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Monday Morning Reverie: Super Natural
Mark these words: Randy
Couture (Pictures) will eventually fail a post-fight
urinalysis. Heck, he might actually fail the one after his latest
triumph.
No, he won't fail due to illegal street drugs or anabolic steroids or supplying a phony urine sample. He'll fail because eventually some physician will uncover the dark truth about Randy Couture (Pictures): he is some sort of genetic cyborg from the future.
The same sort of sci-fi sentiment has been written about various other athletes in recent years, but I'm beginning to believe that maybe Couture really is some sort of creature created in a science lab hundreds of years in the future.
Or maybe, just maybe, Randy Couture (Pictures) is a real person with real emotions. Maybe he weeps while watching Steel Magnolias, chuckles during Howard the Duck and enjoys curling up around the fireplace while losing himself in a Hardy Boys book like the rest of us.
He really is no different from the rest of us, other than the fact that he knows his body better than anyone, trains harder than arguably every other fighter on the planet and is more competitive than a herd of rams during mating season.
There is no better ambassador for mixed martial arts than Couture, a genuine good guy and one hell of a fighter. He loses some of his battles, of course, but wins most of them and when he does win, it comes on the biggest stages against elite competition.
His victories are as dramatic as they are inspiring and almost every time he steps through the door of the octagon, he is an underdog who must summon some sort of inner powers to pull off the unthinkable.
To be honest, it's cliché to drudge up column after column about how Couture is supposed to be an old man, how he somehow beat a younger and stronger fighter. But after watching "The Natural" dismantle Gabriel Gonzaga (Pictures) in Saturday's UFC main event, it's a little difficult to write a column with any angle but that.
However, that's not actually a bad thing, and there really isn't any other way to write about yet another Couture victory than to scribble some long-winded feel-good drivel about "Captain America."
It's certainly more enlightening to write/read many an opus about how wonderful a story Couture continues to be than the typical Barry-Bonds-on-steroids hysteria or male-enhancement-ads-in-my-inbox poppycock.
There are a number of topics I feel obligated to avoid writing about, but Couture's wizardry is not one of them. Collectively we should just forget that Couture is in his mid-40s and those of us who pick against him should start believing that he's never going to grow old.
The fight
Going into this fight, the outcome was a toss-up in my eyes based solely on the intangibles. My bold prediction was a hard-fought win for Gonzaga, but as always, Couture made me look like a buffoon.
Couture is clearly a better all-around fighter -- talent, experience, determination, grit, and skill -- but I figured the 44-year-old champion was due to be beat. In an attempt not to parrot my column from last week, Couture, for as great as he is, has always been a hot-and-cold fighter.
Gonzaga had youth, strength and power on his side, but Couture is in an incredible competitor. Couture had Gonzaga hurt early and often and whenever the bulkier Napao scored some crushing strikes, Couture simply buried his head in his foe's chest and forced him into the cage. Couture controlled the action from the outset and he never relented which led to a thrilling third round stoppage.
But, even with how superb Couture was and how brave the still relatively inexperienced Gonzaga battled back, I have some gripes about the fight.
For starters, I think the fight should have been stopped once Gonzaga cried out to referee Herb Dean (Pictures) when he couldn't see. In boxing under the guidelines of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, if a fighter is injured and can't see and makes the referee stop the action, the fight is over via TKO unless there is an infraction of the rules (i.e. foul, interference, etc.). Since there was no infraction committed, the fight should have been called off with Couture nabbing the TKO earlier than he did. If the rules have changed recently, I never received the updates.
I've considered Dean to be the best ref in MMA for a while, but I disagree with how he handled Gonzaga claiming that he couldn't see. What Dean did do well after the fight resumed was to put the fighters back in the same position.
The other minor gripe I had was when the fight was stopped, hardly any of Couture's punches landed cleanly or with authority. After watching the replay over and over, Gonzaga was covering up and trying to escape.
Granted, he probably wouldn't have escaped and Dean did what was in the fighter's best interest to prevent a terrible beating. Nevertheless, I feel as though Dean should have allowed the fight to continue a little longer because let's face it, Gonzaga wasn't getting bombarded like Carlos Newton (Pictures) in his rematch with Matt Hughes (Pictures).
Other than that, the fight was superb and congrats to Couture. Here's hoping Zuffa can do whatever they can to sign free agent Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures), making what would be without a shadow of a doubt the greatest fight known to man at this point: Couture vs. Fedor.
St. Pierre is back
Josh Koscheck (Pictures) has nothing to be ashamed of, even though he was dominated en route to a unanimous decision loss at the hands of former welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre (Pictures).
Koscheck is still a relatively green fighter who will learn to be an all around mixed martial artist. His wrestling skills are arguably the best in the biz, but he still needs to work on striking and fighting off his back. In time, Koscheck will be the dominant force of the division.
As for St. Pierre, it's a no-brainer that he'll fight for the title in his next outing and hopefully it'll be against Matt Serra (Pictures). That's not to say that I have anything against Hughes, but in their prior bout, many "experts" believe Serra's win over GSP was a fluke. What better way is there to solve the mystery of said fluke than to have the two 170-pound warriors duke it out again?
St. Pierre is clearly one of the most talented fighters in the world, regardless of weight class, and if his head is clear of distractions, he's almost unbeatable at 170.
My guess is that Hughes beats Serra and then St. Pierre beats Hughes again. Koscheck will eventually be back in the title hunt, but he still needs time to fully evolve as an all-around MMA fighter. GSP is already there, and he's not going anywhere anytime soon.
Misc. Debris
The colorful Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett was his usual self Saturday in the main event of the ShoXC card on Showtime. Translation: Bennett clowned around before and during the bout and there was a definitive knockout -- too bad for The Horse and his fans, he was on the receiving end. Bennett, for all of his wackiness and explosive striking power, could have made a legitimate name for himself in MMA, but for whatever reason he is never fully focused. He's too busy making a fool of himself and trying to hype his comedy routine. What that tells me is that Bennett probably never fully believed in himself. Too bad, because it could be too late for someone of his talent level to recover from yet another loss. …
I've been hard on former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir (Pictures) for too long and rightfully so. It was almost too safe to wager that if Mir lost to Antoni Hardonk (Pictures) Saturday night, his career would have been sunk at sea. However, Mir was able to quickly submit Hardonk. It's premature to gauge if Mir is back as a serious heavyweight threat, so I'll sit uncomfortably on the fence. I still need to see him fight an opponent of stature and get taken deep into the fight. Only from there will we fully know if Mir is actually back or if he's simply still living off of being a former champ. …
Roger Huerta (Pictures) dominated Alberto Crane (Pictures) en route to an emphatic third round stoppage. Huerta escaped some precarious positions and displayed why he's as hyped as he is. Huerta will be huge in this sport because of his fighting style, his looks and his personality. That doesn't mean that he'll wind up being an all-time great, but he'll be one famous cat, that's for sure. Here's hoping Zuffa starts to increase the level of competition for Mr. Huerta. The world is dying to see what he's fully capable of against A-Level fighters. …
Nobody could have been happier to stop Hawaiian Kandall Grove than Patrick Cote (Pictures), and as a writer it was great to see one of the classiest and friendliest fighters in the sport score a huge win. Not many people picked Cote to win, myself included, but much congratulations to the Canuck. I thought Cote was a cursed fighter who could never win inside the UFC Octagon but he's won two in a row over solid opposition. He wants the winner of Chris Leben (Pictures)-Terry Martin (Pictures) and as a fan, I say bring it on. …
"Babalu," you should be ashamed of yourself. So David Heath (Pictures) called you names in the days leading up to the fights, big deal. It's one thing to settle a grudge and punch a little harder or apply a submission a little tighter, but when Heath tapped out, you should have let go. OK, you could have kept the choke on for another second or two for good measure, but when he's tapping and when referee Steve Mazzagatti is trying everything in his power to rip you away from your opponent who is now unconscious, that's uncalled for. Way to go, Babalu -- Zab Judah is proud of you.
Hit me up at www.myspace.com/sherdogsloan
No, he won't fail due to illegal street drugs or anabolic steroids or supplying a phony urine sample. He'll fail because eventually some physician will uncover the dark truth about Randy Couture (Pictures): he is some sort of genetic cyborg from the future.
The same sort of sci-fi sentiment has been written about various other athletes in recent years, but I'm beginning to believe that maybe Couture really is some sort of creature created in a science lab hundreds of years in the future.
Or maybe, just maybe, Randy Couture (Pictures) is a real person with real emotions. Maybe he weeps while watching Steel Magnolias, chuckles during Howard the Duck and enjoys curling up around the fireplace while losing himself in a Hardy Boys book like the rest of us.
He really is no different from the rest of us, other than the fact that he knows his body better than anyone, trains harder than arguably every other fighter on the planet and is more competitive than a herd of rams during mating season.
There is no better ambassador for mixed martial arts than Couture, a genuine good guy and one hell of a fighter. He loses some of his battles, of course, but wins most of them and when he does win, it comes on the biggest stages against elite competition.
His victories are as dramatic as they are inspiring and almost every time he steps through the door of the octagon, he is an underdog who must summon some sort of inner powers to pull off the unthinkable.
To be honest, it's cliché to drudge up column after column about how Couture is supposed to be an old man, how he somehow beat a younger and stronger fighter. But after watching "The Natural" dismantle Gabriel Gonzaga (Pictures) in Saturday's UFC main event, it's a little difficult to write a column with any angle but that.
However, that's not actually a bad thing, and there really isn't any other way to write about yet another Couture victory than to scribble some long-winded feel-good drivel about "Captain America."
It's certainly more enlightening to write/read many an opus about how wonderful a story Couture continues to be than the typical Barry-Bonds-on-steroids hysteria or male-enhancement-ads-in-my-inbox poppycock.
There are a number of topics I feel obligated to avoid writing about, but Couture's wizardry is not one of them. Collectively we should just forget that Couture is in his mid-40s and those of us who pick against him should start believing that he's never going to grow old.
The fight
Going into this fight, the outcome was a toss-up in my eyes based solely on the intangibles. My bold prediction was a hard-fought win for Gonzaga, but as always, Couture made me look like a buffoon.
Couture is clearly a better all-around fighter -- talent, experience, determination, grit, and skill -- but I figured the 44-year-old champion was due to be beat. In an attempt not to parrot my column from last week, Couture, for as great as he is, has always been a hot-and-cold fighter.
Gonzaga had youth, strength and power on his side, but Couture is in an incredible competitor. Couture had Gonzaga hurt early and often and whenever the bulkier Napao scored some crushing strikes, Couture simply buried his head in his foe's chest and forced him into the cage. Couture controlled the action from the outset and he never relented which led to a thrilling third round stoppage.
But, even with how superb Couture was and how brave the still relatively inexperienced Gonzaga battled back, I have some gripes about the fight.
For starters, I think the fight should have been stopped once Gonzaga cried out to referee Herb Dean (Pictures) when he couldn't see. In boxing under the guidelines of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, if a fighter is injured and can't see and makes the referee stop the action, the fight is over via TKO unless there is an infraction of the rules (i.e. foul, interference, etc.). Since there was no infraction committed, the fight should have been called off with Couture nabbing the TKO earlier than he did. If the rules have changed recently, I never received the updates.
I've considered Dean to be the best ref in MMA for a while, but I disagree with how he handled Gonzaga claiming that he couldn't see. What Dean did do well after the fight resumed was to put the fighters back in the same position.
The other minor gripe I had was when the fight was stopped, hardly any of Couture's punches landed cleanly or with authority. After watching the replay over and over, Gonzaga was covering up and trying to escape.
Granted, he probably wouldn't have escaped and Dean did what was in the fighter's best interest to prevent a terrible beating. Nevertheless, I feel as though Dean should have allowed the fight to continue a little longer because let's face it, Gonzaga wasn't getting bombarded like Carlos Newton (Pictures) in his rematch with Matt Hughes (Pictures).
Other than that, the fight was superb and congrats to Couture. Here's hoping Zuffa can do whatever they can to sign free agent Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures), making what would be without a shadow of a doubt the greatest fight known to man at this point: Couture vs. Fedor.
St. Pierre is back
Josh Koscheck (Pictures) has nothing to be ashamed of, even though he was dominated en route to a unanimous decision loss at the hands of former welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre (Pictures).
Koscheck is still a relatively green fighter who will learn to be an all around mixed martial artist. His wrestling skills are arguably the best in the biz, but he still needs to work on striking and fighting off his back. In time, Koscheck will be the dominant force of the division.
As for St. Pierre, it's a no-brainer that he'll fight for the title in his next outing and hopefully it'll be against Matt Serra (Pictures). That's not to say that I have anything against Hughes, but in their prior bout, many "experts" believe Serra's win over GSP was a fluke. What better way is there to solve the mystery of said fluke than to have the two 170-pound warriors duke it out again?
St. Pierre is clearly one of the most talented fighters in the world, regardless of weight class, and if his head is clear of distractions, he's almost unbeatable at 170.
My guess is that Hughes beats Serra and then St. Pierre beats Hughes again. Koscheck will eventually be back in the title hunt, but he still needs time to fully evolve as an all-around MMA fighter. GSP is already there, and he's not going anywhere anytime soon.
Misc. Debris
The colorful Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett was his usual self Saturday in the main event of the ShoXC card on Showtime. Translation: Bennett clowned around before and during the bout and there was a definitive knockout -- too bad for The Horse and his fans, he was on the receiving end. Bennett, for all of his wackiness and explosive striking power, could have made a legitimate name for himself in MMA, but for whatever reason he is never fully focused. He's too busy making a fool of himself and trying to hype his comedy routine. What that tells me is that Bennett probably never fully believed in himself. Too bad, because it could be too late for someone of his talent level to recover from yet another loss. …
I've been hard on former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir (Pictures) for too long and rightfully so. It was almost too safe to wager that if Mir lost to Antoni Hardonk (Pictures) Saturday night, his career would have been sunk at sea. However, Mir was able to quickly submit Hardonk. It's premature to gauge if Mir is back as a serious heavyweight threat, so I'll sit uncomfortably on the fence. I still need to see him fight an opponent of stature and get taken deep into the fight. Only from there will we fully know if Mir is actually back or if he's simply still living off of being a former champ. …
Roger Huerta (Pictures) dominated Alberto Crane (Pictures) en route to an emphatic third round stoppage. Huerta escaped some precarious positions and displayed why he's as hyped as he is. Huerta will be huge in this sport because of his fighting style, his looks and his personality. That doesn't mean that he'll wind up being an all-time great, but he'll be one famous cat, that's for sure. Here's hoping Zuffa starts to increase the level of competition for Mr. Huerta. The world is dying to see what he's fully capable of against A-Level fighters. …
Nobody could have been happier to stop Hawaiian Kandall Grove than Patrick Cote (Pictures), and as a writer it was great to see one of the classiest and friendliest fighters in the sport score a huge win. Not many people picked Cote to win, myself included, but much congratulations to the Canuck. I thought Cote was a cursed fighter who could never win inside the UFC Octagon but he's won two in a row over solid opposition. He wants the winner of Chris Leben (Pictures)-Terry Martin (Pictures) and as a fan, I say bring it on. …
"Babalu," you should be ashamed of yourself. So David Heath (Pictures) called you names in the days leading up to the fights, big deal. It's one thing to settle a grudge and punch a little harder or apply a submission a little tighter, but when Heath tapped out, you should have let go. OK, you could have kept the choke on for another second or two for good measure, but when he's tapping and when referee Steve Mazzagatti is trying everything in his power to rip you away from your opponent who is now unconscious, that's uncalled for. Way to go, Babalu -- Zab Judah is proud of you.
Hit me up at www.myspace.com/sherdogsloan
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