UFC 102 Preview: Randy Couture and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira Clash in Legendary Bout

UFC 102's other co-main event headliner will feature a match-up that has been dreamed about by MMA fans for half a decade. Former PRIDE and UFC heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira (37-5-1) will finally step into the Octagon opposite former five-time UFC heavyweight champion Randy "The Natural" Couture (16-9) in a showdown that could determine a future heavyweight contender or challenger to the loser of the heavyweight bout between Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin. 

Nogueira is coming off a loss to Frank Mir at UFC 92 in which he was finished for the first time in his ten year career. Previous to that loss, he had dropped a split decision to Josh Barnett, dropped two decisions to Fedor Emelianenko, and lost a split decision back in 2000 to Dan Henderson in RINGS. Impressively, he's defeated a who's who of MMA's heavyweight elite in Fabricio Werdum, Josh Barnett, Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, Sergei Kharitonov, Heath Herring, Tim Sylvia, Dan Henderson, and even behemoth beast Bob Sapp back in 2002 in a legendary David vs. Goliath showdown in PRIDE.

Couture has an equally impressive record if we look at his opponents during the time frame of each bout. Most notably, most of his wins came in 5 round championship format, a tremendous feat for any athlete. While Couture has racked up nine losses over the course of his career, he's only taken on the best names in the sport from day one. He won the UFC 13 heavyweight tournament in his second fight, defeated Vitor Belfort in his third trial in the Octagon, and took the UFC heavyweight title from Maurice Smith at UFC Japan in his fourth fight.

He went on to face Kevin Randleman, Pedro Rizzo twice, Josh Barnett, and Ricco Rodriguez in five round battles for chances at the UFC heavyweight title. He defended it twice against Rizzo while losing to both Barnett and Rodriguez for shots at the title. From 2003 to 2006, he was involved in six championship bouts for the light heavyweight title. He defeated Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, and Vitor Belfort while losing to Liddell twice in defenses and Vitor Belfort at UFC 46 due to a cut. Out of retirement in 2007, he defeated Tim Sylvia to attain the UFC heavyweight crown and defended it against Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 74 before losing it to current champion Brock Lesnar at UFC 91.

Both men are legends in the sport and were very successful in their respective promotions, but each man defeated the top talent within their promotions in very different ways. Randy Couture was a three-time Olympic alternate in Greco-Roman wrestling while also holding multiple place finishes at the Pan-Am Games and FILA World Cup. He did win gold at the 1991 Pan-Am Games in Greco-Roman wrestling. He trained at Team Quest in Oregon early in his career with equally impressive wrestlers Dan Henderson and Matt Lindland before moving to Las Vegas to open Xtreme Couture gym. 

Couture's style over the years hasn't changed significantly. His wrestling base is first and foremost, and he's used it to notch brutal ground and pound victories over the course of his career. He's most known for using his Greco-Roman base to clinch with opponents, control them against the fence, and proceed to pound them with crushing dirty boxing techniques. His conditioning is considered to be top notch, and he uses the fact that most of his fights are five rounds to his advantage in pushing the pace that opponents cannot maintain.

Nogueira's style is much more technical, but it also has relied on the fact that he can take a massive amounts of damage and keep on ticking. He's truly a man who has taken some of the biggest shots in MMA, but kept moving forward to victory. Nogueira will combine a solid boxing base coupled with a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt on the floor. He's known for pulling off masterful submissions in the face of adversity, and we could see some of those jiu-jitsu skills on the floor come through in this match.

With every match-up on the UFC 102 card, there are some questions, but this bout has a couple of huge questions regarding the careers of both men. Can Couture be effective at the age of 46? Has Nogueira's chin taken a few too many hits and affected his ability to withstand punishing damage? Can Randy hang with Nogueira on the floor or in the boxing game? Will Couture's conditioning and five-round experience allow him to the push pace past what Nogueira can handle for this three-round fight?

All of these questions are very interesting pieces of the puzzle in this fight. From what we've seen in Couture's training, he's in phenomenal physical condition. Rumors circulating about Nogueira potentially being knocked out in training camp during sparring sessions doesn't exude confidence in his chances, but those are just rumors. Both camps are stating that each man is in pristine condition, so what will this fight really come down to?

Ultimately, Nogueira's boxing and submission game will be advantageous for him in this fight. Randy doesn't have the boxing to compete with Nogueira if Nogueira is fairly elusive and quick. If he comes in like he did in the Mir fight, Couture could take advantage. In the clinch, Couture is one of the best in the business and could punish Nogueira to victory. On the floor, it's a real toss-up. Couture has the ability to avoid submissions and use his power to stay away from submission holds, but Nogueira has made a career off exploiting opponents on the ground.

The most interesting attribute that Couture possesses is his conditioning. He's used to going through five round championship bouts, so his cardio should be able to push the pace in this battle without any problems. That could be a real nightmare for Nogueira. If Couture can impose his will early on the Brazilian, he may be able to put a stop to Nog's chances in this one. It's a true war between legends that you won't want to miss.