The Details of Randy Couture's New Contract
by Michael Rome on Aug 30, 2009 2:30 AM EDT
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Randy Couture signed a new 7-fight deal with the UFC just minutes before his fight this evening. The new deal supersedes his old deal, and was effective beginning with Couture’s fight against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira tonight at UFC 102.
The deal is effectively a career ender. Nobody on either side expects Randy to fight 7 more times. This is the longest deal Couture has ever signed, and at 46 years old, it will almost certainly be the last.
Strikeforce's acquisition of Fedor Emelianenko gave Couture leverage he did not have before. He never threatened to leave, but the possibility was enough to encourage Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta to call Randy in for a private meeting to make him an unsolicited blockbuster offer.
Sam Spira, Couture's attorney, refused to comment on the compensation under the new deal, but confirmed the deal and noted that Couture was thrilled with the deal and excited to finish his career in the UFC. Matt Walker, Couture's sports agent, also confirmed the existence of the deal and believes this will be a great milestone in Couture's career.
Since Strikeforce signed Fedor, the UFC has renegotiated and extended the contracts of Randy Couture and Brock Lesnar, ensuring neither man will fight Fedor unless he signs with the UFC.
Sources on the UFC side suggested the deal Randy received was a slightly modified version of the deal offered to Fedor Emelianenko in July.
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7 fights, 7 potential "big fights"
I have to wonder who the UFC will line Couture up against next and in the future.
IMO
Randy’s future is at LHW. Wand, Chuck, and possibly Coleman would all be matchups that could draw, but wouldn’t really affect the title picture.
Supporting all Las Vegas MMA. Xtreme Couture FTMFW.
'09 is the year of the FW's.
by ElliotMatheny on Aug 30, 2009 3:21 AM EDT up reply actions
I agree. I think after this loss to Nog, there’s not much left to be said about Randy Couture and the heavyweight division. What’s he going to do, fight the loser of Dos Santos/Cro Cop? Plus, there are just a lot more marketable fights back at 205 than are left to him at HW. Rampage, Machida, Anderson Silva, Franklin, etc.
What a surprise, where are the people who swore that Randy was leaving the UFC for SF now?.
Like i’ve said in the past Randy isn’t an idiot he knows where his bread is buttered he’s making a great living fighting for the UFC just like many other HW’s. AA served as a warning as to what happens when people chase the quick buck and don’t think longterm about their career don’t expect another fighter to be that stupid again anytime soon.
It’’s more then just his fighting career. It’s him being able to announce and make money that way. It’s the UFC being good to Xtreme Couture fighters. There is a lot at stake.
by AlwaysRelaxing on Aug 30, 2009 3:03 AM EDT up reply actions
Zuffa isn’t taking any chances at this point.
by AlwaysRelaxing on Aug 30, 2009 3:00 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
What do you guys think of Randy Couture vs. Wanderlei Silva at 205 lbs in Columbus in March?
Forget the camp issues and weight, if it’s at 205 what do you all think of that fight? Is it competitive? Will people be interested? I think it’s a good one.
If Ortiz beats Coleman, I think Couture/Coleman makes the most sense. Do it in Ohio (Coleman Coutry). Battle of the old wrestlers. It should give Couture a win that he needs to stay relevent….
The Couture/Silva fight would be good too.
by AlwaysRelaxing on Aug 30, 2009 3:04 AM EDT up reply actions
Just knowing Randy, I don’t think he wants to be in some “old guy” spectacle.
by Michael Rome on Aug 30, 2009 3:05 AM EDT up reply actions
why's that?
I’d be surprised to see UFC give up the Arnold Fitness Weekend
why give Randy the loser?
i say give randy tito/coleman winner…
by Anton Tabuena on Aug 30, 2009 4:00 AM EDT up reply actions
He’s not going to want to fight either of those guys.
by Michael Rome on Aug 30, 2009 4:02 AM EDT up reply actions
maybe if the UFC offered a title shot if he wins?
..yeah, after some thought, i think i’d want rich vs randy..
i don’t think lots of people would want Chuck vs Randy 4, but chuck has been texting Dana about fighting again after dancing with the stars…
If ever Wand is going back up to 205, i also want to see Chuck/Wand 2 and Randy/Wand.. If he wants to go to MW, then Rich Randy..
by Anton Tabuena on Aug 30, 2009 4:07 AM EDT up reply actions
Rich is my second pick. But I like Wand first.
by Michael Rome on Aug 30, 2009 3:27 AM EDT up reply actions
I dont think a Wand fight builds enough steam for a follow up title shot.
The best option is Franklin… even if he loses to vitor.
And that’s also the bigger money fight.
Personally…I think Randy is still great but he’s a step slower, I no longer think the Machida fight will be competitive after tonight, so I am not in a hurry to make that happen. And why the race? he has 6 more fights. If he could beat both guys then he’d really deserve a shot.
by Michael Rome on Aug 30, 2009 3:34 AM EDT up reply actions
you gotta race because he aint getting any younger. If Couture was completely destroyed tonight then yeah – but he’s still competitive. The only difference in tonights fight was Nog was able to hurt Randy and Randy wasnt able to hurt Nog. There was no technical dominance anywhere.
Machida will be the favorite and I believe will win but time is running out for Randy. His second fight HAS to be a title fight.
Losing in a title fight you can rebound and then play the whole “fantasy matchup angle”..
Machida’s too fast and too technical standing for Randy. Only thing Randy has the advantage is the Greco/clinch, and I’m not even sure he has a huge advantage there after tonight.
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
It was choose one of those three fighters for his next fight then move on to Machida or a plan B, because I too don’t think he’s got 7 fights left in him
The problem is, at this point in Couture’s career, I don’t even think he beats Rich Franklin.
I think he is still a long shot to get a title fight again.
by AlwaysRelaxing on Aug 30, 2009 4:50 AM EDT up reply actions
Then the title match for Franklin v Machida is set… after Quinton there is nobody else ready – so its either Couture or Franklin and you have a compelling match.
From I matchup stand point I dont think Franklin can hurt Randy… he has a speed advantage but Randy wasnt trying to clinch or grapple in the Nog fight. So totally different game here.
But again either one who wins is fine. If couture loses then he can fight the showcase fights against Wand, coleman, etc… which are entertaining but mean little to the present landscape.
So is the thought process that Strikeforce is willing to do one-off fights with their star, and the UFC can’t risk to see Fedor vs. Couture (espexially at his age)…. Hence all the long-term contracts?
Do you know if Brett Rogers signed a contract extension? Or is his fight with Fedor the last one on his contract?
by AlwaysRelaxing on Aug 30, 2009 5:01 AM EDT up reply actions
This the UFC taking away credible Fedor opponents
Did you hear the Randy chant tonight? I dont care if they were in Portland. Randy is a huge star and people love him.
Lets say Randy didnt sign a contract extension and fights and loses the third and final fight on his contract that would make 3 straight losses. Even then the Randy-Fedor fight would still be huge. Randy always has been and always will be one of the most loved guys in mma along with Liddell. Locking him up was smart.
It’s the same reason why it was smart to bring back Tito and if Chuck wants to fight Dana is gonna let him rather then risk losing him.
Fedor has 3 fights left on his m-1 contract and has 3 decent opponets at Strikeforce in Rogers, Werdum, and Overeem.
After that what. It is the UFC or bust. Sure he could rematch Arlovski, Slyvia, or Choi, lame or he could go to japan and face the roiders Josh Barnett and Antonio Silva. Hell he could even beat up on a Ricco Rodriguez or Maurice Smith just to say he beat another UFC champion. But the reality is this most people realize these 3 fights in Strikeforce are all Fedor has left and if he doesnt come to the UFC after this about the fans he will be left with are the same fans that spend their days wishing Pride was still around and hating on the UFC.
Now dont get me wrong I loved Pride and nothing will ever replace the matches of Sakuraba, Wand, Fedor, Gomi, etc.. but the fact is life goes on and we have a new batch of stars in the GSP’s, Machida’s, etc.
Its more to take away strikeforces “projections” when trying to raise capital and destroy the “potential vision” of showtime in turning this into boxing.
But more so this “package” was designed before strikeforce signed fedor. This is the “retirement” package that Dana and Lorenzo want to reward the main Zuffa characters with. This is the “package” every star will end his career with.
The numbers might adjust with time but Tito got the “30m deal”, Randy got it… Brock got it… this is pretty much the deal Fedor turned down. Performance incentives and base differ in each contract but they are all “30m” dollar contracts.
So this idea that portrayed Zuffa as alienating their stars when they offered Fedor a big contract were complete false….
by AlwaysRelaxing on Aug 30, 2009 5:43 AM EDT up reply actions
yeah… Fedor got a similar permutation of GSP’s contract which was tweaked for Brock and then Tito… so Fedor got the “tito” contract which was agreed to right before it was offered to Fedor.
GSP’s contract started it…
Zuffa has closed the loop at the top. NOBODY will ever leave. Now Zuffa has to close the loop at the bottom with a b-league it controls so it can recycle talent.
It’s easy to close the loophole of the top talent. Increase pay and keep them happy like that. How can it be done for the up & comers?
by AlwaysRelaxing on Aug 30, 2009 9:54 AM EDT up reply actions
a minor league (one layer above the regional circuit)… closes the loop at the bottom. for up and comers and guys who need to retool their career.
Zuffa umbrella becomes a one stop shop…
Also sponsor moves will be made as it relates to fighters in the umbrella and fighters outside carrying an even bigger barrier for the competition than the current dynamic.
Closing the loop at the top… whats the end game for strikeforce now? whats their potential? what can they say to their current investors and new investors on projections?
Stealth attacks so their soldiers break ranks. (lets see how they will keep their current stars… it makes no sense to get locked in with strikeforce)
Closing the bottom loop: assuming they figure out how to create stars organically… their supply lines are being destroyed as we speak..
So this setup is not just for strikeforce but something that needs to be done otherwise this whole nuisance will just keep repeating itself over and over – and it could potentially just get more and more expensive each and every time.
Would the minor leagues be televised? Or just a way to get talent?
by AlwaysRelaxing on Aug 30, 2009 11:05 AM EDT up reply actions
wec.
the “Lebens”, “lashleys”, “king mos”, they would all get ratings and find out if they are on their way in or on their way out.
UFC with 8 weight classes cannot hold too many fighters with 36 to 40 shows a year.
Look how long its taken Nate the great to find himself as a fighter and get comfortable…
Nobody wants to see turtle fucking (nate vs salavery) in the UFC.
If they were seriously considering this they wouldn’t have just eliminated weight classes
Walla walla walla I'm an idiot.
yeah the plan was different then. it was to make the wec a marquee brand focusing on the light weights.
But if you do the math it is way more enterprising to build a fighter like “faber” in the UFC and then monetize him there (over 500k pvs)… than building him in the wec and monetizing him there (100-150k ppvs)
Not to mention the cost in trying to build a new brand. And at the end getting the wec to 500k ppvs would mean taking away to a certain extent from the UFC’s ppv’s because if the market can bear more shows the ufc will make more out of it than the wec… also the watering down of the dominant brand.
branding the wec as the B-league is relatively cheap… free actually.
this is all sounding very good
hope zuffa really is listening to you.
like the WEC as the B league idea. I’d love to be seeing Andrew Gusmao getting his groove back in the WEC on Versus.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
And the most important way to close the loop at the bottom:
Maintain the consensus top five fighters in each division. top 10 even better.
There would be no “Fedor” without the pride’s marquee heavyweight division. Most people thought it was the best at the time (consensus) and you cant rely deny now that oride actually did have the best. (Nog and Fedor beat sylvia. Fedor beat Arlovski)… murdered is more apt..
you control 90% of the ranked fighters you effectively close the loop at the bottom.
If a top highschool football player goes to the CFL nobody would give a shit about him.
So what you are describing is probably going to end up something like this:
1) UFC sign the top 5 -10 fighters in each weight category by talent/drawing ability. Pays them them large incentive laden contracts. Each is making $1 mil – $6mil a fight.
2) No other competitor can get off the ground. UFC becomes synonymous with mma. MMA/UFC grows exponentially, doubling and doubling again in popularity.
3) Second tier fighters salaries stagnate. There is no competition with the ability to pay them more than the UFC. There is no incentive for the UFC to pay them more, since they aren’t drawing the crowds. There is no incentive to leave, since no other org will pay them more, and if they ever wish to become one of the main draws they have to stay inside the UFC.
4) UFC can start dictating endorsement deals with their fighters. If a fighter wants to endorse a product that doesn’t also work with the UFC or refuses to endorse one of the UFC preferred sponsors at a rate favorable to said sponsor, they can be blackballed. (You don’t like it go fight for Gods of War)
5) Eventually main event fighters pay stagnates, even as the UFC grows larger. Why? Same as above. There is nowhere else to go to get such a large check.
For those that say that as long as the UFC keeps making more money the fighters pay will go up with it, I ask why after it’s vanquished any and all, present and future competitors? What incentive would the UFC have to pay more? This isn’t the NFL where teams are bidding for players services. Or any of the other major league sports where there are collective bargaining agreements, and since I don’t see any Federal Baseball Club v. National League type ruling coming down against the UFC, don’t be looking for one anytime soon.
by John Nash on Aug 30, 2009 2:27 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
For those that say that as long as the UFC keeps making more money the fighters pay will go up with it, I ask why after it’s vanquished any and all, present and future competitors?
Same reason it did in MLB, NFL, NBA, etc.
What incentive would the UFC have to pay more?
Because eventually someone like Strikeforce will come along and offer a couple of the guys more money.
Walla walla walla I'm an idiot.
You forgot the rest of that paragraph
“this isn’t the NFL where teams are bidding for players services. Or any of the other major league sports where there are collective bargaining agreements, and since I don’t see any Federal Baseball Club v. National League type ruling coming down against the UFC, don’t be looking for one anytime soon.”
And why would there be another competitor? as mmalogic said:
“whats the end game for strikeforce now? whats their potential? what can they say to their current investors and new investors on projections?”
If the UFC is mma in America, how could any new competitor rise to compete with them? How are they going to get fighters and make enough money to pay them if there is no one for them to fight, or 90% of the fans refuse to acknowledge anyone but the UFC? There will be no competition for the UFC after Strikeforce falls.
Now it’s great for the us if all the fighters are all under one roof and able to compete against one another, but is it great for the fighters? I mean obviously just the threat that a fighter might make the move to Strikeforce right now is getting a lot of fighter much better contracts than they would have gotten before Strikeforce signed Fedor. If anything fighters should be paying Fedor to stay out of the UFC so Dana has to keep opening his checkbook to keep everyone from fighting him.
If the WEC was turned into a true feeder system, offering a monthly fight card in the process…. That would be the best. They don’t even have to have a structure. Just good fights to build up the fighters. Doesn’t matter what weight class it’s in either. Just a place for prospects to get their feet wet.
If the UFC does 36 shows next year, and the WEC does 12 shows…. That’s a lot of MMA…. Enough to flush out all of the competition.
And a fighter like King Mo will have an option….. Smaller money in the WEC to build up his skills. Or bigger money in the UFC, but he has to fight tough guys right away.
With both options, Zuffa can sign more fighters.
The only problem is getting Versus on board with it, but something tells me they have little to fight back with. They don’t have any ratings successes, and therefore are at the mercy of Zuffa. And if they don’t want the WEC like that, I’m sure it can be placed on a different station.
by AlwaysRelaxing on Aug 30, 2009 3:26 PM EDT up reply actions
I dont know about Rogers, but Ken Pavia was way over his head with this negotiation. This guy never had one of his fighters in this position.
Rogers new what his options were so I dont know what happened.
Im sure he signed a new deal otherwise strikeforce wouldnt have made the fight. I just dont know what he was able to negotiate or what Ken Pavia fucked up.
At the end Brett Rogers is smart enough to choose Pavia has his agent so thats the only indicator I can go by.
Rogers was asked about money by Jordan Breen. Rogers said he not getting anywhere close to what the fight would have paid were it done under Affliction. He gave the impression that he took it under his existing StrikeForce contract.
Amazingly stupid if that ends up being the truth. If Strikeforce allows a fighter to have the chance to leave after potentially beating Fedor…. It’s almost like they are begging for the UFC to sign him.
by AlwaysRelaxing on Aug 30, 2009 9:59 AM EDT up reply actions
Rich vs Randy would be good..
Wand coming back to 205? maybe not..
by Anton Tabuena on Aug 30, 2009 4:02 AM EDT up reply actions
I worried about Wand’s cut to 185. I have no basis for it, but I just have that lurking feeling that after his first full cut he’s going to be drained.
"You guys are jerking eachother off with some pseudo deep bullshit." - Kid Nate
by Kaleb Kelchner on Aug 30, 2009 10:34 AM EDT up reply actions
Wand doesnt have the dicsipline… he’s too old school.
Its like teaching your grandpa how to use the internet… they just dont want to bother with it the right way.
I don’t doubt that Wand could attempt the cut, but I just have the feeling that when he makes it to 187 he’d stop sweating and get really, really sick. He was amazing at 195, but another 10 lbs could be too much.
I hope I’m wrong.
"You guys are jerking eachother off with some pseudo deep bullshit." - Kid Nate
by Kaleb Kelchner on Aug 30, 2009 3:12 PM EDT up reply actions
I wouldn’t mind it, but I hate seeing guys being jerked around with their weight. See: Franklin, Rich “Ace”
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
It’s competitive. People might be interested in that fight. It’s not main event material at this point. Co-main event, sure, but after their most recent losses, they can’t carry a fight card as the headlining bout.
The best move for Randy at this point is to return to the 205 division. More marketable matchups for him, and any size issue with opponents there will be negligible. Rematch with Tito, a fight with a 205-visiting Anderson Silva, probable title shot against Machida, possible superfights against Rampage, Rashad, or Rich Franklin. Lots of possibilities, even against some of the up and comers, like Jardine or T. Silva.
It’s best for Wanderlei to continue on down to the 185 division though, for the same reasons as Couture. Great fight with Chuck, but he still lost. Great comeback against Jardine, but he got taken out HARD by Rampage. At MW, he’ll be fighting more evenly sized opponents and mi9ght even have a size and strength advantage in some matchups. They could ease him in with a slugfest against Leben before exploring his options at MW. He’s closer to a title shot against Anderson Silva with one or two wins then he would be at LHW. A third fight with Dan Henderson could be marketable. And there are some of the recent acquisitions like Vito Belfort and Denis Kang he could have wars with. Or headlining or co-main eventing a future UK card with Bisping. I think a Wandy/Randy fight could be a good one too, but even ignoring the camp issues, I think its a better move for Wanderlei to explore 185 than trade blows with Randy.
I like that idea. I think it’s competitive. Honestly, after watching Randy’s performance, it’s hard to see him beating some of the more elite fighters out there now, but styles make fights and Wandy’s winging/swarming/brawling style will be a tough one for Randy I think. He’d have to close the distance quickly and do what he couldn’t do against Nog last night, which is press Wandy against the fence and dirty box or get him to the ground.
I love me some Sexyama!
I wouldn’t be surprised to see up-and-comers clamoring for a fight with Randy – the image boost alone will increase their worth, and he tends to put on exciting fights. It could even be given a veteran-vs-upstart angle.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Aug 30, 2009 3:03 AM EDT reply actions
I don’t see Randy taking this kind of fight, his new contract is certainly PPV buy based, and he doesn’t want to be a stepping stone. He wants “interesting fights” which I am pretty sure is code for big names he hasn’t fought that he’d like to test himself against. In other words, Randy isn’t fighting Jon Jones next.
by Michael Rome on Aug 30, 2009 3:04 AM EDT up reply actions
You’re probably right about that – I don’t see him agreeing no matter who calls him out unless it’s “interesting”.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Aug 30, 2009 3:06 AM EDT up reply actions
First it was “respect” now its “interesting”…
these are both code words for “MONEY”.
by mmalogic on Aug 30, 2009 1:18 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
But, you got agree that would be a great battle of Greco-Roman practitioners
by The Bronzeville Bully on Aug 30, 2009 1:03 PM EDT up reply actions
Since Strikeforce signed Fedor, the UFC has renegotiated and extended the contracts of Randy Couture and Brock Lesnar, ensuring neither man will fight Fedor unless he signs with the UFC.
And Dana will have you believe that StrikeForce doesn’t worry him. Haha.
http://twitter.com/FlyByKnite
He's not worried because he knows how to deal with them
I’m not worried about getting hit by cars because I don’t play in traffic; I know if I take certain precautions, I won’t get hurt.
by Shaun32887 on Aug 30, 2009 3:08 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
By the way, Randy-Anderson seems to be the way this is heading. That or Randy-Tito II.
http://twitter.com/FlyByKnite
I don’t like either of those.
For me, there’s no reason to do Randy-Tito. The first fight was a definitive 5 rounds. And Randy-Anderson….yikes.
by Michael Rome on Aug 30, 2009 3:12 AM EDT up reply actions
I agree about Anderson
but Couture/ Ortiz would draw well IMO, and makes a pretty good deal of sense for both fighters.
Supporting all Las Vegas MMA. Xtreme Couture FTMFW.
'09 is the year of the FW's.
by ElliotMatheny on Aug 30, 2009 3:23 AM EDT up reply actions
There’s enough fights that make sense to not do a needless rematch. I mean, the only thing it would answer is how age affected each guy.
Randy/Wand and Randy/Franklin are dream fights of sorts, I’d much rather see new fights people will be intrigued by.
by Michael Rome on Aug 30, 2009 3:28 AM EDT up reply actions
There’s enough fights that make sense to not do a needless rematch. I mean, the only thing it would answer is how age affected each guy.
It could prove that Tito’s back was the reason why he lost the first fight
fightlockdown.com
Even if his back was the reason he lost, how is beating a 46/47 year old Randy Couture prove anything?
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
yeah thats the other thing… he may even have a shot at chuck now – but what does that prove?
Tito has fights with Forrest, Rashad, Rampage, etc…
It proves nothing I was just thinking of an answer.
Also I am not sure if Tito would fight Rampage since they have both said they won’t fight each other, unless one of them changed their mind
fightlockdown.com
If Randy fights Anderson, Randy will be forced into retirement.
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
“Since Strikeforce signed Fedor, the UFC has renegotiated and extended the contracts of Randy Couture and Brock Lesnar, ensuring neither man will fight Fedor unless he signs with the UFC.
Sources on the UFC side suggested the deal Randy received was a slightly modified version of the deal offered to Fedor Emelianenko in July"
Maybe fighters should be sending a cut to Fedor because it seems pretty obvious to me that there is a “Fedor effect” to UFC contracts.
If After All this (locking down Randy, Tito, gobbling up all the heavyweights, etc…) and Big Nog ends up being the UFC champ… Fedor will have a huge smile on his face :)
The probability is low but it does send shivers down the back.
crocop looked like he had hands again…. so its possible.
crocop versus nog 2 to at least eliminate one of them.
although
I think crocop was like that cause he also looked like he lost those kicks too.. I’m wondering if the injury is still a factor.. I think if he throws that little kicks, and boxes with Dos Santos, he’s gonna get murdered..
by Anton Tabuena on Aug 30, 2009 4:37 AM EDT up reply actions
How’d you get this?
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Aug 30, 2009 10:51 AM EDT up reply actions
I just edited an old beat up Randy pic from google..
Looks like this last fight though. Haha.
And it seemed like it fit the situation well. if I got beat up by nog, and get a massive contract like that while still have big money fights at 205, I’d be smiling too.
by Anton Tabuena on Aug 30, 2009 12:50 PM EDT up reply actions
I know there are photographers who take before-&-after shots of each fighter (that’s all in the Octagon book), so I figured you somehow acquired it – even the bumps & bruises are in the right spots.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Aug 30, 2009 3:00 PM EDT up reply actions
This is Dana giving the middle finger to Fedor
Most people with a mind know Fedor has 3 fights at Strikeforce:
Rogers
Werdum
Overeem
Maybe he can fight Roger Gracie or Satoshi Ishii if they get a few more wins under their belts.
After that what is he gonna go do go fight roided Antonio Silva or Josh Barnett in Japan.
Is he gonna fight Ricco Rodriguez or Jeff Monson or Maurice Smith or Marcio Cruz?Is he gonna rematch Sylvia or Arlovski or Choi? All cans. We know he wont fight his brother and Dana either has locked down or is locking down all possible good opponents.
Right now I will give you that he has 3 fights that are relevant outside the UFC which I listed but there will be nothing after that and anyone who cant see that is blind.
That would be the worst fight possible. Silva’s speed and Couture’s chin would make it a guaranteed KO in Round 1.
by AlwaysRelaxing on Aug 30, 2009 4:46 AM EDT up reply actions
I hope they make Anderson continue his legacy at 185.
But I have a feeling they will do Marquardt vs Hendo because (both finishes were so great) and then do Anderson at 205 vs someone.
Hopefully not Couture.
All Anderson is doing is ruing the 205 division because he wont fight Machida….
He needs to stay at 185 until (if) Machida loses and then go straight to a 205 title fight. Pray that Vitor beats Franklin because theres nobody else for him to fight.
After beating Forrest like that Anderson has no business fighting in anything other than title fights.
Ideally he has 2 more fights left at 185. Vitor and the winner of Hendo v Nate. if Vitor loses there’s only one.
the line to Machida is shogun, then Rampage (if he wins) , then it should be the winner of a couture v franklin fight… and if Machida survives this gauntlet – which I assume he will – someone between Cane, little Nog, Vera will emerge at that point.
The problem is Anderson. He cant be eliminating this line and ruin the 205 divison like he did the 185 division…. will someone else emerge in the middleweight division or was maia the last hope? Will Anderson wait until Machida loses? Can Dana sign Roy Jones? and is Roy Jones willing to take a warm up fight to prove that he’s serious about his MMA career?
Unless he agrees to fight Machida he has no business at 205.
RJJ was the Mind Blowing middleweight dana wanted to sign right?
but then i guess RJJ was just set on boxing silva with little gloves on.. and i doubt RJJ would be serious about learning and developing other skills for MMA..
by Anton Tabuena on Aug 30, 2009 6:38 AM EDT up reply actions
I think this is silly. It might complicate the division, but there’s nothing wrong with them just throwing Anderson the table scraps after Lyoto gets through with them.
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
Watching killer whales play with seals isn’t competitive, but I will still watch.
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
That's just brutal
(& totally amazing to watch, but still nasty)
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Aug 30, 2009 11:37 AM EDT up reply actions
What was the point of Cote and Leites? What’s the point of any fight? To watch dudes beat each other up.
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
You want shogun to have to fight anderson after he gets beat by Machida (assuming)… whats the point for the UFC? Whats the point for anderson who just tooled forrest to fight a guy Forrest beat? whats the point for shogun to risk not being able to rebuild his career?
Andersons only real fight at 205 is for the Title. Nothing else makes sense.
by mmalogic on Aug 30, 2009 9:37 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Anderson versus the loser of Rampage/Rashad would be interesting I think. But he really is the big fly in the ointment I think.
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
yeah, rashad or shogun, etc… could also lose while building themselves back up but in that process they help create other “Contenders”…
What do they do by losing to Anderson? he’s already the second best light heavy weight in the world..
Forrest is lucky… his next fight will probably be against chuck or possibly franklin (if he loses to vitor) He can continue in showcase fights without worrying about getting back on the title road.
yeah, rashad or shogun, etc… could also lose while building themselves back up but in that process they help create other “Contenders”…
What do they do by losing to Anderson? he’s already the second best light heavy weight in the world..
Forrest is lucky… his next fight will probably be against chuck or possibly franklin (if he loses to vitor) He can continue in showcase fights without worrying about getting back on the title road.
Not everything has to be on a linear road to an arbitrary title.
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
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I’m not sure what you mean by this. In an ideal world, Machida and Anderson put on the greatest fight of all time. In the real world, there are emotions involved. These guys clearly do not want to fight each other. And I don’t want to watch two guys who have no interest in fighting each other. I do want to see Anderson Silva test his skills, and if that means there are better fights at 205, so be it.
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
Its just tough to work… who do you think anderson should fight in his next 3 fights? try to account for all the possible scenarios (ie: if Vitor loses/wins, etc…)
Some combination of Marquardt, Belfort, Henderson, loser of Rampage/Evans, Shogun. That’s enough possibilities right there without the knowing what unfolds over the next year-plus.
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
I’m thinking try something crazy. Anderson wants to fight at 205, have him fight Hendo. Hendo will agree because if he wins he gets to take on Machida (think of the storyline there). If he doesn’t take it then he has to fight Nate for next contender, so he’ll take it.
This clears up one of the 185 challengers, allows anderson to fight at LHW and potentially provides Machida with another challenger after Jackson or Evans. Also I think Hendo is better at 205, so maybe he’ll have a little more of a chance.
At 185, if Vitor wins impressively he gets the next title match. Otherwise it goes Nate. The odd man out between those two gets Okami. So his next three fights are:
1) Hendo at LHW
2) Vitor or Nate
3) Vitor or Nate or Okami
If he resigns after that he better be willing to fight Machida or the UFC has to sign Gegard.
It doesn’t make sense to me either. No way does Hendo give up a title shot at 185. Just one of those ideas that pop into your head and seem so brilliant and then 10 minutes later your thinking “Who wants to see non-title fight between those two?”
by John Nash on Aug 30, 2009 4:21 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
In the real world, there are emotions involved. These guys clearly do not want to fight each other. And I don’t want to watch two guys who have no interest in fighting each other.
Agreed. Obviously I’d love to see them fight and it’s unfortunate that it’s not gonna happen but it is what it is. You can’t make two guys fight if they don’t want to.
Walla walla walla I'm an idiot.
UFC needs to find their Miss Elizabeth, imo.
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
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One thing I noticed in the fight is anytime Couture would disengage after just finished striking there would be a noticeable pause in what seemed like him processing the information and him recomposing his hands defensively.
They really have to be careful who they match him up against, a seasoned striker with decent ring control and take down defense would probably take him out very quickly at this point.
I felt i wanted to see Cotoure vs Mir after the conclusion of that fight. Mir killed an arguably weakened Nog. Mir and cotoure both has name recog, and both are game fighters, both lost to Lesnar and both could use a W to get back in the picture.
It doesnt make sense to risk Randy losing to an upNcomer since hes a big draw for future events even should he lose to someone thats considered a top competitor. Mir vs upandcomer is also a risky prospect since he was a legit contender, a L to Randy does nothing to diminish him and a win propells him back into the mix.
Last night's fight shows that Randy's still got it
Couture looked great, but he looked too small fighting against Nog who towered over him. I think Randy will find success in the light heavy division and be competitive. Randy has always been too small for the HW division, but he’s just the right size for LHW. I think Randy will be competitive at 205 against anyone not named Machida.
I’m not sure I’d say Randy looked great. Granted he’s still competitive and probably better than two-thirds of the UFC HW division but I don’t think he has what it takes to be at the top anymore.
Walla walla walla I'm an idiot.
Yes, but I don’t think he could deal with the speed of a lot of them.
Walla walla walla I'm an idiot.
yeah… Randy’s biggest weakness right now is his opponents speed.
If the fight becomes a close grappling match he can still beat anyone at 205.
I’m not sure I’d say that anymore. Randy didn’t control the clinch like I expected against Nog, and he got repeatedly owned on the floor. Granted, Nog’s going to be a tad taller and 10-15 lbs heavier that 205ers.
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
This was one of the most notable things to me. Randy, who was able to overpower Gonzaga and Tim in wrestling, couldn’t do it with Nog.
Listen, I’m the captain of the “don’t demand retirement” club, but anyone who doesn’t think Randy is now seriously diminished is deluding themselves. This is not the same guy who fought Gonzaga.
by Michael Rome on Aug 30, 2009 3:01 PM EDT up reply actions
what you're missing
is that Nog at his best is one of the absolute elites of the sport.
He’s shown that he’s head and shoulders above Werdum and by extension Gonzaga.
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With Couture, I really wish he would retire. Yes, he might have 1 more big win left in him, but should most fighters be in the sport until their last drop of competitive juices flows out of them?
by AlwaysRelaxing on Aug 30, 2009 3:23 PM EDT up reply actions
the money is too good on this new deal.
by Michael Rome on Aug 30, 2009 3:33 PM EDT up reply actions
That is the problem. The UFC has to offer this big money to keep it’s stars happy and away from competition…. But then you end up with guys like Couture who have a hard time saying “no” to a $2 Million + payday each fight…. Can’t blame him…. But it’s not always fun to watch.
by AlwaysRelaxing on Aug 30, 2009 3:36 PM EDT up reply actions
Oh, it waqs a great fight…. But there is a bitter sweetness to the fight. A good portion of my brain is saying Couture should retire, while the rest is saying “GREAT FIGHT!!”.
And the fact that Couture was competitive means that he will want to fight again….
by AlwaysRelaxing on Aug 30, 2009 3:54 PM EDT up reply actions
I think we’ll know when it’s all over. My guess is his next fight is Franklin or Wanderlei at 205. If he beats one of those guys, then he should keep fighting, it’s what he loves to do. Hell, if it’s a super close, exciting fight and he’s okay in defeat he should keep fighting if he wants. But if either guy flatlines him in a minute then there are serious questions.
by Michael Rome on Aug 30, 2009 4:16 PM EDT up reply actions
And we should always note that there were more people saying he was done after Rodriguez and Barnett than there are now, and he did come back to shock the world at 205. I wouldn’t bet on it happening again, but I think the guy from last night could be competitive with guys his own size.
by Michael Rome on Aug 30, 2009 4:17 PM EDT up reply actions
I’m aware. It’s just that his wrestling has never been much to speak of, this is an area a peak Randy should have easily dominated but didn’t in the clinch. And those punches…we can kid ourselves all day about Nog’s boxing, which is very good, but Couture went down from a shot in the first round that wouldn’t stop most heavyweights in their forward progression.
He was slow to reset off of every exchange too.
It was an incredible fight, but Randy was severely diminished in his ability to take a shot, but even more so his strength, which has always been a big thing for him.
by Michael Rome on Aug 30, 2009 3:29 PM EDT up reply actions
yeah, i thought his chin is getting weaker now that he's getting older..
hopefully his strength will still be serviceable against guys his size.
by Anton Tabuena on Aug 31, 2009 12:16 AM EDT up reply actions
Randy back in the booth...
….that’s what I look forward too. I like him om mic during fights.
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