I think it’s a smart match for the UFC to make, putting Couture with Machida. From a competitive standpoint, I just don’t think Couture showed anything against Vera to indicate that he belongs in a title match at this point.

I agree 100% about Vera. You cited every opponent he’s had that would have put him in a position to contend for a title, and he’s failed to make good on each of those opportunities. He’s young at 32, but he’s not that young. At some point you have to figure that the UFC is going to want Vera to poop or get off the pot, so to speak.

A loss to Randy freakin’ Couture shouldn’t lead to anyone’s ouster as far as I’m concerned, even if he is closer to 50 than 40. Still, if Vera can’t definitively prove that he’s one of the best at Light Heavyweight, the UFC may conclude that he’s not worth the money. I really, really hope they don’t, because I really like Brandon a lot.

Who do you think gets the next shot after Shogun then? Evans if he beats Thiago Silva? The winner of Griffin v. Ortiz?

I think that Randy is at the point in his career where he’s not going to work his way up any ladders to get a title shot. One or two fights and that’s all he’ll need. Frankly, I think that’s about all he can handle at Light Heavyweight at this point.

The Anderson Silva fight makes a lot of sense. I believe Couture has said as much, too.

That’s a fight that Silva almost certain wins, but if Couture were to beat Silva, Couture would certainly earn a shot at the title.

As for Evans, I think he really missed the point when he was offered the fight with Couture. He talked about how it didn’t make sense for him, but facing one of the all-time greats when you can probably beat him will mean a nice pay day and a good bit of exposure. Oh well, now he can avenge his boy Jardine when Evans fights Thiago Silva. It’s a fine fight and all, but it’s no Evans v. Couture.

I don’t think it’s a matter of Shogun having to fight someone to pass the time. I think it’s a matter of Shogun perhaps wanting another fight and another pay day while he waits for Machida to come off the shelf.

It would certainly be a win/win for the UFC. If Shogun wins, and I agree that he probably would beat Couture, then he’s got an even stronger case for a rematch and a bit more exposure to boot. If Couture wins, well, he’s Randy freakin’ Couture. You can see the promotion now: Can the elder strategist, Captain America, defeat the undefeated champion?

And if, against all odds, Couture were to defeat Machida, if Couture were able to rightfully knock off the man who had already lost the title in the eyes of so many, well, that would really be something special.

Well, the ball is in Shogun’s court, so to speak. He’s got the fight with Machida locked up. If he wants to fight in the meantime, then Randy probably makes the most sense for all parties.

Yeah, it would be a shame for Shogun to take the fight and lose, knocking himself out of the title match, but that’s something he’d have to consider before agreeing to the fight.

Sure. It’s a matter of weighing the risk versus the reward.

There are a few guys who have earned a shot more than Couture based on wins and losses, but only a few right now. Behind Shogun, Couture is certainly in the mix, even at this moment.

That’s a good idea. And if Tito loses, I hope he fights Mark Coleman.

Or maybe Randy fights Mark Coleman next regardless.

I could be wrong on this, but I am pretty sure Lil Nog mentioned that he wouldn’t want to fight Machida because of their relationship. Annoying if I’m remembering correctly.

Additionally, neither Lil Nog nor Luiz Cane have the popularity to support them as contenders at this point. Sure, you and I know them, but the audience at large will be seeing Lil Nog for the first time when he fights Cane, and Cane, as good as he’s been in the UFC, was last seen opening the televised undercard for the Anderson Silva v. Thales Leites fight. Neither one is there just yet.

I feel like the winners of the Evans v. Silva and Griffin v. Ortiz matches will fight to determine Machida’s next opponent after Shogun. Alternately, Couture can fight either of the winners and the winner of Cane v. Lil Nog can fight the other winner of the aforementioned matches. Then, depending on just how long Machida finds himself on the shelf, that next set of winners can fight to determine the top contender after Shogun.

So, Couture could either find himself in that contender’s mix, or he could find himself just outside of the mix, facing someone like Mark Coleman or Keith Jardine. Between those two opponents, I home Couture is matched up with the former.

I don’t see the UFC putting Kimbo in with Couture, but there would be money to be made on that. For me, Kimbo fights Houston Alexander, then he fights Chuck. Realistically, that’s about all the shelf life he has in the UFC, but that’s a whole different topic.

Well, I think the winner would definitely move up the ladder. We’re talking about two of the UFC’s main event staples, even though Franklin is pretty low on that totem.

Actually, that’s a really clever suggestion, putting Franklin in with Couture. I like that almost as much as I’d like to see Couture fight Mark Coleman, and your match certainly means more from a sporting aspect.

I’m on my phone so I can’t “rec” this but, REC 1,000,000 times! He should be fighting other fighters on their way out, not fighting guys that are trying to become stars. Give Couture Coleman, Tito or Chuck.