Steve Cofield: the UFC Is Holding a Press Conference Tomorrow to Announce the Return of Randy Couture

by Michael Rome on Sep 2, 2008 12:35 AM EDT in News Comment 37 comments

Steve Cofield reports that the UFC is holding a press conference tomorrow at noon PT:

After 11 months of fighting in the courts it looks like the UFC and Randy Couture have buried the hatchet. The promotion is holding a press conference on Tuesday at Noon PT to announce a new deal with the heavyweight champion.

Couture is expected to face Brock Lesnar at UFC 91 in Portland in what could be the biggest pay-per-view show in the UFC's history.

Let's cross our fingers and hope nothing falls apart. This is potentially the beginning of a very big run for the UFC and MMA in general.

UPDATE (from Luke Thomas): Here's the press release I received:

Las Vegas, NV (USA) – Dana White, President, Ultimate Fighting Championship^® will hold a media conference call today to make a major UFC^® announcement. The conference call will take place today, Tuesday, Sept. 2 at 3pm ET/12Noon PT.

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UFC's only real threat:

by Blackout612 on Sep 2, 2008 12:52 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Eliminated

Typed that shit in and it didn’t show up.. Maybe because it was preemptive.

by Blackout612 on Sep 2, 2008 12:52 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I actually like the first post.

Pretty much says it perfectly.

There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.

by misterjonez on Sep 2, 2008 1:11 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

fingers crossed I didnt expect to feel so excited about this news!

by Benicio on Sep 2, 2008 1:04 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

QFT, I hope it goes through because I’m pretty tired of the drama.

by pr0cs on Sep 2, 2008 1:05 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed.

while i’m excited for the potenial fights – i’m very much over Randy vs UFC drama too.

by Ronnie Liddle on Sep 2, 2008 1:09 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It gives me anxiety thinking about the matches that are going to happen.

It’s so great that the UFC went on without Randy, and starting building the division back up. There are several interesting fights that are going to occur as a result. I do agree that Werdum is about to get the shaft, but it will be a business dream for UFC.

I’m stoked.

by Heenan on Sep 2, 2008 1:08 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

This is like a sign from God for me.

Now I literally can’t not go to 91. 18 hour flights be damned!

There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.

by misterjonez on Sep 2, 2008 1:12 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

That is kind of where I'm at...

…I’m starting to think it is worth the price of a plane ticket.

Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.

by Brent Brookhouse on Sep 2, 2008 1:26 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, could be a semi-significant moment in MMA history.

And a hell of a night of fights, if HALF of the rumored bouts show up.

There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.

by misterjonez on Sep 2, 2008 1:29 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I went to 87, I’m going to 90.. Dare I go to 91 as well? November is my birthday. As good an excuse as any.

by Blackout612 on Sep 2, 2008 1:37 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I’m considering it too. It’s going to go long too, I really think the fight will be characterized by Lesnar dominating while Couture looks for openings. In other words, a lot of drama and a crazy atmosphere.

by Michael Rome on Sep 2, 2008 1:40 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

And the word 'explosive' doesn't really do these two guys justice.

We’ve all seen Randy open people up when he gets his opportunities, and just looking at Brock tells you what you need to know about his potential. All it would take is one mistake from either guy to determine the outcome, which is pretty much what you said. A lot of drama.

There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.

by misterjonez on Sep 2, 2008 1:48 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think throwing elbows to make brock bleed will be a significant part of the strategy going in. Inducing panic is basically Couture’s best chance.

by Michael Rome on Sep 2, 2008 2:10 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Brains against brawn. I’m salivating at the thought…

by Benicio on Sep 2, 2008 2:32 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Maybe a judicious headbutt a la Gonzaga?

There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.

by misterjonez on Sep 2, 2008 3:49 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It wasn’t a headbutt, Gonzaga’s own knee busted his nose.

by Michael Rome on Sep 2, 2008 4:11 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Wow, I must have confused it with another fight then?

I could have sworn that was the fight Couture cut someone with a headbutt…maybe I’m getting senile.

There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.

by misterjonez on Sep 2, 2008 4:30 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

there was a lot of trolling in mma forums after that fight about the supposed headbutt but replays and pictures after the fight clearly showed Gonzaga’s knee coming down on his face after he was slammed. i dont blame you for thinking it was a headbutt as the trolls were out in force after that fight :(

I dont think Randy should attempt something like that with Brock… He could put his back out!

by Benicio on Sep 2, 2008 6:22 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Very good news.

by Eugene Schelfaut on Sep 2, 2008 2:00 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Is it November 15 yet?

by Johann on Sep 2, 2008 2:06 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

count me as someone who...

…would rather not watch Randy die. He moved to 205 because bigger guys were beating him up on the ground. he can’t submit from his back, and he’s not going to stop Brock’s takedowns….this could be ugly as it is a total stylistic mismatch….good wrestler’s are almost always trumped by bigger buy equal wresters.

by the real romano on Sep 2, 2008 2:17 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

He’s a grown man, he knows what he is doing, and he took this fight thinking he can win it. It kind of reminds me of the articles on Sherdog in the days before the fight attacking Dana White for putting Randy in harm’s way like that. It’s going to be close, and yes, he absolutely can submit Brock from his back, judging from Brock’s “submission defense” as of a few months ago.

by Michael Rome on Sep 2, 2008 2:31 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Mike Van Arsdale is Randy’s only submission victory in the past 10 years. Brock getting subbed by Mir is one thing, getting subbed by Couture is something else entirely.

I think Couture’s best bet is to turn it into a boxing match. Drill Brock a few times in the first round, then keep him guessing until Brock wears out or makes a mistake. Couture’s dirty boxing is good, but not good enough to keep from wearing down against someone with the sheer power and wrestling skills Brock possesses.

Gonzaga isn’t a good comparison to Brock for how the clinch game will run. Gonzaga’s clinch game sucks on wheels. Werdum kicked his ass in the clinch too.

by Michaelthebox on Sep 2, 2008 2:55 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

His best chance is to pull off a sweep from the clinch, end up on top, and see what Brock does when he is pounding him from half guard. My guess? He folds. I’m almost positive that if Brock ends up in the same place he did against Herring, which is up against the fence in the clinch, he will be swept and will end up on his back.

Brock submitted immediately to a kneebar that wasn’t all that deep, and he didn’t even try for the most basic of counters. I know they drilled it for months in practice too, he just panicked. It happens to inexperienced fighters. He will panic if Couture is on top pounding him, Couture’s challenge is getting there.

by Michael Rome on Sep 2, 2008 3:09 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

And yes, Van Arsdale is Couture’s only submission, but he also regularly grapples with the best in the world now, something he did not do before. Jacare and Drysdale will both attest to his vastly improved submission game, and Brock is making a gigantic mistake if he doesn’t look out for it.

by Michael Rome on Sep 2, 2008 3:10 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Great little breakdown. Insight like this is why Bloody Elbow is one of the best.

by Benicio on Sep 2, 2008 6:26 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not everyone can pull kneebars out like that. I wouldn’t judge someone’s submission defense on their being submitted by a kneebar. If it had been an armbar from guard, kimura, triangle, etc. that would be different. But it wasn’t. Not at all.

by Simco on Sep 2, 2008 3:07 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree 100%

Thats the exact argument I made for this fight. I can see the Randy-vs-Lesnar fight being real real boring with Lesnar just taking him down time after time and out musseling him for 3 rounds and winning a very very boring decision ? Whoknows maybe Randy will shock us yet again but I really have my douts if Brock is in fact his first fight back.

by Shocbomb on Sep 2, 2008 3:10 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Oh shit!

Big news for UFC. Bad news for their competitors.

by Michaelthebox on Sep 2, 2008 2:19 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

NICE !!!!

by Shocbomb on Sep 2, 2008 3:06 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

When Couture ends up like Herring, Dana will be in the corner of Lesnar … laughing. Why? Because he will have found the bigger fight.

Lesnar versus Fedor.

"A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on." - Sir Winston Churchill

by FlyByKnight on Sep 2, 2008 5:12 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Did you guys change the column widths on the front page? Mines all screwed up :P

by mythbuster on Sep 2, 2008 8:57 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

BE sure

to check to see if you are viewing this in wide view or not. You can do that in the upper left hand margin.

by Luke Thomas on Sep 2, 2008 9:35 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

DOUBLE SWEETNESS!!

This Randy drama is over! Hes gonna fight Brock!

*Picture Matt Hughes after the Sera vs GSP upset.

“I love it, I LOVE IT!!!!”

by xFenixKnightx on Sep 2, 2008 9:08 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Randy will win.

I’m pretty sure about this. You’re not going to beat Lesnar on strength, but a smart fighter like Couture who can strategize and execute a good game plan can take him. I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets Lesnar on his back and Lesnar can’t do anything except simply try to overpower Randy to get to his feet, which he probably will do a few times. The only thing I’m worried about is when Randy is in the clinch, he’s gonna have to find a way to nullify Lesnar’s giant knees. If I recall, he really hurt Herring with a big knee in the clinch. I won’t be surprised if Lesnar wins, but I don’t think he can beat Randy. Not yet.

by pud333 on Sep 2, 2008 12:23 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs