UFC Heavyweight Dreams Do Come True, Ask Brock Lesnar

UFC President Dana White now possesses the holy grail of modern combat sports, what every fight promoter dreams about. Of course I'm referring to a deep and entertaining heavyweight division. The buildup to the UFC's recent Brock Lesnar-Shane Carwin fight made that clear to the world. When Lesnar's hand was raised at the end of the night, it brought that reality to a whole new level.

Lesnar was fortunate not to lose early in the fight's first round. Everyone who watched knows that. But the stakes were high and a fight that might have been stopped on an ordinary night was allowed to go on.

A lot of that credit goes to Lesnar. Even while facing a barrage of Carwin punches, he kept defending himself. Lesnar never gave up and never went out. He deserved a second round.

While Carwin looked exhausted going into round two, Lesnar was unfazed, even winking at his opponent. Carwin responded the way anyone would after throwing a few hundred punches, he got tired, really tired. With his corner urging him on, Lesnar easily took down the previously unbeaten Carwin and slowly choked him out for the win.

Fans left with a great deal of respect for Carwin and his ferocious power, the kind of power that could stagger a man like Lesnar. They learned he was a humble, soft spoken fighter who handles himself well whether winning or losing.

They also learned a lot about Lesnar. Here was a man with more depth to his game than many thought. He was a survivor, not just of a life-threatening illness but of an all-out assault by Carwin. After winning he was contrite, humble and thankful, raising his opponents hand and giving credit to everyone but himself.

While fans may want a Lesnar-Carwin rematch, it will have to wait. White now has the Lesnar - Velasquez fight set for October at UFC 121. Velasquez's UFC record is unblemished and no one can question his power or his heart.

White has some other interesting heavyweights to work around. Roy "Big Country" Nelson has more than a few doubters admitting they may have been wrong about the veteran with the Santa Claus figure. He is coming off two impressive wins including a vicious knockout against Stefan Struve. Junior Dos Santos is also waiting in the wings with five straight wins and the belief that he can be the champion.

It's possible that the winner of Lesnar-Velasquez might face the winner of a Nelson-Dos Santos match up. That would leave Carwin having to wait a little longer for another title shot. It also leaves White and the UFC with a string of big draw heavyweight fights, lots of scenarios and a wealth of talent. I guess heavyweight dreams do come true. You just have to dream big. White and the UFC sure have.