Lesnar Vs. Mir II: The Winner? Everyone

The most epic Heavyweight fight since, well, Brock's last fight. Linear Champion versus Literal Champion. Daunting Rookie versus Re-Established Veteran. Rematch from a contested, yet compelling previous match. When the dust settles, and one man's hand is in there air, the winner will be clear.

EVERY-FREAKING-ONE OF US!

Brock's emergence as a legitimate threat has bolstered a previously limp Heavyweight Division in MMA's top company. He has gone from sideshow attraction to legitimate champion in less time then it takes to housetrain a dog.

A man with undeniable charisma (be it as a '30s era heel or woodsy family man) and unfathomable natural dimensions. The shining beacon Dana White has been praying for since Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski quickly destroyed each other's legitimacy.

(Note: Andrei has since gained back his legitimacy, regardless of what you think about his match with Fedor.)

Frank Mir's comeback is nothing short of miraculous. A man who had limitless potential but limited discipline suddenly found the latter... and that allowed him to unlock the former. Mir, after pulling one over on the rookie Lesnar, shocked the world with a CRUSHING victory over zombie Nogeira himself.

From the brink of death to a share of the World Heavyweight title. A better story, Dana could never wish for. So we come to the rematch. Not of the year, the decade, the century. This is the match that all of MMA has been driving towards.

BJ vs. GSP II will be good, sure. But it won't be epic.

Henderson vs. Silva II will be worth watching. But it won't make it out of the third round.

Couture/Liddell series actually WAS really compelling...Until Randy folded twice without so much as a drop of sweat on Liddell's brow.

For as long as I can remember, heavyweights, regardless of the sport, have always been the men that fans were striving to watch. Titans squaring off against each other, the pinnacles of human stature, both physical and societal. To borrow an old cliche: Men want to be them, women want to be with them.

So it seems fitting that the comeback versus the rookie take place at Heavyweight. The match that propels MMA into the upper stratosphere. The match that leaves us all winners. And here's why.

A Brock loss keeps Brock hungry. It keeps him striving to improve and overcome the gaps in experience with tireless effort. A loss for Brock also provides increase legitimacy for MMA...You can't just come in and expect to be a reigning champion after only five matches.

A loss for Frank Mir sets up a third match, which will draw us all in again...Moths to a flame. It also adds to the mystique of the "Next Big Thing," increasing his already overwhelming star-power 100-fold. It may squash the comeback story, but it adds that much more mystique to their unquestionably looming third match.

If Brock wins, he's still the same freak of nature, the LIVING RATINGS POINT that Dana salivates over. The line lining up to fight the rookie champion is growing by the second, and Brock will be ready to face the next in line. Kongo? Sure. Gonzaga. Great. Carwin, Couture, Dos Santos, Nogeira, or Velazquez? Line 'em up, because any ONE of these men has the experience advantage that will at least even up the odds.

Brock also adds the Hollywood light to the title that had been lackluster for so long. Already a household name, Brock brings MMA into the face of even those who have been trying to avoid it.

Brock Lesnar, as champion, keeps a section of the audience still wanting to see the limits to this man-mountain.

On the other side, Frank as champion validates anyone who's ever faced adversity. The man had his femur sticking through his leg, doctors telling him he'd be lucky to walk again, and a mental scar that will truly never heal.

He's a WALKING feel good story who has also been around since before MMA was cool. He's a family man with an easy smile and a light personality easily translatable to anyone.

Frank Mir is the everyman who you can point to and tell your children that nothing can't be overcome.

Brock Lesnar is the star who may remain out of reach but will never be out of sight. He will be the goal to which all young wrestlers and mixed martial artists strive to be.

When the final bell rings, the referee raises a hand, and Michael Buffer announces the winner...The real winners are the MMA fans, the Heavyweight Division, the UFC as a whole, and the careers of both Frank Mir and Brock Lesnar.