Randy Couture vs Mark Coleman

Randy Couture vs. Mark Coleman; as irrelevant as this fight may be to the light heavyweight title picture, we’re still going to get to see 2 legends of the sport square off at UFC 109. Neither fighter is at the top of their game at the moment, but considering that their combined age is 90, that’s to be expected.

However, that being said, both fighters are actually coming off wins, and wins against noteworthy opponents I might add. Randy Couture recently edged out Brandon Vera for a decision victory at UFC 105 and the last time Mark Coleman fought – which was at UFC 100 – he outwrestled and out pointed Stephan Bonnar.

And that’s what makes this particular fight so intriguing – the wrestling ability of these two fighters. Randy Couture, as we all know, is a very accomplished wrestler (three time Olympic team alternate and three time division 1 all American) and he uses those skills perfectly in the octagon. As a matter of fact, he oftentimes uses the octagon cage to his advantage – as we saw against Gabriel Gonzaga back at UFC 74.

Not to be outdone, Mark Coleman has a pretty serious amateur wrestling background himself as he also wrestled in the Olympics, placing 7th overall back in 1992 in Barcelona, Spain. Randy Couture has been inducted into the UFC hall of fame and well, so has Mark Coleman. As a matter of fact, there are only 6 fighters that have been inducted into the prestigious hall of fame and now, we get to see two of them (the only 2 that are currently active by the way) square off in the main event.

As for how I see this fight playing out, well, there’s a good chance that their wrestling ability, being as high calibre as it is, will cancel each other out. In which case, it’ll come down to who’s sharper in the other areas of the game. I believe that of the two, Randy Couture has aged a little bit better as he’s kept himself in phenomenal shape.

His cardio and fight preparation is never to be questioned and with Mark Coleman, the same thing can’t be said – as we watched him gas in his fight with shogun. Coleman trains out of team hammer house, which is a great stable of wrestlers, but it’s not a well versed team like Randy Couture has at his Xtreme Couture facility in Vegas.

Since they may neutralize each other in the wrestling department, there’s a good chance that this fight may be decided on the feet, in which case, I can certainly see Randy Couture getting the better of the stand up. Randy is an excellent boxer and he seems to be a little quicker than Coleman. And while Coleman has some knockouts on his resume, most of those have come by way of ground and pound – which is a technique that he “god-fathered” by the way.

So, all things considered, I’d say that Randy Couture certainly has the edge in this one. He’s a little bit quicker, little bit sharper with his striking and when the odds come out, if they’re anywhere near even, then the smart money should be on Randy Couture.

Randy Couture vs. Brock Lesnar

Randy Couture has grown tired of the legal battles with the UFC and as he put it, he’d “rather fight in the cage, than in the courtroom”. Randy Couture has reportedly resolved his differences with the UFC and re-inked a 3 fight deal with the organization. For his first fight, Randy Couture will face the daunting task of squaring off with the strongest heavyweight that the UFC has to offer – Brock Lesnar.

The Randy Couture vs. Brock Lesnar showdown is set to take place on November 15th at the MGM grand arena in Las Vegas. The heavyweight clash; which is headlining the UFC 91 card, has the makings to set buy-rate records in terms of pay per view sales. Both Randy Couture and Brock Lesnar have both become household names and as we know, name recognition sells pay per views. Heck, that’s the reason why Kimbo is fighting Ken Shamrock instead of a legit, relevant fighter on CBS next month.

Brock Lesnar; who is coming fresh off an impressive victory over the much more experienced Heath Herring, poses a unique threat to anyone. Very few fighters can match his size, strength and intensity. Randy Couture on the other hand, is an experienced veteran who has seen it all before. His last two opponents (Gonzaga and Sylvia) both had significant advantages in size and strength but Randy Couture was able to neutralize them via superior wrestling and awesome game planning.

Unfortunately for Randy Couture, Brock Lesnar is no slouch on the mat as he won the NCAA championship back in 2000 in addition to racking up a total collegiate record of 106-5. When technical ability meets speed, size and strength – it makes for one scary opponent. Brock Lesnar has questionable submission defense but Randy Couture isn’t known for being a submission artist. Brock Lesnar’s only other potential downfall is his inexperience but with his WWE background, as fake as that was, he’s still no stranger to being in the spotlight and headlining big shows with millions of viewers. He’s handled the pressure before.

I’m not entirely sure where UFC matchmaker Joe Silva and the rest of the organization are going with this. They know what they’re doing and are always a few steps ahead when they’re setting up the fights. If Randy Couture pulls out a victory, it makes for a perfect set up for the long awaited Randy Couture vs. Fedor Emelianenko “super fight”. However, in doing so, it knocks down Brock Lesnar – who is a huge draw for the UFC. In fact, the UFC wants to hype Brock Lesnar so much that they actually allowed his fight with Heath Herring to remain on YouTube.

If Brock Lesnar pulls off the victory, that may “kill the hype” and marketability of the Randy Couture vs. Fedor Emelianenko fight. The UFC is taking a huge risk with this Brock Lesnar & Randy Couture showdown. I suppose that if that was to occur, then the UFC could look to set something up between Fedor and Brock Lesnar, as Fedor has also expressed interest in that match-up as well. One thing is for sure, Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Couture is an awesome fight and I for one – will be watching.