Former WWE superstar Brock Lesnar made his UFC debut two weeks ago. Even though he was submitted by a kneebar administered by UFC veteran, Frank Mir, Lesnar showed promise.

Lesnar dominated the early part of the fight by using his collegiate wrestling skills and superior strength to get on top of Mir to land several strikes. Lesnar still looks one dimensional at this point, possessing no submission offense just submission defense.

He fended off two Mir armbar attempts very well only to fall prey to that kneebar later in the first round.

To be the best, you do, indeed, need to beat the best and Frank Mir is one of the best heavyweight grapplers in MMA. If Lesnar learns from this fight, he could make a splash on the depleted heavyweight division in the months and years to come.

This is a heavyweight division that has recently seen the departure of Randy Couture and now Mirko Cro Cop.

Cro Cop left the UFC this week to fight in the new Japanese MMA promotion, DREAM. DREAM is headed by several ex-PRIDE Fighting Championships staff members.

DREAM has struck an agreement to cross promote fights with the Russian M-1 Global organization, the organization who owns the rights to the single best heavyweight fighter on the planet, Fedor Emelianenko.

Even though the popularity of MMA is growing exponentially in the U.S, and more and more money is becoming available every year, it looks like the global tug of war for MMA supremacy is shifting back to the East — at least in the heavyweight division.

After dominating in Japan for years, Cro Cop has been seen as a bust by Americans after going 1-2 in his three fights in the UFC. At his signing ceremony in Japan this week, Cro Cop admitted he never adjusted to fighting inside a cage instead of a ring that he was used to for years.

As a stand up striker, he couldn't adapt to getting pinned to the cage by superior grapplers. In the ring he had free rein to move about, but in the Octagon his fight game was exploited by fighters who would put his back up against the cage.

With or without Cro Cop, the UFC and mixed martial arts in this country will continue to grow. Some fighters will leave, more will come. More people are watching and events are being held in more states every year.

The UFC announced two weeks ago that by the end of 2008, they will hold a major UFC event either in the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston or Madison Square Garden in New York City.

The UFC is the only organization forging the sport ahead in the country, lobbying state by state to get mixed martial arts ratified and sanctioned. They're pumping millions of dollars into their efforts which will help all organizations and fighters in the decades to come.

Currently there are 32 states that have sanctioned MMA. The UFC is largely responsible for this.

Two years ago, the UFC hired former Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director, Marc Ratner to be their vice president. Ratner, having overseen the biggest boxing bouts in Las Vegas throughout the past two decades, added instant credibility to the sport of MMA.