UFC 81, ‘Breaking Point’

Steve Marcus

Former professional wrestling star Brock Lesnar, left, greets former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia during open workouts at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on Wednesday. Lesnar takes on former champion Frank Mir tonight at the events center, and Sylvia fights Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira for the interim heavyweight title.

By Jeff Haney (contact)

Saturday, Feb. 2, 2008 | 2 a.m.

Steve Marcus

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, a Brazilian jujitsu master, will try to replicate his success as a Pride fighter in the UFC.

Steve Marcus

Tyson Griffin works out. He will fight Gleison Tibau in the lightweight division.

1. ‘Real’ deal?

As one of the big names in World Wrestling Entertainment competition for much of this decade, having made the move to the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Brock Lesnar knows his performance tonight will be scrutinized by hard-core mixed martial arts fans. Rather than facing The Rock or The Undertaker, Lesnar takes on former champion Frank Mir of Las Vegas in his UFC debut after winning his first pro MMA fight last year in Los Angeles. “Pro wrestling is purely entertainment,” Lesnar said. “We know the outcomes of the bouts. This is real.”

2. Legitimate threat

Lesnar goes out of his way to stress his impressive resume in amateur wrestling, a key factor in UFC President Dana White’s decision to bring him into the circuit. “Obviously I’ve got a lot to prove,” Lesnar said. “There’s going to be a lot of animosity about me just because of who I am.” Lesnar, who attended the University of Minnesota, was the 2000 NCAA heavyweight champion, the runner-up in 1999, a two-time All-American, a two-time Big Ten champ and a two-time junior college All-American. “Brock Lesnar had a long career as an NCAA wrestler,” Mir said. “He has the legitimate roots to become a UFC fighter.”

3. Heavyweight explosion

Tim Sylvia gets another crack at the UFC heavyweight belt after losing the title to Randy Couture in March, fighting Brazilian jujitsu master Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, former heavyweight champion in the Pride fighting organization. The fight is for the UFC interim heavyweight championship because of Couture’s apparent split with the UFC. Nogueira, who has fought primarily in Japan, owns victories against Josh Barnett, Mirko Cro Cop, Fabricio Werdum and Dan Henderson, though he has lost twice to Fedor Emelianenko.

4. Fighting back

Sylvia, who at 6-foot-8 has a 7-inch height advantage on Nogueira, says he feels comfortable in the role of an underdog and has become accustomed to fans rooting against him and for his smaller opponents. A victory against Nogueira, however, would place him back in contention for supremacy in the heavyweight division. “I think he’s the best heavyweight fighter in the world,” Sylvia said. “This is a guy I was watching since I started training, but he’s a guy I truly believe I can beat ... It’s going to give me some clout if I’m able to perform the way I want to perform and win this fight.”

5. Betting lines

Mir might enter the octagon as the sentimental favorite of MMA purists, but oddsmakers and the betting marketplace have established Lesnar as a solid choice to win tonight. Lesnar is a minus-170 (risk $1.70 to win $1) favorite, with Mir listed as a plus-140 (risk $1 to net $1.40) underdog. Nogueira is a slightly bigger favorite, at minus-185, against Sylvia, a plus-155 underdog. In other bouts, Nate Marquardt is minus-250 against Jeremy Horn, Tyson Griffin is better than a 4-1 favorite against Gleison Tibau, Terry Martin is minus-225 against Marvin Eastman, and David Heath is minus-250 against Tim Boetsch (odds subject to change).