Less than a year removed from his defeat at the Lloyd’s of London-insured hands of Chuck Liddell (Pictures), Randy Couture (Pictures) announced last week that he would be returning, this time as a heavyweight, for the UFC’s 2007 schedule.

Couture fans likely diluted their enthusiasm with this bit of concern: Heavyweight, after all, is where Randy found himself in the most precarious and damaging positions of his career.

After Josh Barnett (Pictures) stopped him, Couture was rewarded with a cracked orbital at the hands of Ricco Rodriguez (Pictures). Returning to the scene of the sanctioned crime does not appear to be in his best interests.

Most alarmingly, Couture is set to end his hiatus by opposing the mammoth Tim Sylvia (Pictures), a lanky-limbed champion who is able to keep virtually everyone at the end of his yardstick jab. While recent performances haven’t inspired a legion of Sylvia supporters, it shouldn’t be so hard to forget his vicious KO of Tra Telligman (Pictures), his vicious KO of Andrei Arlovski (Pictures), and his vicious KO of Ricco Rodriguez (Pictures).

I’m sensing a pattern here.

While I have little doubt that Couture himself can gauge his chances in the Octagon, I fear his surge of motivation is more the result of the astonishing paydays that followed his exit. Chuck Liddell (Pictures) and Tito Ortiz (Pictures), the remainder of the UFC’s box office trifecta, pull in seven-figure bonus checks on a regular basis. Couture, who made a healthy wage at the end of his career, is likely a tad envious of the myriad zeroes he missed out on.

And who can blame him? He was and is a genuine star of the sport, and if he feels he still has the capacity to put up a competitive fight, nothing short of a failed physical should deter him. His losses to Liddell ultimately say little about his current stature: everyone is losing to Chuck. The Iceman’s subsequent victories probably did more to entice Couture to return than anything.

But there’s little sense behind facing a dominant, genetically intimidating champion right off the bat. With age comes reduced agility, and while the heavyweight class (an oxymoron in the UFC if there ever was one) doesn’t have the fast footing of the 205ers, Couture still seems dangerously susceptible to younger and more explosive athletes. Advancing even a year in your 40s isn’t the same as watching the days disappear in your 20s. The things that make an athlete formidable — power, speed, critical thought, reaction time — tend to evaporate rapidly once you enter your fifth decade.

The title bid is surely the result of the UFC having trouble finding a viable opponent for Sylvia’s next defense. Brandon Vera (Pictures) has yet to resolve his contract issues with the UFC, though he insists that he “hasn’t closed off negotiations.” Whatever the case, he won’t be facing anyone for a belt with only one fight remaining on his docket. The UFC wants to hype “Cro Cop,” which removes him from contention until later in the year. So — as per the usual — the UFC has assembled a bout based more on a process of elimination than what actually makes sense on paper.

Couture may indeed have some gas left, but another knockout loss (potentially his third in four fights) would dampen enthusiasm down considerably. Why not give him Gabriel Gonzaga (Pictures), a talented submission fighter? A win over Couture would make him an easy mark for a title shot. Why not see what Couture has for Antoni Hardonk, a skilled striker? If the UFC is intent on seeing how he’d do against Sylvia, why not grab “Maine-iac” prototype Brad Imes (Pictures)? At least give Couture an opportunity to be a viable commodity in the division.

That leaves an inactive champion, one with no apparent challengers. So why not think outside the box? With Vitor Belfort (Pictures)’s middling success as a light heavyweight recently, I’d be intrigued to see how his speed would hold up as a heavyweight, and if he could get inside Sylvia’s reach. With Rashad Evans (Pictures) in flux at 205, why not have him resume activity in the class that won him The Ultimate Fighter title and see if his wrestling can overcome the striking deficit? Why not snap up Paul Buentello (Pictures) and have one hell of an entertaining stand-up affair?

It would give me no greater pleasure than to have this column dug up on March 4, so the pro-Couture contingent (of which I am a happy, lifetime member) can rejoice in Captain America boiling some crow for the ageists once more.

But with the Zuffa’s ignoble tradition of sending the old guard in for a quick buck and a bloody beating, I’m not ready to grab the ketchup just yet.

For comments, email jrossen@sherdog.com