Nog get a shot at Couture for a chance to face Lesnar next? Any of those would seem to be better matches for UFC president Dana White, who knows that the average or casual MMA fan knows those names and will tune in. A Shane Carwin might not be as big of a draw in terms of pay-per-view sales.

We can only hope that White decides to go with quality over the name, because right now you can't call Brock Lesnar the best heavyweight. He hasn't fought the best. Once he's done that, the conversation can begin.