Would people please stop calling for Randy Couture to get the next light heavyweight title shot. It’s embarrassing.
Yes, he destroyed UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman at Saturday’s UFC 109. Made him look like the washed up old wrestler he is (Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler comes to mind). But, please, a little perspective is in order. Coleman is 45 and has just a single win in the last four years and that was over Stephan Bonnar. As I wrote yesterday, any other outcome but a Couture win would have been a complete shock.
Yes, Couture is in remarkable condition for a fighter his – or any – age. And maybe he is “only getting better,” as he often says. I also recognize that at 46 (Couture will be 47 in June), the clock is ticking and he doesn’t have any time to waste if he wants to be champ again. But let’s look at what he’s done lately. Before Coleman he out-hugged and out-decisioned Brandon Vera in a fight I and a lot of other people thought Vera won. Before that, he was getting beat up by heavyweights Brock Lesnar and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.
The UFC light heavyweight division is just too stacked to put Couture at the front of the line behind Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, who will rematch Lyoto Machida at UFC 113 in May.
Next in line are Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Rashad Evans, who will duke it out – finally – at UFC 114 in late May or early June (in other words, sometime just before The A-Team opens in movie theatres). I say the winner of that fight gets the winner of Machida vs. Shogun II and the loser gets the loser of that bout.
Then there’s Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, who faces Forrest Griffin on the same card as Evans vs. Rampage at UFC 114. I fully expect Lil Nog to get by Griffin and while that would only mark his second fight in the UFC, it would definitely put the PRIDE vet into the top of the mix, perhaps even nudging out Evans or Rampage depending on how dominant each fighter is in victory.
Even if Couture were guaranteed the next title shot, that wouldn’t be until at least three months following UFC 113, which puts it seven or eight months away minimum, and I don’t think Couture wants to be inactive for that long. He fought three times between the end of August 2009 and last weekend, he came out of the Coleman fight unscathed and again, the clock is ticking.
So, why not give Couture another bout against a top competitor while we wait for the title to be decided? Thiago Silva is still smarting from losing to Evans and needs a big win to get back on track; Jon Jones is lingering around the light heavyweight belt and still needs a couple of wins to secure his title shot (he could get one of those when he faces Vera at the first UFC on Versus card next month, which could propel him forward or move Vera back up the ladder).
And what about Anderson Silva? He’s been toying with light heavyweight and I full expect to see him make that move in a more serious fashion than just the occasional one-off, especially if his friend and training partner Machida loses the belt, freeing him to go for it himself.
All I’m saying is that Couture doesn’t deserve an automatic title shot – and saying he should get one because of his age while the others are young enough that they’ll have other chances is ridiculous. Who’s to say Couture won’t fight for two or three more years or that injuries (or Hollywood ) won’t shorten those younger fighters’ careers? I could just as easily argue that he’s already been champ a few times already so step aside, Grandpa, and let some young buck have his turn. It’s like pulling out a Magic 8-Ball when you make speculative arguments based on what could happen. There’s enough top-level competition in the division to keep Couture busy – and headlining events – well into his 48th year.
The UFC kicks off the first of back-to-back fight card weekends this Saturday as UFC 105 takes place in Manchester, England. The fight card is filled with local UK talent and TUF alumni and is headlined by none other than “Father Time”, Randy Couture.
Randy Couture vs. Brandon Vera – The smart money in the Randy Couture vs. Brandon Vera matchup, would most likely be on Randy Couture.
Couture has the edge in experience, game-planning, and wrestling control. The question that will continue to remain with Couture, however, is how much does he have left in the tank? Couture is now 46, and has once again dropped down to light heavyweight to test the waters.
Brandon Vera is probably the standup fighter in this matchup, with a strong background in Muay Thai and decent boxing. Couture has always been a solid striker, but never stood out as a great standup guy.
The deciding factors for me in this matchup will be Brandon Vera’s conditioning and Vera’s groundwork. If Vera can keep the fight standing he should be in a good spot. When Couture is able to bring the fight to the ground as he inevitably will, Vera’s BJJ and defensive grappling will need to be strong.
While it’s clear that Vera will never fulfill the promise his early heavyweight career foreshadowed, a win over Couture would give him a big shot in the arm and perhaps bring back a bit of his confidence and swagger.
Winner: Brandon Vera
Michael Bisping vs. Denis Kang – The UFC is hoping to do all they can to build up Michael Bisping in the general public’s eye after his complete embarrassment against Dan Henderson at UFC 100.
Bisping returns to his nest as he once again is fighting on home soil in England; I don’t expect him to fight outside the UK or Europe again any time soon. Personally, I’ve never been a fan of Bisping and I think he has been coddled and pushed through his career in the UFC and has never done anything to show he is a top-level fighter.
Denis Kang, on the other hand, has all the tools and talent needed to be a top-level guy, but has never been able to put it all together consistently. This will be Kang’s third fight in the UFC and I really think he’ll show his true colors in this fight against Bisping as he should finally begin to find his grove inside the Octagon.
I don’t expect much in the way of fireworks in this fight, but I think Kang should easily dominate the fight en route to a decision victory.
Winner: Denis Kang
Mike Swick vs. Dan Hardy – Mike Swick vs. Dan Hardy has all the making of what should be fight of the night. However, as we have seen plenty of times in the past, all the pre-fight trash talking in the world doesn’t always equate to a good fight.
Mike Swick seems to have finally found his comfort zone since dropping to the welterweight division and has won his last two fights via TKO. Swick has always been known for his quickness and handspeed, and he does have the power to end fights.
Dan Hardy is a gutsy fighter who has proven resilient and hard to finish. Like Swick, Hardy’s strength lies in his striking, but with Hardy it’s less about quickness and more about power.
I expect a standup battle from these two, but have a feeling it will be one of those slow “tactical” battles that doesn’t do much to win the audience over. I’m going with Swick via decision here.
Winner: Mike Swick
James Wilks vs. Matt Brown – This fight between James Wilks and Matt Brown seems to have snuck onto the main card by a matter of default. Wilks is a TUF winner and there aren’t any other solid undercard fights (outside of the Kelly vs. Siver fight).
I don’t have much commentary on this matchup as I don’t think either fighter is really that special. I’ve got Wilks winning via decision in round 1.
Winner: James Wilks
Ross Pearson vs. Aaron Riley – Another true pick-em fight that the UFC hopes showcases Ross Pearson and pleases the hometown British crowd. Pearson is a stronger striker and brawler while Riley has the edge on the ground. If Riley can take Pearson down and keep him there, he should be able to pull off a submission. If the fight stays standing, I expect Pearson to bulldog his way to a decision victory.
Winner: Aaron Riley
Paul Taylor vs. John Hathaway – Winner: John Mathaway
Terry Etim vs. Shannon Gugerty – Winner: Shannon Gugerty
Nick Osipczak vs. Matthew Riddle – Winner: Matthew Riddle
Paul Kelly vs. Dennis Siver – Winner: Paul Kelly
Alexander Gustafsson vs. Jared Hamman – Winner: Jared Hamman
Andre Winner vs. Rolando Delgado – Winner: Andre Winner
Props: Bloody Elbow
“Well, I definitely don’t want to stand around and allow him to establish his range and hit his rhythm. I’d like to make it as much of a wrestling match as I can. That’s what’s going to put me in the best position to win. I’ve seen Brandon fight a lot and I’m very familiar with his style, with how he uses his hands, with his motion. If you’re a fighter, you definitely have to fashion your training camp to work out the right game plan for your opponent, to be ready for the problems he poses and to make the right plan to beat him. I’ve studied the places he likes to be and where he doesn’t like to be and now it’s up to me to use that in the Octagon.”
UFC hall-of-famer and five time champion Randy Couture talks to MMA Fanhouse about taking opponent Brandon Vera out of his game and onto the ground at UFC 105 this Saturday in Manchester. It will be the first fight at 205-pounds for “The Natural” since he retired following his 2006 loss to Chuck Liddell. If he’s successful against “The Truth,” there have been some rumblings about a shot at Lyoto Machida in 2010. Can the aging wrestler continue to defy the odds? Or will Vera’s Muay Thai send him back into retirement? Opinions please…
Props: Las Vegas Sun
Quoteworthy:
“When they first told me I was going to fight in (UFC) 105, I was like, ‘Hell, no. That’s nine weeks from now. I just got done fighting (at UFC 101).’ Then they said I’d be fighting Randy and I was like, ‘Oh yeah, I’ll fight Randy.’ I always knew at some point in my career I would fight Randy. He’s one of the best. If you’re on a certain path, you’re going to have to cross certain people. I’ve told everyone it’s like a dream and a nightmare coming true at the same time. He’s broken all barriers. There is no ‘old’ now. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he fought until he was 51. The fights in the old dog. But I’ve got to go in and touch that chin, see how much is left in Randy. When they raise my hand, I want Randy to look over and be like, ‘That (expletive).’ I want him to be proud of me for turning into the fighter I always talked about being. He’s been there and watched me run my mouth at the Olympic training center. I want him to experience it first hand and say to himself, ‘He’s going where he said he was going to go.’”
– Light heavyweight Brandon Vera talks about his upcoming fight against mixed martial arts legend and former division champion, Randy Couture, in the UFC 105 main event from the Manchester Evening News (MEN) Arena in Manchester, England, on Nov. 14. “The Truth” is fresh of a dominant performance over Krzysztof Soszynski in August, using a new-look southpaw stance to foil the “Polish Experiment” for three full rounds. Couture, on the other hand, has lost back-to-back fights in the heavyweight division to Brock Lesnar and Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira. The 46-year-old will return to the 205-pound division for the first time since 2006. Will “The Natural” have the right formula for success against Vera, as well as in the land of light heavies moving forward, or will the younger, faster and possibly hungrier challenger be too much to handle?