Lesner defeats Mir
Champ avenges loss with win at UFC 100
LAS VEGAS – Brock Lesnar defended his heavyweight title in his uniquely brutish style at UFC 100 Saturday night, capping the sport’s landmark weekend with a second-round stoppage of Frank Mir.
Georges St. Pierre defended his welterweight title with a showcase of his inimitably well-rounded mixed martial arts skills in an unanimous decision over Thiago Alves, while Dan Henderson knocked out Michael Bisping with a single punch in a middleweight upset as the UFC rolled its odometer into triple digits on a celebratory night for the proliferating sport.
Lesnar (4-1) ended the main event with a relentless series of right hands into the face of Mir, who handed Lesnar his only loss nearly 18 months ago.
Lesnar, a hulking former pro wrestler with a mercurial temperament, then taunted his opponent while Mir was rising from the ground.
He added a two-handed obscene gesture to the booing sellout crowd at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, putting an entertaining but unflattering end on the highest-profile show in the sport’s history.
There were no theatrics or poor sportsmanship from St. Pierre, the classy Canadian star. He was the superior fighter from the start, winning every round on every scorecard while steadily punishing his Brazilian opponent with punches, kicks and repeated takedowns in his third title defense.
Nearly 16 years after MMA pioneer Royce Gracie won three fights in one night to triumph at UFC 1 in Denver, the sport reached a centennial of sorts before a frenzied sellout crowd in the UFC’s hometown. The arena was packed well before the main bouts, including some fans who apparently paid more than $40,000 online for resold tickets.
The league has grown from a bit player in a fringe pastime to an estimated $1 billion company, and the weekend’s festivities reflected its success despite the widespread skepticism it still faces from other sports fans and some states’ lawmakers.
The 100th showcase was broadcast live in 75 countries, and thousands of fans without tickets for the event packed into closed-circuit shows all along the Strip. Tens of thousands attended the first UFC Fan Expo.