Couture Shuns Critics Who Label Him a “Geezer”
Getting back on the horse
Mike Sloan Aug 18, 2005
Even after tasting a knockout for the first time, Couture has been
upbeat about and harbors no ill will towards “The Iceman.” In fact,
it seems as though Couture is happy for Liddell and looks forward
to moving on, which happens this Saturday night inside the MGM
Grand.
“I am not mad at myself for losing,” Couture revealed. “I don’t always consider success by how you win or how many times you win. A lot of times, the true meaning of success is how you deal with defeat and bounce back from it. Now I have the chance to bounce back and try to win the title back from Chuck.
“You know, Chuck has played second fiddle for a long, long time. He
waited his turn, bounced back from defeat, fought his way back up
to top and he knocked me out. He deserves to be the champ after how
long he’s waited and after he’s been pushed aside. For that, and
for how good of a person Chuck is, I am happy. I couldn’t be
happier for Chuck and that’s another reason why I am not mad or
depressed about losing.”
Couture’s first fight since the memorable loss will be against the formidable opponent in Van Arsdale. Not many insiders are giving Van Arsdale much of a chance to win — and rightfully so.
MMA media across the globe have labeled Couture vs. Van Arsdale nothing more than a mere tune-up for Couture, a bout that should catapult Randy back into the limelight and eventually smack dab back into title contention. But while the fickle fight scene groans about how Van Arsdale is supposed to simply lay down and allow Couture to bulldoze right over him, Couture disagrees.
“I think he’s a great athlete,” Couture respectfully said about his opponent. “He’s very explosive and has a strong base. He has tremendous skills as a mixed martial artist, but where I think the fight lands in my favor are the other strengths that I believe I have an advantage over him. I have more experience on the big stage and my endurance, I believe, is stronger than his.”
Couture is well aware of the grumbling from those who claim Van Arsdale is just a “tune-up” opponent. Couture, realizing not everybody can be pleased, actually defended his opponent, complaining about the lack of respect that Van Arsdale has been receiving lately.
“I don’t think it’s fair to label him as a ‘tune-up’ fight at all,” Couture stated. “He has been doing this for quite a bit of time and he is a very talented fighter. He may not have the experience within the UFC as I do, but if I didn’t take this fight as seriously as every other fight, I’d probably get my head knocked off.”
“This is my first three round fight since I started doing this but this is not a tune-up fight at all,” he added. “Mike is a very good and experienced athlete who is going to try and take me down and elbow me in the face. This is not a tune-up fight; he’s just standing in the way of me getting back into title contention.”
Tune-up or not, Couture was surprisingly nonchalant about the relevance and importance of this fight. Many believe that this fight is arguably the most important battle of his career, as a loss would all but dash his hopes of regaining the title. But Couture dismissed that notion.
“I think I could retire tomorrow and be perfectly content with the career that I have established,” Couture claimed. “The last Liddell fight was just another fight for me. I just want to get back on top and this fight does not add more pressure onto me than any other — it’s just what I love to do. It’s important, of course. But a ‘do or die’ fight? No way.”
“I am not mad at myself for losing,” Couture revealed. “I don’t always consider success by how you win or how many times you win. A lot of times, the true meaning of success is how you deal with defeat and bounce back from it. Now I have the chance to bounce back and try to win the title back from Chuck.
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Couture’s first fight since the memorable loss will be against the formidable opponent in Van Arsdale. Not many insiders are giving Van Arsdale much of a chance to win — and rightfully so.
Van Arsdale, while incredibly strong and sturdy, has nowhere near
the experience in professional MMA as Couture and hasn’t scored a
win over anybody noteworthy. His lone loss came at the hands of
Wanderlei Silva
(Pictures), where got knocked out. But
aside from that, Van Arsdale has never faced anybody near the
caliber of opposition as Couture.
MMA media across the globe have labeled Couture vs. Van Arsdale nothing more than a mere tune-up for Couture, a bout that should catapult Randy back into the limelight and eventually smack dab back into title contention. But while the fickle fight scene groans about how Van Arsdale is supposed to simply lay down and allow Couture to bulldoze right over him, Couture disagrees.
“I think he’s a great athlete,” Couture respectfully said about his opponent. “He’s very explosive and has a strong base. He has tremendous skills as a mixed martial artist, but where I think the fight lands in my favor are the other strengths that I believe I have an advantage over him. I have more experience on the big stage and my endurance, I believe, is stronger than his.”
Couture is well aware of the grumbling from those who claim Van Arsdale is just a “tune-up” opponent. Couture, realizing not everybody can be pleased, actually defended his opponent, complaining about the lack of respect that Van Arsdale has been receiving lately.
“I don’t think it’s fair to label him as a ‘tune-up’ fight at all,” Couture stated. “He has been doing this for quite a bit of time and he is a very talented fighter. He may not have the experience within the UFC as I do, but if I didn’t take this fight as seriously as every other fight, I’d probably get my head knocked off.”
“This is my first three round fight since I started doing this but this is not a tune-up fight at all,” he added. “Mike is a very good and experienced athlete who is going to try and take me down and elbow me in the face. This is not a tune-up fight; he’s just standing in the way of me getting back into title contention.”
Tune-up or not, Couture was surprisingly nonchalant about the relevance and importance of this fight. Many believe that this fight is arguably the most important battle of his career, as a loss would all but dash his hopes of regaining the title. But Couture dismissed that notion.
“I think I could retire tomorrow and be perfectly content with the career that I have established,” Couture claimed. “The last Liddell fight was just another fight for me. I just want to get back on top and this fight does not add more pressure onto me than any other — it’s just what I love to do. It’s important, of course. But a ‘do or die’ fight? No way.”
