UFC hall of famer
Randy Couture will meet
Brandon Vera in the UFC 105 main event on Nov. 15 at the Manchester Evening News Arena in Manchester, England. The UFC announced the matchup Monday after BloodyElbow.com and The Daily Telegraph had reported it the day before.
The fight will be Couture’s first as a light heavyweight since he lost to
Chuck Liddell in February 2006, ending a memorable trilogy that helped carry the UFC into a new era of prominence. The 46-year-old mixed martial arts legend last appeared at UFC 102 in August, when he dropped a unanimous decision to
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira -- the only man to hold the Pride Fighting Championships and UFC heavyweight crowns. Couture has lost his last two fights at heavyweight, leading some to question his place in the division. One of the sport’s most decorated competitors, he holds victories against six former UFC champions, including Liddell,
Tito Ortiz and
Vitor Belfort (twice).
Vera, who turns 32 in October, has posted back-to-back wins since his split decision loss to
Keith Jardine at UFC 89. A skilled muay Thai striker and grappler, he cruised to a unanimous verdict against
Krzysztof Soszynski at UFC 102. Seven of his 11 career victories have come by knockout or technical knockout, a 69-second drubbing of former UFC heavyweight champion
Frank Mir included.
Other bouts already confirmed for UFC 105 include a middleweight matchup pairing
Michael Bisping with
Denis Kang and a pivotal welterweight showdown pitting
Dan Hardy against the undefeated
Dong Hyun Kim.
Randy Couture vs.
Brandon Vera
Michael Bisping vs.
Denis Kang
Dan Hardy vs.
Dong Hyun Kim
Aaron Riley vs.
Ross Pearson
Paul Taylor vs.
John Hathaway
Matt Riddle vs.
Nick Osipczak
Alexander Gustafsson vs.
Jared Hamman
Terry Etim vs.
Shannon Gugerty
Note: This article was updated at 12:34 p.m. EST to note that the UFC had made the bout official.
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