Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Couture at UFC 91? It's Far-Fetched, but It Could Happen

Posted Aug 28, 2008 8:02PM By Michael David Smith (RSS feed)

Filed Under: UFC

Could Randy Couture end his legal battle by fighting Brock Lesnar at UFC 91?

It's an extreme long shot. It's probably not going to happen. And yet it's a rumor that is picking up enough steam in the MMA community that it's worth at least passing along.

Couture, the UFC's heavyweight champion, is engaged in a protracted legal dispute with the UFC as he attempts to get out of his contract so he can fight Fedor Emelianenko. That dispute is currently in arbitration in Nevada, and there are rumors that the dispute could be settled with an agreement that Couture would fight one more time in UFC and then become a free agent.

When I first heard those rumors I didn't think they sounded credible, but MMAJunkie.com reported today that multiple sources close to Couture say it could happen.

So would UFC go along with it? At first blush, I would think they probably wouldn't: Why promote Couture for one more fight, only to have him leave the organization and go fight Fedor for another promotion?

But perhaps the UFC could be persuaded to bring back Couture as a vehicle for promoting his opponent as the future of the UFC heavyweight division. And the guy UFC definitely wants to promote as the future of the division is Lesnar, who is coming off a dominant unanimous decision win over Heath Herring at UFC 87.

Lesnar was supposed to fight Cheick Kongo at UFC 91, but that apparently isn't going to happen now because of Kongo's shoulder injury. The UFC will have a hard time finding a suitable opponent for Lesnar, and a Lesnar-Couture fight would be a huge moneymaker as a pay-per-view main event.

The biggest question here is whether Lesnar, with three professional fights, would have any chance at all against Couture. The answer, I think, is that he would: Not a good chance -- Couture is obviously the favorite -- but a chance. Lesnar is so big and strong that Couture wouldn't be able to take the fight for granted.

I do not think Lesnar-Couture at UFC 91 is going to happen. But I don't think it's completely outside the realm of possibility, either. And if it happens, the fans will get their money's worth.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

8-28-2008 @ 10:01PM

Drew said...

I do not see it happening either. Rome had a post on Bloody Elbow saying that a settlement, like this, was offered to UFC in June, when UFC needed a main event replacement for Chuck Liddell. Randy offered to fight Nog in replacement to Liddell but UFC turned it down.
I do see Couture returning at the end of the year, but I can't see it under those terms. If that were to happen, UFC is not going to make it easy on Couture. I do not see them putting Brock Lesnar against Couture knowing Brock would be a heavy under dog.

8-29-2008 @ 12:04AM

Randy said...

Being big and strong is not what this sport is exclusively about. Randy Couture will put him on his back with martial arts leverage and negate Lesnar's youth and strength. The big,bulky guys must win fast while they are on their feet. Sure Lesnar has a chance but a mismatch in experience in this sport is a huge edge. Champs have tasted numerous styles and know how to put novices away.

11-16-2008 @ 7:58AM

BillyMMM said...

Lesnar has way more then youth and size...
he's fast as hell and when he connects, it counts.

HE'S A MONSTER..... scarier then any before.. new breed my friends.

11-16-2008 @ 6:11PM

Ben said...

True, but Brock is more than just big and strong. He is a distinguished wrestler with a great record! 106 wins with only 5 losses. He knows how to move not only his big body, but the body of another. I agree that he has a long way to go before he will be at any level of MMA skill, but this sport is about so much more that just skill. Seeing Randy go out like that was hard to watch. He's been a great part of this sport.

8-29-2008 @ 1:18AM

Joe T said...

He'll take him down for the submission.

http://www.fromthecage.com

9-06-2008 @ 12:05PM

RikLazer said...

If you judge someone's experience from how many matches they have fought then, yes, Brock is inexperienced. But what happens when you judge it from how much they changed from their second to last fight to the most current? Lesnar vs Mir showed that Lesnar was strong and fast but still learning. Lesnar vs Herring proved that Brock was a learning machine. He fixed all his previous mistakes and completely dominated Herring. He looked like he was a 10 year vet to the sport. If that's the kind of performance increase we can expect going into this match, I hope Couture has a good retirement plan.

9-29-2008 @ 11:58AM

Mrs. Lesnar said...

RikLazer.. Do you even know who Randy Couture is??? Mr. Couture has defeated CHUCK LIDDELL, TITO ORTIZ, VITOR BELFORT.. as well as Yo MAMA... Lesnar beat HEATH HERRING.. who the hell is Heath Herring?!?!? I dont think experience will be that big a factor.. Lesnar's a Strong dude and he's quick too.. but i dont think he's ever fought anyone like Randy Couture. You never really know how good a fighter is until he's fought the best.. Randy has fought the best.. Lesnar only has 3 MMA fights..(not counting the fight he had with Yo MAMA of course) and the only opponent he fought that would be considered a good fighter would be Frank Mir.. he lost that fight "A fighters Greatness isnt measure by the Size of his Hands its measured by the size of his Heart"

9-05-2008 @ 7:42PM

CFloyd said...

Guys, do you not realize that Brock Lesnar is not Tim Sylvia or Gonzaga? Do you not realize that he is not Chuck Liddell? He is an absolutely explosive fighter. Nobody has seen strength and quickness like this. Mark Kerr or Coleman have nothing on Lesnar! Don't be surprised if Lesnar dominates this fight from beginning to end, and don't be surprised when he becomes the most dominant heavyweight fighter the UFC has ever seen

9-08-2008 @ 12:46AM

Nick said...

I've read in about 2-3 places that this match has been confirmed by ufc. as much as I like Brock, I don't think he deserves a shot yet. Hes only had 2 fights in the ufc and hes lost 1 of them. Dana white is only doing this for the money, because i know i'd like to see this fight as well. but if I was a heavyweight fighter that has been trying to work my way up in the ranks and this happened, i would be pissed. He deff. deserves a title shot in the future if he keeps winning, but for him to walk in and receive a shot just doesn't seem right to me.

9-08-2008 @ 10:17PM

Wes said...

In my opinion, as much as I like Randy, Lesnar would absolutely dominate the fight. No question. Why? Simply becasue styles make fights and Randy does not have the skills needed to win against Lesnar. Lesnar will control Randy, has a great base, speed and enough MMA technique to negate Randy's submissions. The only type of fighter that would have a chance with Lesnar would be someone with incredible submission skills from his back. He would also have to have great defense against the power of Lesnar. The other possiblity is that a puncher might get lucky against Lesnar. A puncher could catch Lesnar coming in but I consider that more luck than skill. I doubt that will happen against Lesnar.

9-15-2008 @ 11:08PM

lueyaustin said...

I think lesnar will win because he is so much bigger and younger and stronger .lesnar will take him to the ground
and there it will maul a victory from randy,in the end i think randy will be beat up some ,and brock will win a decision , not that exciting ,i'm betting on it.

Everybody loves randy, but "lesnar"victory that just how it is.

9-18-2008 @ 12:01PM

Sealclubber said...

Lesnar is a freak of nature. His hands are so big that the largest gloves made for the sport wouldn't fit him, so he got some specially made. His arms are so huge that it's doubtful he can choke an opponent out. In the Herring fight, it looked like he might try once from the top but his arms covered Herrings entire face.

Couture is a great wrestler from Oklahoma. Lesnar was a 4 time All American at Minnesoate. Two great wrestling colleges. both fighters are very similar; wrestling ground & pound guys with ridiculous chins. If you can't submit them, you're in for a very long fight.

My opinion is Lesnar will not let what happened against Muir happen again. No more mistakes. Like vs Herring, it will be a long slow beat down where he doesn't give Couture any room. Couture is a great wrestler, but not good enough to beat Lesnar at that game.

The fight will end as a unanimous decision for Lesnar, with Couture being lumped up fairly bad at the end. The only thing people will be able to give Couture props for is being able to take a beating from a beast like Brock.

9-21-2008 @ 5:48AM

freddyfudpucka said...

So it's confirmed, Lesnar VS Couture. Honestly i love watching brock work, have done since his WWE days, however against couture i don't think he can win. I don't think it will be a dominant fight onn couture's behalf however i think he will win. Why you ask well i'll tell you. NEVER COUNT OUT CAPTAIN AMERICA. Bookie's love it when people bet against him cause they make so much money of his uncanny knack to defy the odds and make all the "experts" look foolish and stupid for picking him to lose.

For those who don't think he can deal with his size speed and strength maybe you'll should go watch UFC 74 cause he made gonzaga a similar sort of fighter look amateurish. He completely negated his size and strength by doing what he does best. winning his battle of wills, and someone as inexperienced as Brock won't have the will to beat Randy.

9-30-2008 @ 2:31AM

Crystabal said...

I think in real life Randy Couture is a much better fighter than Brock Lesnar, and I don't think Lesnar deserves a title shot.
HOWEVER, I THINK LESNAR WILL WIN
because......
1) Randy wants out of his contract and will probably job for Lesnar like a WWE fight
2) UFC stands to gain a lot of profit by getting Brock to be their heaevyweight champ, so I can easily see both parties agreeing to a fixed fight.

Sorry, I don't like the idea myself, but I think it's going to happen. I'm not sure how, but I think it will.

10-13-2008 @ 9:31AM

sbank32 said...

Randy has too much class and too much competitive spirit to agree to a fixed fight. I agree that Brock needs at least 2 more good wins for a title shot or at the very least 1 very dominate win over an A list heavyweight. I think Randy wants to get in and beat Brock while his skills are still on the beginner level. With Brock's size and power he can be a force to reckon with.......I think if Randy can keep the pace fast & get into the later rounds, he can break his heart.

9-30-2008 @ 7:43AM

MMAnoob said...

I have just recently become a UFC fan and reading about this upcoming fight is what started it. I have (had) been a boxing fan going way back and have missed having that "big fight" to look forward to.

For anyone slightly interested in the UFC and MMA in general, read this and you'll get as excited about this fight as I am: http://tinyurl.com/couture-vs-lesnar

10-20-2008 @ 3:20PM

brandon said...

What in the heck are you guys thinking Lesnar over Captain America how many fights has Lesnar been in and look at some of the names Couture has beaten Tito Ortiz Chuck Liddel Tim Sylvia Jeremy Horn those are just a few name some the people like that Lesnar has beaten and dont even mention Herring because from my view he came out got lucky and landed the punch that put him on his back all Lesnar is, is a bunch of steroids he isnt even a great fighter he was in the WWE hes a good actor and if you dont like what im saying you can suck it

10-29-2008 @ 9:25AM

josh said...

it doesnt matter who randy coture beat in his past every fight is differnt,every fighter is differnt so u cant say hes goin to win cause of experince or cause he neat top names i gareentee if brock fought tito he would beat the shit outta of him n i like chuck n hes good n all but id say brock would tare him apart to i think brockis the next best thing in the ufc n anyone who disagrees needs to get a scatscan or omehtin cause brock is a beast n will be the best....