Forecasting Randy Couture's Next Potential Light Heavyweight Fight

by Luke Thomas on Sep 7, 2009 10:39 AM EDT in News Comment 32 comments

I don’t know if Couture has another title run left in him. His next two fights will likely answer that question, though Couture’s burgeoning acting career, and the time he will have to devote to it, will affect his course for sure. Still, a quick view of the current 205-pound roster gives us a few more names that might tickle your fancy more than Jardine did.

Wanderlei Silva -- Silva trained at the Xtreme Couture gym for a spell in 2008 before opening his own place in Las Vegas this year. Silva’s striking intensity against Couture’s grind-down wrestling style would please the masses.

Brandon Vera -- Vera has a lot more potential than he’s shown and Couture tends to bring out the best in his opponents. This is one of those "changing of the guard" scenarios.

Anderson Silva -- Dan Henderson stifled Silva in the first round with takedowns and positioning. Couture could do the same in superfight proportions.

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson -- An unpredictable romp (this one could go anywhere), but another dynamic pairing.

Mark Coleman -- For trivia buffs, this bout was originally slated for UFC 16 in March 1998, before Couture injured his rib in training and Pete Williams used Coleman’s grill for kickball practice. Also, Coleman out-wrestled Couture by one point at the Olympic Festival at Oklahoma State in 1989.

For my money, I like the Wanderlei Silva fight (and said as much on MMA Nation this past Saturday). The style pairing is compelling on multiple accounts, there's oodles of storyline, a loss does not necessarily impact their careers very negatively, it'd likely be financially lucrative and would very likely rally both the hardcore with some spillover into casual fan territory.

I don't like fights for Couture with still athletic, adept strikers, so I vote no on Rampage and A. Silva. And because of the semi-applicable "grappler vs striker" motif to a Couture vs. W. Silva fight, one can reasonably claim Randy has a safe place to avoid damage on top in Wanderlei's half guard. As for the rest: the Coleman fight isn't likely to be as dramatic as a fight with W. Silva, Loretta correctly identifies why a fight with Vera is actually counter productive and a fight with Henderson, while fascinating to think about, is not what either fighter really need out of each other at the moment. That's especially true for Henderson and his title hunt.

Truthfully, I admit I not sure what a Couture vs. W. Silva fight tells us, but very few if any were suggesting Couture vs. Nogueira would have far reaching implications. Now one week plus removed from the event and Nogueira has not-quite-but-close catapulted himself to the front of the heavyweight title contender line. A strong performance by either fighter could reignite excitement in Silva's fight career or further enhance Couture's ability to draw large crowds and PPV buys. I say to Zuffa: make it happen.

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Stephan Bonnar

So the UFC can finally get rid of him.

"He built his whole reputation (as a) waffle house chef. They've been serving him up ham and eggs with a side of canned tomatoes." - Don Frye on Fedor Emelianenko

by Deo Wade on Sep 7, 2009 9:08 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Why would you want to get rid of Stephan Bonnar?

This shirt is "dry clean only", which means it's dirty.

by SamCupitt on Sep 7, 2009 9:47 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Has he ever looked impressive?

Sure Griffin vs. Bonnar 1 was a classic battle, but after that? He’s been lackluster. 5-5 in his UFC career and 2-3 in his past 5 fights. He’s not evolving while the new generation of fighters are light years ahead of him (shown in his fight against Jon Jones). I understand Dana wanting to keep him on because he was part of the match that made The UFC what it is today, but the UFC is cutting people after 1 fight for bad performances. I just don’t thinks its fair to other fighters to keep him on.

"He built his whole reputation (as a) waffle house chef. They've been serving him up ham and eggs with a side of canned tomatoes." - Don Frye on Fedor Emelianenko

by Deo Wade on Sep 7, 2009 10:10 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Because.. regardless what people think..

Dana is a loyal person.. And those who stand by him and have helped him when it wasn’t all gravy, he’ll make sure they’re taken care of, now that things are going according to plan..

I respect that out of Dana.. Those other fighters weren’t around when there was no money & helped bridge the company into mass appeal. That fight kicked the UFC in the right direction and helped push them out of the 44 million hole they were sitting in to where they have gone today..

Just like they wont cut Randy no matter how many times he loses. The guys that do the most for the company, get rewarded the most.. No different than anything else in life..

8-29-09

Keith Jardine is now known as "The Dean of Antihistamine" because he is always sleeping early in fights..

by MMAuthority on Sep 7, 2009 10:17 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

Well, people will also pay good money to watch Randy Couture fight, so the parallel isn’t really perfect.

Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com

by Mike Fagan on Sep 7, 2009 10:40 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Randy always looks impressive though.

And so that my argument doesn’t end up being hypocritical, same thing goes for Randy. BUT Randy always looks impressive, even when he loses. So an argument can be made that his performances still warrant him getting fights in the UFC. Bonnar on the other hand…Not so much.

"He built his whole reputation (as a) waffle house chef. They've been serving him up ham and eggs with a side of canned tomatoes." - Don Frye on Fedor Emelianenko

by Deo Wade on Sep 7, 2009 10:42 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don’t know about all that, four of his losses happened in under 2 1/2 minutes, the 2nd Chuck Liddell fight didn’t impress me much.

Walla walla walla I'm an idiot.

by ufc4 on Sep 7, 2009 10:57 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You have a good point.

Same thing goes for Randy. Dana will be loyal until he gets one of them seriously hurt in the ring.

"He built his whole reputation (as a) waffle house chef. They've been serving him up ham and eggs with a side of canned tomatoes." - Don Frye on Fedor Emelianenko

by Deo Wade on Sep 7, 2009 11:20 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Couture vs Forrest!

Couture has said he doesn’t mind fighting ppl from his own camp…

by orcus on Sep 7, 2009 9:09 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

If Rampage pulls out of the fight with Rashad over the A Team movie, Randy should fill in. Randy vs. Rampage would also be fun.

Wanderlei is a terrible choice because his striking isn’t nearly as good as Randy’s wrestling.

If Vera doesn’t show his potential, than it doesn’t matter if he has it. There’s no f*cking way the UFC would put him in a main event or co-main event when so many of his fights hace sucked. Vera needs to go to the undercard or UFN for his next few fights.

Visit MMAEruption.com!

by MMAEruption on Sep 7, 2009 9:57 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

that would be a great match, Randy vs Evans. come to think of it, this would be the best match than the ones listed above for me.

by orcus on Sep 7, 2009 10:38 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Wandy has said he’s got a regime now to get rid of the bulk on his body so he can make a home at 185, so that looks like the least possible option out of them all.

He’s said he wants superfights, so maybe look out for Tito vs Randy 2? Anderson will try and avoit the title as much as possible so maybe his and Randy…

by Donk696 on Sep 7, 2009 10:04 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Wandy has said he’s got a regime now to get rid of the bulk on his body so he can make a home at 185, so that looks like the least possible option out of them all.

Exactly. I feel like I must be missing something since two people who follow mma professionally felt inspired to put Silva as their top prediction.

by Simco on Sep 7, 2009 11:05 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Because the idea that he can’t have a financially lucrative, interesting and yes, competitive fight at 205lbs is so very dubious. And while there would be some temporary derailing of Wandy’s efforts to get to 185, the entire point of him dropping there was to get more even handed challenges. Some might argue Couture’s capability at 205 is too much, but I’m not the least bit convinced. I think Couture’s the favorite there, but with Wanderlei being a very serious threat.

If it doesn’t please you or others, ok, it doesn’t have to. But when weighing all of the relevant factors, there is a ton of upside to the bout.

by Luke Thomas on Sep 7, 2009 11:47 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

A. Silva vs. Couture

Is a bad idea..

If you think Nog picked Couture apart.. It would look a lot like the Forrest fight with Silva putting Couture to sleep when he is done playing with him.. Silva is probably the most accurate striker in MMA. He’ll find Randy’s chin when he want’s it and Couture goes to sleep..

Couture should stay at HW.. He’s too slow for the LHW guys.. His reflexes have diminished considerably. Rashad, Rampage, Lyoto, T. Silva, A. Silva, Shogun and a few others would be too quick and too much for Couture standing..

I think he should step in as a replacement for Mir in the Kongo fight and allow Mir & Nog to settle their rematch personally.. If Kongo wins, it doesn’t put him any higher up because he beat an aging Couture that was coming off back to back losses. If Couture beats Kongo, he beat a guy who was considered above middle tier in the division and it puts him back in the race..

8-29-09

Keith Jardine is now known as "The Dean of Antihistamine" because he is always sleeping early in fights..

by MMAuthority on Sep 7, 2009 10:11 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I would be in favor of

Couture vs. Vera. This would give Vera an opportunity to insert himself into the title hunt finally, and give Randy an opportunity to prove he’s still viable and not destined to be on the senior circuit.

by rzor on Sep 7, 2009 10:42 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

That fight will never happen

Randy is only going to get big fights against name fighters, nobody has ever heard of Brandon Vera and for good reason.

Walla walla walla I'm an idiot.

by ufc4 on Sep 7, 2009 10:58 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think you’re underestimating Vera. The man did get his own 3 fight special on Unleashed. Aside from that, we are forgetting that the UFC is pretty good at making any fight at least somewhat appealing.

by Screwface on Sep 7, 2009 11:45 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions 0 recs

If Vera was that tentative vs. K-Sos, he’s going to be afraid to come out of the locker room to fight Randy.

Visit MMAEruption.com!

by MMAEruption on Sep 7, 2009 1:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I’m not saying nobody would watch it, there are just far more intriguing matches for him and the UFC wouldn’t have given him that huge contract to fight guys like Brandon Vera.

Walla walla walla I'm an idiot.

by ufc4 on Sep 7, 2009 2:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Wandy vs. Randy would be AWESOME! Best thing about this fight is that there is no shame in losing to the other guy since they are both legends.

for all intents and purposes, just consider all my posts as works of satire.

by Bandaka on Sep 7, 2009 11:51 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I completely disagree on the Wand fight....

1. Randy, and apparantly some folks on the interwebs believe he can reach another title shot with a win or two. I dont think it would be all that fair. In actuality he really couldnt be put into the top 7 or so LHW’s right now, although he will still be a top 5 fighter in terms of popularity and maybe even drawing power. But how does a possible win over Wandy help him? Entertaining, yes. Building block for a LHW title shot, no.

2. Its been 3 years since he’s fought at that weight. And, it was a KO loss. Im positive Randy CAN cut to the weight at age 46, but im not positive he’ll perform at a high level at age 46 at that weight.

3. Wand, a small LHW is transitioning to MW. Why throw a HW who is cutting to LHW after holding the HW title less than a year ago, in there against Wandy who was proving to be too small for his own weight class.

4. Couture: 2 fight losing streak, Wand: Lost 5 out of his last 6. This fight will only toss more dirt on one of these fighter’s MMA graves.

5. At his age, it will become harder and harder to compete at a championship level. Acting will interfere with training in some ways im sure. At this point, if a title shot is in the back of his mind, he should focus on that and act later. But I dont see him doing that. The acting money is too good and too easy on his body.

I love both fighters, especially Wandy, but I just dont see where this fight makes sense on any level other than for shits and giggles. Maybe its because I dont believe Randy has another title run in him like many do. Or maybe its because I dont want Randy to outweigh Wand on fight night by 12 lbs and take a decision from the Axe Murderer.

I dont like like the potential fights with elite LHW strikers (see Chuck/Randy II, III) Shogun, Rampage, Machida, Shad, Anderson… I say forget the fast track to the title (ala his last HW title run) and give him profitable, entertaining, competitive fights with people like Tito, Forrest, Chuck, Coleman, Franklin, Lil Nog, etc…

The UFC has a monopoly on LHW talent, there are plenty of good fights for a 46 yr old fan favorite and legend. But just dont pass up 5 more deserving guys to give him a title shot after one win. Please!

A true MMA fan from the great state of Arkansas.

by MMArazorback on Sep 7, 2009 12:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

good points....

But imagine the wide left hooks of Wandy and the head movement of Randy together in one fight! It would be awesome!

for all intents and purposes, just consider all my posts as works of satire.

by Bandaka on Sep 7, 2009 12:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It rhymes nicely

but, like other guys said, Wand said he wants to stay at 185 and have a fresh start.

by MMAInFeRioRiTy on Sep 7, 2009 12:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

What about Couture vs. Franklin? That could be a good fight and it would do big numbers..

by ChrisBat on Sep 7, 2009 2:54 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

i want to see Couture-Coleman….

by Reaser16 on Sep 7, 2009 3:02 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Hmmmm......

All this speculation just…. yawn*, bores me!.

I just don’t really have an interest in seeing Randy fight anymore…. I remember thinking this same thing about Ali after Ali vs Spinks #1. I think it is time for him to take his rightful place as a commenter so hype artist Rogan can do his comedy routine full time.

It sure would have been nice to see Ali as a commentator, wouldn’t it?

by PaddyRite on Sep 7, 2009 3:44 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

ummmm….. Silva vs Hendo was a superfight, that was more of a superfight at the time than silva vs randy would be right now

by DRExLOC on Sep 7, 2009 4:34 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I’d pay to see Couture fight Machida or A Silva. Captain America still puts butts in seats and it wouldn’t hurt his cache too bad to lose to either of these guys. A fight against Vera or Jardine should be reserved for after he gets another megafight under his belt. If he get’s beaten badly by a top 5 p4p’r, than he is still marketable. A loss to a mid tier guy is not a smart way to begin his 6 fight contract. I’m all for him vs Wand too as they are two real legends and as long as they both bring it, they are still viable in the PPV business win, lose or draw. Even Belfort or Franklin would work for me. What say you, Joe Silva?

by Obey_Giant_Silva on Sep 7, 2009 5:27 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Give Randy Cro Cop if he beats Dos Santos. If CC wins it’s a fight we all thought would happen during Filipovic’s first UFC run before Gonzaga happened,

I don’t think there would be enough interest if DS wins as it’s not a “superfight”, although it would be intriguing.

Randy IMO has nothing good coming to him at LHW.

by Rob J Nathan on Sep 7, 2009 5:46 PM EDT via mobile reply actions 0 recs