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The criticisms of Brock Lesnar's post-fight antics are taking away from what a successful night, both in entertainment and revenues, the UFC should be celebrating. If anything, Lesnar should now be promoted as the main attraction of UFC. Not Randy Couture, not Anderson Silva, not even my fellow Canadian Georges St-Pierre (just to show you how unbiased I am). Brock Lesnar is a star, and with all doubts set aside of his abilities after beating Frank Mir Saturday night, the UFC should not put a leash on him. Rather, the Monster from Minnesota should be let loose to wreck havoc on every opponent he faces for the rest of his career.

Frank Mir is an excellent fighter, and he spoke a lot of trash against Lesnar before their fight Saturday night. Lesnar could have taken the boring "I respect my opponent" speech before the fight but he hates Mir and made no bones about it. And when I say that, I mean he legitimately HATES him. And why not? Mir went on about how Lesnar cried like a girl when he beat him last year in Lesnar's debut and that he was going to do it again. And on top of that, hardcore MMA fans wanted to see whom they thought was an outsider go down in flames when faced against a skilled technician like Mir. I recall at a meet and greet with Georges St Pierre in Ottawa last year, when I discussed Lesnar's chances in his first UFC bout, there wasn't one person I spoke to who wanted Lesnar to succeed. They saw him as an unskilled meat head who should stick to pro wrestling. It was unbelievable to me how they didn't see the potential in Lesnar, and how he can further UFC's attempts to become more mainstream if he was successful.

And to become more mainstream, it's as simple as dollars and cents. You put on a show where people are willing to put money down to see two fighters against each other, preferably with a championship on the line. The press cannot ignore an event where $50 million in gross pay per view revenues (the estimated figure for UFC 100) is expected to be made.

For a promoter to entice the public to pay top dollar for these PPVs, whether it's UFC, boxing or the world of WWE, the public are more willing to give their money up when 1) Both combatants are considered to be the best in their division, 2) It is their first, or a rare, encounter and 3) The fans believe there is actual hate between the two fighters. Many fights have just one or a combination of these factors, but if you have all three, like they did in Lesnar vs Mir 2, it's money in the bank. And the fact Brock Lesnar is a celebrity from his WWE days, that's a bonus that puts additional dollars in your pocket if you're promoting this event.

I have seen too many UFC fights where, before throwing their opponent under the bus leading up to the fight itself, the fight ends, they tap gloves, then they give each other a hug like they were just kidding the entire time leading up to the fight. Finally, we get a guy like Lesnar who had no problems telling Mir he's the man now, who decided if the fans don't like him they can stick it and told them so by flipping them the bird during the sound of boos after his win, and go on to infer he was going to, ahem, "enjoy" his former Playboy model wife that night. The only problem I had with his after-fight speech, if I was UFC owner Dana White, is that he threw one of their sponsors under the bus (Bud Light, "because they don't pay me", and he went on to say he's going to enjoy a Coors Light). Indirectly, they actually do, and Lesnar tried to make up for it by drinking a Bud Light at the post-fight press conference. But aside from that flub, Lesnar just marketed himself for a few more PPVs and has guaranteed himself some huge paydays.

The point is the UFC is trying to distance themselves from Lesnar's actions, but to me, this isn't a way to make money. Millions of viewers now want to see Lesnar get his ass kicked, so the question now is who will that person be? Lesnar is a celebrity and a villain rolled into one, and the dollar signs for Dana White should be lighting up in his eyes. When Lesnar gets into the octagon again, people are going to pay to to see it, and if Lesnar was a nice guy, I don't think those tickets would be moving as fast.

Lesnar is the future of UFC. And Dana White should embrace this fact and let Brock Lesnar be himself.