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Can anyone beat this man?

Lesnar puts on dominating performance, but admits spectacle afterward ‘very unprofessional’

Lesnar-Mir UFC 100

Sam Morris

Brock Lesnar smiles after defeating Frank Mir in their heavyweight title fight at UFC 100. Lesnar won with stoppage in the second round.

The Next Great Champion?

With Brock Lesnar beating Frank Mir by second-round knockout to become the undisputed heavyweight champion, the question can now be asked, who can defeat Lesnar?

Wrapped Up in Wrestling

After his antics following his TKO of Frank Mir in the heavyweight title fight in Saturday night's UFC 100, many wonder whether Brock Lesnar has completely left his old WWE ways behind.

UFC 100-Making History

Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir meet just before their heavyweight title fight at UFC 100 at Mandalay Bay. Lesnar won with stoppage in the second round. Launch slideshow »

St. Pierre-Alves UFC 100

Georges St. Pierre has his arm raised after defeating Thiago Alves in their welterweight title fight at UFC 100. St. Pierre won by decision to retain his title. Launch slideshow »

Belcher-Akiyama UFC 100

Alan Belcher hits Yoshihiro Akiyama with a shot to the head during their fight at UFC 100. Launch slideshow »

Colman-Bonnar UFC 100

Mark Coleman gets Stephan Bonnar up against the fence during their fight at UFC 100. Coleman won by unanimous decision. Launch slideshow »

Following Brock Lesnar's dominating win over Frank Mir, UFC president Dana White must have been feeling pretty good.

The milestone of UFC 100 had enjoyed a terrific fight card, concluding with the highly anticipated heavyweight rematch that ended with TKO fireworks from Lesnar in the second round.

Yes sir, the night had gone incredibly well.

That is until Lesnar celebrated his win by screaming at Mir, drenching a nearby camera with spit from his mouthpiece, insulting the event's sponsor, Bud Light, and flipping the bird to the entire sellout crowd.

"Brock went so far over the top tonight, I can't even describe it," White said. "WWE, that's what it was. In a million years, I never would have thought somebody would have done something like that."

But as insane as Lesnar's behavior was, it shouldn't overshadow the first show he gave the fans Saturday night. That one was actually more impressive.

Lesnar battered Mir the entire fight. Really, Lesnar has completely battered everyone.

After quickly submitting Min-Soo Kim in his mixed martial arts debut, Lesnar has dominated Heath Herring, Randy Couture and Mir since arriving in the UFC in February of last year at UFC 81.

Although Mir won the first battle, there's no question Lesnar's inexperience played a part in the loss. Had he had the knowledge to stay away from Mir's submission skills at UFC 81, Lesnar would probably be a perfect 4-0 today.

His athleticism and the fact he's taking the UFC seriously, maybe not after a fight but certainly during it, has got some people thinking Lesnar could prove to be one of the greatest fighters ever.

"Everybody in this room knows how great Frank Mir is at submissions," White said. "You even get near his guard, you're getting submitted. Let's face it, Brock stayed out of submissions and did a ton of damage.

"He gets better every time, he might be the greatest heavyweight champion in UFC history."

If Lesnar wants to leave that kind of legacy, the champ is going to have to stay unbeaten for awhile.

So which fighters pose the biggest threat at knocking off the 265-pound freak-of-nature?

A short list of fighters who may stack up to the challenge are: Shane Carwin, Cain Velasquez, Antonio Nogueira and Couture.

The undefeated Carwin and Velasquez should meet each other at UFC 104 in October, with the winner probably earning the next shot at Lesnar's belt. Like Lesnar, Velasquez has terrific ground and pound skills, which he showcased in a win over Cheick Kongo at UFC 99. Carwin would probably be more of a problem though, as he's one of the only fighters that would match Lesnar's weight, tipping the scales at 259.5 pounds for his last fight at UFC 96.

"I think Shane Carwin would be an interesting fight, Shane's got more experience," said middleweight Dan Henderson. "He's also a big guy so don't think Lesnar's size would affect him as much. Obviously Brock has better wrestling, but that would be a good fight."

Likewise, Couture and Nogueira will square off next month when they headline UFC 102. Fans would probably be a little skeptical of either of those two upsetting Lesnar however, as Nogueira was recently knocked out by Mir and Couture lost the heavyweight belt to Lesnar at UFC 91.

Couture held his own against Lesnar. But with the former champ getting older and the current champ getting better, it's hard to see Couture avenging the loss.

Several believe the fighter with the best chance against Lesnar would be the man many consider to be the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world: Fedor Emelianenko.

Emelianenko has never fought in the UFC, much to the disappointment of fight fans all over the world. Through his career in other organizations such as Pride and Affliction, the submission specialist has defeated Tim Sylvia, Mark Coleman, Mirko Filipovic, Nogueira and Herring. He faces Josh Barnett at Affliction: Trilogy on Aug. 1.

The Russian heavyweight would be the greatest test to Lesnar's submission defense and, according to White, it's just a matter of time before that fight happens.

"Eventually Fedor is coming to the UFC," White said. "I've done deals with all the best fighters all over the world. We'll end up getting that deal won and it will be Brock vs. Fedor and it will be a huge fight."

Until then, it's up to the winner of Carwin/Velasquez to have the fight of his life or one of the aging Nogueira or Couture turning back the clock with an upset to keep Lesnar from putting a stranglehold on the division.

Because even though Saturday showed the former WWE champion has some growing up to do as a professional, the guy can flat-out fight.

"I've wanted to be a fighter since I was a little kid," Lesnar said. "I've been a fighter my whole life. I wasn't the smartest kind on the block, I didn't like school. I like being one-on-one with my opponent. I acted very unprofessionally tonight and I apologize."

Brett Okamoto can be reached at [email protected].

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