I've confessed before, and I continue to be a devout UFC fan. I watch almost every pay-per-view, I know almost every fighter with some record, and I even follow some of the non-UFC MMA venues. If you don't know mixed martial arts, but you enjoy sports, you are really missing out. This sport is exploding, and it's arguably the purest form of competition there is. If you wince at the mention of "Ultimate Fighting Championship", your preconceptions are probably wrong; it's not half as injury-prone as boxing, or vicious as its reputation. It's simply two guys, and we get to see who is the best fighter in each weight class, using whatever techniques they choose (within the rules). As soon as that's established (via knockout with no counting, tapout, or referee stoppage), the fight is over. And I haven't seen any sport where competitors share such a healthy sense of sportsmanship, with almost every fight ending with a show of respect and praise for the other guy. In that sense, it's quite classy.

Randy Couture is my hero, and has been since I first got interested in MMA about 3 years ago, up through his "retirement", and his subsequent return. Were I a betting man, I promise I would have put my money on him this past weekend, in spite (or because) of him being a $2.15 underdog. He completely dominated the 30-year-old, 270-lb. heavyweight champion Tim Silvia on Saturday night. He was outweighed by 40 pounds, 6" shorter, and reach 12" shorter than Sylvia. It's his 5th UFC title. It was one of the greatest moments of spectator sports, ever.

And Randy "The Natural" Couture is only 43 years old. Expect big things from this up-and-comer.