UFC 91 Was the Best MMA Event of 2008

I was pretty worried headed into UFC 91. It didn't seem that the UFC was very much interested in building out a well-rounded card, but the fights were absolutely awesome as just about every fighter on the card put on a great show. Everyone was looking to finish, and the UFC truly delivered maximum bang for the buck by squeezing every fight from the event into the three-hour time slot. In fact, i was so elated by UFC 91 that I forgive the company for UFC 78.

Now, let's look at the key takeaways from UFC 91:

Kenny Florian is the Real Deal

I was sure Joe Stevenson would come out on top in this bout, but Kenny looked fantastic last night. I was simply stunned at how easily he buzz-sawed through Joe Stevenson on the ground, and by how confident he looked in the cage.

Kenny was also smart in calling out BJ Penn during his post-fight interview. BJ clearly has no will to stay in the lightweight division, but maybe a little smack-talk can change that? BJ is a nightmare for any lightweight - he's a great striker with an iron chin, has the best takedown defense in MMA, and otherworldly grappling skills. So I don't think Kenny has a chance in hell of taking him out. But if BJ stays at welterweight permanently, Kenny Florian/Sean Sherk II could be a monster fight.

Brock Lesnar is a Dream Champion for the UFC

Brock Lesnar beating Randy Couture was the best possible outcome for the UFC last night. The fact that Brock is a cocky ex-pro wrestler who had an easy road to a title shot simply pisses a lot of people off, and that's going to make people even more eager to see him lose. The result? Brock Lesnar is now an even bigger pay-per-view draw.

Assuming Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira destroys Frank Mir at UFC 92, the build for a Lesnar/Nogueira match could be simply amazing. Nogueira is impossible to finish and has made a career from coming back from the dead to win fights. Plus, a Lesnar/Nogueira match definitely has some Pride-style freak show appeal to it. If the UFC aggressively promotes Nog to US fans, it could be a huge success on pay-per-view.

Demian Maia Should Face a Top Grappler

Demian is one of my favorite fighters in the UFC as he's just destroying anybody foolish enough to tangle with him on the ground. He might even be able to give Anderson Silva some trouble. Demian called out Michael Bisping last night, but I'd rather see Demian take on a top-level grappler like Dean Lister or maybe even Thales Leites.

Demian's better than 99% of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belts, and he could probably submit half of the UFC's middleweight division with one arm tied behind his back. So if he wants a title shot, he should first fight someone who can actually give him a challenge when the fight goes to the ground. Alternately, I think putting Maia up against Nate Marquardt, Wilson Gouveia, or Kendall Grove could make for interesting fights.