Shane Carwin does his best Hulk Hogan impersonation...

"The main card did not let us down. Each match was put together perfectly and in the end the fans got to see a great display of technique, talent and heart. I cannot say I was surprised by anything that night other then Brock's reaction to beating a very tough Frank Mir. Frank is a legend and a great guy who got out powered not out classed. The sponsor issue, you need to talk to your manager not the fans or Dana.

The flipping off of the fans that just lined your pocket with millions of dollars is just LAME. He may be a Champion but he has a long ways to go before he earns the respect of a Champion. The fans are why we do this Brock, this sport is not about fat paychecks and drama it is about hard work and sacrifice for a shot to do what you did last night. It doesn't matter how much money you make if you can't earn your peers respect and the respect and love of the greatest sporting fans in the world. We have no scripts in this sport, no pre-determined earning amount and no pre-determined outcomes. It doesn't matter if you win or loose it matters how you win or loose.

Every autograph I give, every hand I shake I am thankful that you give me the opportunity to be a part of your world. This is the greatest sport int he world and most of the athletes in it deserve the love and respect they get and some just dont get it.

From leaving the venue all the way to the Airport I have had fans of the sport ask me to take out Brock Lesnar for them. The thing is I have a very tough fight ahead of me that IMO is every bit as tough and talented as Brock. Cain is no joke and he may have had a tough fight against Kongo but I got rocked against Gonzaga. Fact is we are at the top of the HWT division and anyone we fight moving forward is going to be a real test. Cain is nothing short of a super athlete with amazing wrestling and he trains with one of the best camps in the country. I am sure Joe Silva told Cain the same thing he told us, winner gets the title shot. Cain is not looking past me he is looking right at me as the person that is in his way from potentially one of the greatest opportunities of his life and mine.

I have said what I have to say about Brock. He will make sure the world knows who he is and what he is all about. I ask that you my fans and the fans of Cain give this fight its due. You would never see two rising undefeated stars put together in Boxing so enjoy this fight. Two warriors with wills to win and the skills to do so are going to show those watching UFC 104 what the future of the sport will look like. Tune in and support Cain and I."

I'm loving the Lesnar era. Who else could have pulled this kind of reaction out of Carwin? Up until this point I didn't even know Carwin watched UFC events. I thought he spent his free time designing bridges and building them out of toothpicks, or whatever it is engineers do for fun.

• Since I always rip the production of other promotions, I want to start things off by saying the UFC needs to refine their PPV broadcast. Having the Fitch/Thiago fight go off after the main event was embarrassing. They knew coming in they had two title fights on the card. Perhaps the prudent move would have been to cut some of the dead time between fights and at the start of the event when Goldberg and Rogan talk for ten minutes. I understand why they chose to push the fight back and I agree with their decision. To me, though, they should have never had to make the decision in the first place. There should have been a plan in place to conserve as much time as possible.

• A lot of people are comparing Brock Lesnar's "bad guy act" to what Tito Ortiz did years ago. I disagree. Ortiz is a genuinely cocky guy. He believes in himself to the point where his head has actually grown in size to moon-like proportions. He was the perfect spoil to the humbleness of Liddell/Couture. Lesnar isn't anything like Ortiz. To use a WWF reference, Ortiz was Shawn Michaels and Lesnar is Bret Hart (both obviously as heels). Hart relied on "contempt" more so than the overt cockiness that defined Michaels. Lesnar is doing the same thing, or at least trying.
  

• The only way St-Pierre loses is if he gets bored, which could happen sooner than you think. His last three fights were against the best the UFC has to offer and he never lost a round. Right now it's like he's playing a video game on the easiest setting. Is he gonna be able to get up for a fight against Swick/Kampmann? It would be very easy to take someone like that lightly. I think the UFC needs to challenge him before he loses focus. My pick would be Yoshihiro Akiyama. He's undersized at Middleweight and it's only a matter of time before he gets bullied around the cage. Drop him down to Welterweight and get him in the cage with St-Pierre.

• Another winner from last night with an uncertain future is Dan Henderson. Despite his spectacular knockout of Michael Bisping and three fight win streak, Dana White would not say for certain whether he'll get a rematch with Anderson Silva for the Middleweight Title. The only other Middleweight fight that's bigger for Silva would be against St-Pierre. After his victory over Alves, St-Pierre downplayed a bout with Silva by saying he's not really big enough to be a Middleweight. Then again, St-Pierre tried to downplay a second fight with BJ Penn after he defeated Jon Fitch. Maybe it's just his style when asked about future opponents.

• I find it funny how "outraged" people are over Lesnar's post-fight actions. Other than the Bud Light thing (insulting sponsors is a bad move), I found it tame. We've gotten used to seeing fighters act like they hate each other for months then when the fight is over say it was all an act. To me, it's refreshing to see real emotion. Mir talked a lot and it made Lesnar angry. Afterwards, he wanted to shove it in Mir's face. I don't see anything wrong with it. This isn't field hockey or tennis. This is fighting and from time to time, you're gonna have real emotion seep into it. I just wish it happened more.

• Dana White was not pleased at all with Brock Lesnar's post-fight antics. The two had a talk and Lesnar seemed a change man during an appearance on ESPN (towards the end of the video). He apologized to Bud Light and the younger fans in attendance and watching on PPV. Also during the ESPN appearance, Lesnar said he wants to fight Fedor.

• The UFC raised their Fight Night Bonuses to an unprecedented $100,000. Dan Henderson (Knockout of the Night), Tom Lawlor (Submission of the Night), Yoshihiro Akiyama (Fight of the Night), and Alan Belcher (Fight of the Night) each received the substantial awards.

• The Live Gate brought in $5.1 million, which makes it the second highest ever behind UFC 66's $5.4 million total (Liddell/Ortiz II).

• The Buffer 360 actually happened. I missed it during the PPV, probably because the UFC cameras always shift away at the exact moment he unleashes his awesomeness on the world. Here's the video to prove it.

(RearNakedNews.com will have UFC 100 Live Results tomorrow night. Don't miss any of the action with our Full Play-by-Plays as the fights happen.)

Mark Coleman vs Stephan Bonnar
One of my big rules is I never put much stock into a fighter who has had one great camp. It happens all the time. A fighter who has looked bad moves camps and suddenly, "He's working with _____ now and he's evolved so much in the last few months." One camp is not enough time to makeover a fighter. I don't believe a word of the Coleman hype about how he's a cardio machine now. I also don't believe we're going to see anything different than the Coleman we've always seen. He's a 44 year old wrestler who has never had a striking game. When he steps into the cage tomorrow night, he'll still be a 44 year old wrestler without a striking game.

As for Bonnar, I think he's undervalued in the eyes of most fans. He took some highlight reel punishment at the hands of Jon Jones, but he also looked solid at times on his feet. Everyone forgets the second half of that sentence. I think Bonnar takes this fight pretty easily. He'll tire Coleman out early then finish him late in the 1st Round. Bonnar by 1st Rd TKO.

Yoshihiro Akiyama vs Alan Belcher
I don't see how anyone can say with certainty how this fight turns out. Working against Akiyama we have the UFC Asian Curse, a size disadvantage, and a long layoff. Belcher must contend with fighting a more experienced opponent and his first real taste of PPV pressure. Let me talk about the UFC Asian Curse first. For various reasons, Asian fighters do not do well in the UFC. To me it boils down to size in most cases. The UFC is full of huge fighters. They've mastered cutting weight and use every pound to their advantage. Asian fighters are smaller. They do not come from wrestling backgrounds where weight cutting is a fact of life. It's difficult to compete with someone who outweighs you by 10+ lbs on fight night. That's the situation most Asian fighters find themselves in. Akiyama will be significantly smaller tomorrow night. Check out the size difference.

Akiyama comes from a judo background, which should help alleviate Belcher's size. Judo guys always fight bigger than they actually are. I'm not too worried about Belcher manhandling Akiyama. His reach is what concerns me. If Belcher fights smart, he should be able to stay out of Akiyama's range. The question is whether Belcher can remain calm enough to execute such a plan. Again, we're talking about UFC 100 here. Everyone who steps into the cage will have an extra surge running through their body.

With that in mind, I think the excitement gets to Belcher. He'll walk into a bad position following a successful strike and get tossed. Once on the ground, Akiyama makes quick work of him. Akiyama wins by 2nd Rd Submission.

Michael Bisping vs Dan Henderson
It's sink or swim time for Bisping. He's had a very soft slate of opponents since winning The Ultimate Fighter 3. Henderson is an enormous step up in competition. While he isn't the same fighter from his Pride days, Henderson remains one of the best Middleweights in MMA. He knows how to win and is fine with grinding out decisions. Add in a solid chin and you've got someone who is extremely difficult to defeat. The only thing working against Henderson is his age. He's been competing for a long time (1992 Olympian) and it adds up. We've seen a string of veterans losing to younger fighters in the past year. Bisping might be the next to take out a legend.

I think the Henderson/Franklin fight is the template Bisping will use to fight Henderson. Franklin came extremely close to winning the fight. I re-watched it yesterday and what struck me was how Henderson faded. He limped to victory. That was at 205 lbs against a small Light Heavyweight. At UFC 100, he'll be fighting at 185 lbs against a big Middleweight.

Most would agree the fight probably isn't ending early. With that in mind, I'm taking Bisping. I see him dropping the 1st Round due to takedowns. He'll get through it without taking much damage and force Henderson to use more energy than usual to keep him down (crucial point). In the 2nd, he'll begin to connect more just like Franklin did. By the 3rd, Henderson will be in trouble. He's gonna be desperate for a takedown, but Bisping will be smart enough to avoid the tired fighter. He'll land a good percentage of strikes and impress the judges. Bisping wins by Unanimous Decision.

Thiago Alves vs Georges St-Pierre (WW Title)
To me, this is the best play of the night. Alves isn't in St-Pierre's league. He's too young, too predictable, and not as "strong" as everyone keeps saying. It isn't his time yet and he's facing a beast. He's never fought anyone who could beat him standing or take him down and submit him. St-Pierre might not be the best pure striker or the best pure wrestler or the best pure jiu-jitsu fighter, but he's near the top in each category. If I had to quantify it on the scale of 1-100, he'd get 90s in each. The only other fighter I'd say that about is Fedor. This makes St-Pierre incredibly difficult to defeat. Some point to his chin as a weakness. I agree, it's not world class. The issue is hitting him with a powerful strike. He takes guys down when they're balanced. If someone loads up with a power shot, it's even easier to get them down. And once you're down, you're gonna get tagged. This makes his opponents cautious with their strikes. At this point, I don't think anyone in the Welterweight Division has a chance against GSP. He's gonna have his way with Alves and finish him on the ground with strikes. St-Pierre wins by 2nd Round TKO.

Frank Mir vs Brock Lesnar (HW Title)
I was very high on Mir after he dismantled Nogueira. Then the news broke about Nogueira's knee injury and his battle with staph prior to the fight. Looking back it makes sense. I'm no longer of the belief Mir evolved into Lennox Lewis. His striking game is better. It's just not as good as it looked at UFC 92. He's still mostly a jiu-jitsu specialist who can hold his own in the other areas. Is that enough to defeat Lesnar again?

The first time they fought, Lesnar did not get any help from Steve Mazzagatti. The stand-up for striking the back of the head was comical to say the least. If someone throws a punch and their opponent turns their head, it's not the striker's fault. The fact he deducted a point made it even more laughable. I still wonder what was going through Mazzagatti's head that night. On some level, the point deduction probably fed into Lesnar's aggressiveness. Once he got Mir down again, he went straight for the kill. At UFC 100, he won't have to even consider points because it's a five round fight. In a three rounder, you can't give away rounds. You're forced to be aggressive. Championship fights are more methodical. It's not the worst thing to give away a round, if it helps your overall plan. This will help Lesnar avoid another sloppy submission loss.

I think this fight comes down to striking. How clean can Lesnar hit Mir? Can he hit him hard enough to really do damage? Flash knockdowns aren't going to help Lesnar. He needs to knock Mir clean out or hurt him significantly. Anytime the fight is on the ground, he's at risk of being submitted. Mir's submissions are some of the best in MMA. I believe Lesnar's striking remains underrated. He might only use a big right, but it works. He's dropped everyone he's faced with it. Unless he secretly had staph and comes into the cage with one working knee, I'm picking Lesnar by 1st Round TKO. Big right, clean shot on the ground, referee stops it.

According to Josh Gross at SI.com, a production team is following Frank Mir around this week to film the pilot for his reality TV show "Mir Manor". First, terrible name. I would have went with "Frankly Speaking". Second, terrible timing. He's going into the biggest fight of his career at arguably the biggest MMA event ever. The last thing he needs is another distraction. It also adds more pressure. Frank Mir isn't a well known name outside of MMA fans. I find it hard to believe he'll have any chance of this pilot being picked up unless he defeats Lesnar at UFC 100. Another thing rattling around his mind on the eve of a career defining moment.

Chuck Liddell is the fighter who should be filming a pilot. There's tons to work with. The UFC is trying to force him into retirement. He's still the most famous fighter on the planet. And, he routinely bangs hot chicks who sometimes happen to be porn stars. You have all the ingredients for a hit along the lines of "Breaking Bonaduce". Of course the UFC would never allow this, but it's nice to dream.

Has there ever been a better time to be a MMA fan? In July and August, we'll be treated to the following schedule...

You can thank competition for these stacked cards. When Affliction debuted last summer, it changed the UFC's mindset. They countered with Anderson Silva on Spike TV and the landscape has never been the same. A year later we have three major promotions slugging it out for supremacy. Although, Strikeforce and Affliction still remain far behind, it's a great sign they're trotting out such strong cards.

In my opinion, the biggest reason why MMA is booming and boxing is dying is because MMA stages events rather than one fight. A boxing card is almost always one interesting match-up preceded by garbage. No one cares about the other matches. Most times, fans don't even arrive at the arena until the main event. MMA events are totally different. Fans are there from beginning to end. It's an event you want to experience. Boxing is a fight you want to see. Huge difference.

The UFC needed a kick in the butt last summer. They were beginning to get complacent without any rivals. A year later it's a different story. The UFC has been on a rampage and shows no signs of slowing down. UFC 100-102 is about as good as it gets for a three event run. The addition of Strikeforce has also helped, because Affliction puts on a show every four months and could die at any time. At least we know Strikeforce is around for awhile. I think we're seeing the future of MMA as a whole with 2-3 major promotions vying for the attention of fans. If it remains like this, I'll be quite happy.

Dana White announced on his Twitter account that Chuck Liddell and Mask will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame this Friday at the Fan Expo in Las Vegas. Both choices are odd. Liddell is locked in an awkward confrontation with the company over his future and Mask wasn't even a fighter. It's not worth getting upset over. Induction into the UFC Hall of Fame is a company decision. They aren't picking people based on qualifications alone. They're looking for who represents the UFC brand best.

I would like to take this opportunity to officially announce I'm inducting Don Frye into the RearNakedNews Hall of Awesome.

Takanori Gomi signed with Affliction and will appear on the PPV portion of "Trilogy". His opponent is Rafaello Oliveira, who sports an 8-1 record and an awesome unibrow. Yup, that's my expert analysis.

(Affliction's design team could use some help. First, there was the dreadful promo poster. Now, we have the fight card, which is straight out of 1997. This Internet thing isn't new, guys. Get your act together.)