In honor of the upcoming UFC 100, I wanted to take a moment to discuss the wave of “outsiders” who are fighting their way into, and succeeding, in MMA. Chances are good that this Saturday night, at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas

, the UFC event will set record numbers for the sport. With two title matches and a third with top tier fighters, the entire card is stacked. The main event, for the heavyweight title belt, features a rematch between Frank Mir and former WWE star Brock Lesnar. It is fitting for the 100^th show, that Dana White and Company pull out all the stops. On paper, this is, by far, the best event the UFC has ever put together. Now it is up to the fighters to live up to that billing.

Hardcore MMA fans and purists will tell you that WWE Entertainers and any other “outsiders” who attempt to compete in mixed martial arts competitions are nothing but a fraud and an embarrassment to the MMA community. Vince McMahon’s stars have long been thought of as a joke when it comes to “real” wrestling. I am still chided about thinking the WWF was “real” as a child, but I’m not bitter or anything. Maybe that thought has lost its merit though. More and more football players and larger than life (literally) personalities from the WWE are taking up mixed martial arts. Could MMA be entering a new era?

     Take the aforementioned Brock Lesnar for example. He is currently the UFC Heavyweight Champion. Granted, he beat an extremely old Randy Couture for the belt, but he has looked very impressive in his brief MMA career. His lone loss came in his UFC debut, against Mir. Lesnar was caught in a knee bar and forced to submit early in the first round. That was after Mir was taken down twice, with ease, by the much bigger Lesnar though. Without that mistake by the much larger, stronger, and faster Lesnar, Frank Mir would have been physically dismantled, without difficulty.

     The popular reality series The Ultimate Fighter, which gives the winner a hefty UFC contract, will feature heavyweights in the new season. Not just any heavyweights though. Coached by foes Rashad Evans and Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, there is a mix of ex-NFL players, former IFL (International Fight League) performers, other experienced cage fighters, and the cult hero Kimbo Slice, who is sure to be gone after his first fight.

     Sure, Lesnar may have been the exception to the rule about WWE stars being able to make the crossover, but what about Bobby Lashley? He has annihilated opponents thus far, accumulating a 4-0 record, and only once hearing the bell that signals the end of round one. A heavyweight like Mr. Lesnar, Lashley has looked dominant against his opponents. It is only a matter of time before he gets a chance to fight someone with more than just a recognizable name.

     This new wave of fighters entering the UFC and the lesser-known companies run by it (such as the WEC), are great for the sport. These guys are bringing a new fan base, which can only mean the in-coming cash flow will grow exponentially for Dana White the Fertitta’s. There will always be those doubters, who see the ex-WWE performers cross over and ask “what about the steroids?” There is no way men can get that big and that cut without some help from science, right? I agree, but so far, whatever testing program the UFC implements, has found nothing.

     Dana White has got to be drooling all over himself at the promotion side of the WWE entertainers. Marketability is huge, especially for a still-growing sport like MMA. Like them or not, fighters who can engage an audience outside the octagon, as well as inside it, are worth much more to the company at the end of the day than what their paycheck says. Not every fighter has that charisma, in fact few do. There are many great athletes in the MMA world, but finding the combination of talent and personality that will draw outside interest can be very difficult.

     If you are not busy Saturday night and have access to pay-per-view, this UFC event may be one to watch. With more than a handful of Dana White’s superstars fighting, UFC 100 could go down as one of the best in history, and I’m talking many, many years from now, not just tomorrow or next week. This show will answer the classic ‘strength vs. skill’ and ‘size vs. speed’ arguments. As with every other major main-stream sport, mental toughness inside the cage is, and will be, the ultimate equalizer. So sit back, relax, grab a cold one (root beer, of course, for those of you who have yet to turn 21), and enjoy round after round of some of the UFC’s biggest stars going head to head.