Style Similarities Pique Couture’s Interest
LAS VEGAS -- Randy
Couture enjoys his job most when he encounters opponents with
backgrounds similar to his. Mark Coleman
fits the description.
Couture, 46, will butt heads with Coleman when the two living legends meet in the UFC 109 “Relentless” main event this Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. That Coleman, a national champion at Ohio State University, can test Couture’s wrestling chops in the cage creates an interesting style clash between two of the sport’s elder statesmen.
“Obviously, you’ve got a guy with a similar background, so this is an interesting fight for me,” Couture said. “It was that way with [Brock] Lesnar and even going back to the [Mike] Van Arsdale fight [at UFC 54]. Those were interesting fights because those guys had the ability to take me down, and that’s not usually the case.”
Couture, who returned to the light heavyweight division in late 2009, has designs on another title run and will be watching with interest the UFC 113 rematch between current 205-pound king Lyoto Machida and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua on May 8 in Montreal. Even so, Couture maintains his one-fight-at-a-time approach as he marches toward his 47th birthday.
“I started out doing that,” he said. “I thought, ‘Let’s try this,’ and 13 years later, I’m still doing it. I have to take fights as they come. I still feel like I’m getting better as an athlete. Hopefully, I can get a shot at Machida. He’s an interesting guy. Shogun’s a great fighter. If they were to throw me one of those guys, I’d definitely take it.”
One of only two men in UFC history to hold titles in two different weight classes, Couture bounced back from consecutive defeats to Lesnar and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira with a unanimous decision victory over Brandon Vera at UFC 105 in November. Despite the nod from the judges, Couture had his problems with the explosive Vera, who threatened to finish him in the second round and took him down in the third. It was Couture’s first fight at 205 pounds in nearly four years.
“I did what I tried to do in that fight,” he said. “It was nice to get in there with a guy who was more my size. I should have given Brandon a little more credit for his wrestling. He was hard to take down and get out of position.”
Now comes his long overdue showdown with the 45-year-old Coleman, who trains under one of Couture’s former allies -- Shawn Tompkins. Considering the wrestling credentials both men possess, a stand-up battle could conceivably ensue, in which case Couture will call on his underrated and often overlooked boxing skills.
“I think boxing is definitely going to play a role,” he said. “He’s a big strong guy, and you don’t want to stand in front of guy like that.”
Couture, 46, will butt heads with Coleman when the two living legends meet in the UFC 109 “Relentless” main event this Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. That Coleman, a national champion at Ohio State University, can test Couture’s wrestling chops in the cage creates an interesting style clash between two of the sport’s elder statesmen.
“Obviously, you’ve got a guy with a similar background, so this is an interesting fight for me,” Couture said. “It was that way with [Brock] Lesnar and even going back to the [Mike] Van Arsdale fight [at UFC 54]. Those were interesting fights because those guys had the ability to take me down, and that’s not usually the case.”
Couture, who returned to the light heavyweight division in late 2009, has designs on another title run and will be watching with interest the UFC 113 rematch between current 205-pound king Lyoto Machida and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua on May 8 in Montreal. Even so, Couture maintains his one-fight-at-a-time approach as he marches toward his 47th birthday.
“I started out doing that,” he said. “I thought, ‘Let’s try this,’ and 13 years later, I’m still doing it. I have to take fights as they come. I still feel like I’m getting better as an athlete. Hopefully, I can get a shot at Machida. He’s an interesting guy. Shogun’s a great fighter. If they were to throw me one of those guys, I’d definitely take it.”
One of only two men in UFC history to hold titles in two different weight classes, Couture bounced back from consecutive defeats to Lesnar and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira with a unanimous decision victory over Brandon Vera at UFC 105 in November. Despite the nod from the judges, Couture had his problems with the explosive Vera, who threatened to finish him in the second round and took him down in the third. It was Couture’s first fight at 205 pounds in nearly four years.
“I did what I tried to do in that fight,” he said. “It was nice to get in there with a guy who was more my size. I should have given Brandon a little more credit for his wrestling. He was hard to take down and get out of position.”
Now comes his long overdue showdown with the 45-year-old Coleman, who trains under one of Couture’s former allies -- Shawn Tompkins. Considering the wrestling credentials both men possess, a stand-up battle could conceivably ensue, in which case Couture will call on his underrated and often overlooked boxing skills.
“I think boxing is definitely going to play a role,” he said. “He’s a big strong guy, and you don’t want to stand in front of guy like that.”
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