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.