UFC 81 proved how the sport's elite rose to the top

Frank Mir extended his record to 3-2 since his motorcycle accident with a 90-second submission of Brock Lesnar at UFC 81 on Saturday. Courtesy of Zuffa, LLC

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Over the years, the lexicon of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has become entrenched in the language of mixed martial arts. Royce Gracie introduced the masses to the potency of the discipline in the earliest Ultimate Fighting Championships, and since then, fighters hoping to make a dent in the sport have had to incorporate a significant amount of BJJ knowledge into their own repertoire. Understanding how to use BJJ as an offensive weapon, and simply learning how to defend against its various joint locks and chokes is a must in today's MMA.

And just in case BJJ's importance had been forgotten, UFC 81 served as a stark reminder of its continued presence, and need. The technique ultimately decided four of the five main card fights and both main event fights. Height, strength, and hype proved sadly ineffective when confronted by BJJ.

Big Nog makes Big Comeback

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is certainly making a habit of staring straight into the eyes of defeat in the first round before gathering himself to eventually emerge victorious. For the second-straight UFC fight, the former PRIDE heavyweight champion (aka "Big Nog") was rocked in the first round after taking a left hook followed by a right hand from Tim Sylvia. Big Nog crumpled to the canvas but somehow managed to neutralize Sylvia on the ground as he recovered.

Nogueira gained steam in the second round, scoring with his own fists, including a nice left hook. However, most of his takedown attempts were stuffed by a confident Sylvia. In the decisive third round, the Brazilian finally scored a takedown, swept to top position and ended up in side control. As Sylvia scrambled to his feet, Nogueira locked in a guillotine choke to capture the win.

Nogueira is an MMA legend and UFC fans are now learning why. With Saturday's victory, he became the first fighter ever to win both the PRIDE heavyweight title as well as the UFC title. But his UFC 81 win was only for an interim title. To complete the legend, Big Nog needs a win over current UFC champ Randy Couture.

While it's admirable that Couture is gunning for Fedor Emelianenko, there is no reason why the heavyweight champion and the UFC can't make a fight against Nogueira happen. The build-up to this clash would be tremendous, and the bout itself would feature two of the sport's true warriors and craftiest veterans in a quest to unify the UFC belt. Fans may eventually want to see Couture take on Emelianenko, but right now the fight that needs to take place is Couture-Nogueira. UFC President Dana White and Couture must make this bout happen.

For Sylvia, his UFC 81 performance represents a strange rebirth of sorts. Although Sylvia lost, there is no shame in the way he lost. He was aggressive like the Sylvia of old and he looked sharp with his striking in the first round. He was also classy in defeat and even basked in the newfound love the fans have started giving him. Sylvia is still a top heavyweight fighter. After all, his two losses in the last year have come to two of the division's, and the sport's, best. Appearing healthy and hungry again, Sylvia should be a fixture for a long time to come.

Learning the sport the hard way

In the end, Brock Lesnar's loss to Frank Mir may have been the best thing for the UFC, even though Lesnar benefited from the pre-bout hype. The fight not only earned Mir a victory, but also legitimized UFC's talent AND the very essence of competing in the sport.

Natural ability, or raw physical skills, are no longer enough to win at the highest levels. While Lesnar brought a strong amateur wrestling background to the table, he has only been training in MMA for a couple of years, starting at the age of 28. Mir is currently 28 and already has 12 UFC fights under his belt. So by the time Lesnar was just getting started in the sport, Mir was already a champion veteran.

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