Letter writing a lost art? Not a chance. Sherdog.com readers are quick to put virtual pen to paper as soon as they catch sight of an opinion they endorse -- or vehemently disagree with. Thoughtfully, those from the latter camp only rarely send dead animals with postage due.

A recent round-up of editorials -- including thoughts on upsets, the MMA debut of Brock Lesnar (Pictures), and the Liddell-Jackson rematch -- prompted a mailbag full of responses, rebuttals, and the occasional accusation of past brain injury.

Some choice selections:

K-1 Dynamite (!!)

Your recent article on K-1 Dynamite!! USA featured on Sherdog.com was spot on. I attended the event and had the misfortune of sitting behind Rosie Perez and who I believe to be the youngest of the Gracies. During the fight between Royce and Saku, a few Japanese fans that were cheering for Sakuraba were told to "shut the f-ck up" by this Gracie, who then asked them to fight outside the Coliseum. This was probably the most entertaining moment of the night next to the Yoon-Manhoef bout and watching the football star fall.

But I thought you should know that in between the second and third rounds of the Sakuraba-Gracie bout, the crowd finally organized a way of expressing their distaste for our well-educated friend, DJ Hapa. The crowd began to cheer, "Shut up DJ" followed by some claps that resembled the Boston Red Sox cheer. It took over the stadium and we didn't hear from him in the third round. - Patrick

DJ Hapa was the most ill conceived addition to an MMA event since Butterbean. One can only hope his vehicle (which I assume to be a Dodge Neon with added spoiler and spinning rims) was summarily torched and turned over.

Interesting that the Sakuraba-Gracie rivalry (allegedly) extended to the rafters. Unfortunately, it sounds more entertaining than what was going on in the ring.

I bought the event on PPV and found it quite entertaining, but in a freak show sense.

Fortunately the PPV broadcast that I heard spared us some of that obnoxious DJ's rants -- I had no idea he was imploring the crowd to boo during Royce-Saku, or maybe I had just tuned him out by that point -- but I saw enough of this bozo to have homicidal feelings. And frankly, I thought the broadcast team in the booth wasn't much better!

Despite all its flaws, I appreciate the fact that another big-time event is trying to enter the American MMA scene now that Zuffa has acquired Pride. Hopefully they'll get their act together for future shows. I do not relish the idea of a UFC monopoly on high-end MMA events in this country. - Gary

The UFC is fast becoming the Microsoft of the MMA industry, a massive conglomerate that has tethers in everything from farm-league shows (the WEC) to the talk-show circuit. (It was Liddell, not Lesnar, that had a spot on Letterman.)

It's all getting to be a bit unnerving, especially considering the mass media is all too quick to digest Zuffa's revisionist history about embracing regulation and modifying rules. I find the UFC to be largely responsible with their influence as the face of MMA in this country, but a lack of any appreciable competition has traditionally never been in the consumer's best interests.

K-1 committed the same fatal mistake as every other Japanese promotion that straddles the cultural fence: in trying to appeal to two vastly different audiences, they wind up underwhelming both. People cared about Brock Lesnar (Pictures)'s debut, but against the anonymous Min Soo Kim (Pictures), the hype was diluted. If they return, they need to focus on one demographic at a time.

Man, this event was a j-o-k-e!!! I can't believe I was duped into it with the hope of seeing Brock Lesnar (Pictures) beat. To me it seemed like every fight on the card (except maybe the Pickett fight) was supposed to be a huge mismatch. This show was a total spectacle, not sport. All that drumming and dancing and crazy pogo-bouncing was utter sh-t. When I purchased the PPV I was assuming I would get to see some fights, and I got this sideshow.

On a different note, what will Dana do about the Noah-Marlon fight on TUF? They talk like they will DEFINITELY get a fight on the finale, but why do they think they will? I'm sure people would want to see them fight in the cage, but if Dana gives them the fight, won't he be kind of rewarding them for breaking the rules and fighting at the house on the show?

I think he should send them to a K-1 show and make them fight on pogo sticks. -- BJ Mahon

The pageantry that the Japanese embrace just doesn't play in America, simple as that. For better or worse, we're far too jaded a culture to appreciate five-minute trumpet solos. That the U.S. arm of the promotion couldn't make K-1 ringleaders appreciate or understand that doesn't bode well for their future as a stateside player.

Dana White's opinion on the Noah Thomas (Pictures)-Marlon Sims (Pictures) fiasco is hard to gauge. The latest word is that Spike's announcement of a Sims-Thomas showdown on the finale was premature; it seems ridiculous that they'd promote a bout without the UFC's approval, though. I tend to think the fight was circulated simply so White would appear noble in shooting it down, a response to the flack he received for allowing their brawl to be aired in the first place.

The whole thing is hypocrisy personified, of course: White approves of locking fighters in a house for six weeks and plying them with alcohol, then acts indignant when two of them get into a scuffle. Give me a break. Reality TV is an oxymoron, granted, but try not to show us the strings.

Lesnar/NFL

Nice article. I do have to make one correction for you though. There is a football player since Vince Papale that essentially walked off the streets and into the NFL. That athlete would be Lesnar's opponent in the NCAA tourney, Stephen Neal. Neal was a 2x NCAA champion and world champion who wrestled for Cal Sate Bakersfield. He was given a tryout for the Eagles, but soon was traded to the Patriots, where he eventually made the starting line. Neal had only played high school ball. -- Greg Breier

Thanks for the correction. If not for Disney and Mark Wahlberg, I doubt I would've been able to reference Papale, either. I'm a little hazy on sports that don't involve someone getting kicked in the sternum.

Guide to June MMA

Any of you guys at Sherdog paying attention to this fight? Kimbo Slice (Pictures), who is all over YouTube as a bare-knuckle street fighter, vs. Ray Mercer on June 23rd. Worth noting. - Nate

Worth noting? That's subjective. Slice has an undeniable charisma that seems well suited to feed the lurid urban thug fantasies of young males. I don't know how that will translate to an MMA career, but I suppose he deserves as much respect as any athlete does in risking his neck inside a mixed-rules arena.

One thing is for sure: Ray Mercer isn't going to be anyone's litmus test. A pure boxer 15 years past his prime? The fight would've found a comfortable home on the Dynamite!! card. Maybe it even would've been good for an extra exclamation point.