Randy Couture is still one of the most popular fighters in the UFC, and one of the most accomplished athletes in the history of mixed martial arts. But he's no longer a champion after losing to Brock Lesnar last night at UFC 91, and at age 45 he isn't likely to get a title shot again. So where does Couture go from here? A few possibilities are below.
Fight the loser of Frank Mir-Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira:
The winner of that Mir-Nogueira fight at UFC 92 will take on Lesnar, but what about the loser? It could be interesting to see Couture take on Mir or Nogueira, although Couture might not want that fight because neither of those opponents is a huge draw, and because, frankly, either of them would probably beat him. If Couture wants to fight a big name he'd have a good chance to beat, it would make sense to ...
Fight Chuck Liddell:
Yes, they've already fought three times, but Liddell and Couture are the two most popular fighters in the history of the UFC, and that means there'd be plenty of buzz if they fought a fourth time. Of course, there are problems, the greatest of which is that having two past-their-prime stars fighting each other one more time smacks of everything that the UFC has bashed boxing for doing. And does Couture really want to fight Liddell again? There's really only one guy we know for sure Couture definitely wants to fight ...
Wait around for Fedor Emelianenko:
Yes, this is the fight Couture wants, but realistically, it's just not going to happen. Fedor is probably never going to set foot in the Octagon. And even if Affliction goes out of business and Fedor finally decides that the UFC is his only option, the fight doesn't make much sense because of a painful truth UFC fans need to accept: Fedor would destroy Randy. So maybe Couture should ...
Become a heavyweight gatekeeper:
It might be interesting to see how some of the young up-and-comers, like Junior "Cigano" dos Santos or Cain Velasquez or Shane Carwin. But does Couture really want to spend his 40s fighting bigger, stronger, younger guys? That didn't go so well last night. So maybe he should ...
Move to light heavyweight:
Couture weighed in at 220 pounds for the Lesnar fight, meaning he'd have no problem getting back down to 206 and fighting at light heavyweight again. But the UFC's light heavyweight division is so stacked that Couture would be moving near the back of a long line. And that makes me wonder if he should ...
Retire:
Randy Couture is is still one of the most popular fighters in the UFC, and one of the most accomplished athletes in the history of mixed martial arts. But maybe the Lesnar fight should be his last. If it is, it's been a great career.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-16-2008 @ 1:04PM
Colonial said...
First, Mir would not be the favorite against Couture if they fougt. Mir is 3-2 since his motorcycle accident and wouldn't be in line for a title shot (weak division or no) if the UFC wasn't so hellbent on getting Brock in the title picture. It would be impossible to justify giving Lesnar Randy without Mir also getting a shot at Nogueira.
"does Couture really want to spend his 40s fighting bigger, stronger, younger guys? That didn't go so well last night. "
It didn't really go that bad. I can't be the only one who noticed how tired Brock looked in round two. If he didn't land that one punch this is an entirely different fight from round 3 on.
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11-22-2008 @ 2:43PM
MMA Core said...
Colonial i couldnt have said it better my self, u r absolutly rite Brock Leasner did look extremely tired, and forshure the reason for Randy lossing this fight is because of the reasons he lost his fights to Chuck because Brock and Chuck both had a great reach advantage that randy is always unprepared for. You have to give Randy alot of credit he did much better against Brock compared to any other guy in mma, even though Mir beat him the last time it could be seen as a stupid mistake by Brock that he could have avoided, but he learned his leason and improved alot from that loss.
11-16-2008 @ 1:29PM
tpinbc said...
MDS, weren't you the guy saying you the Randy was going to win? Now you think he's in the back of a long line in LHW? I was impressed with Couture's performance. There was not shame in that loss.
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11-16-2008 @ 1:34PM
Michael David Smith said...
Yes, I thought Randy would win.
He looked older than I thought he would. If he wants to fight at light heavyweight, he'd be behind Griffin, Evans, Rampage, Wanderlei and Machida, definitely. And, depending on how other fights shake out, you could also say he's behind Liddell, Franklin, Henderson, Cane, Jardine, Thiago Silva, Rua, and maybe a few more. The light heavyweight division is really crowded.
11-16-2008 @ 1:32PM
dabears62 said...
Randy was controlling the fight for the most part after the first round. If lesnar hadn't landed that one lucky shot Couture would've broken him down and won the fight. It was obvious lesnar was gassed, but thats the UFC for ya. Anyone can land a lucky punch at any time.
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11-16-2008 @ 2:59PM
Mike said...
I say go down to 205 and fight Anderson Silva...
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11-16-2008 @ 4:50PM
keith a said...
I agree with debears,Randy looked good for the most part.I think if Randy could have put on about 15lbs of muscle he could have controlled the massive Lesnar a little more,he already had good control by using his skills and leverage.Frankly, I think he man is a genius and should stay where he is,put on some more weight and not lose his top 5 contention spot for the title.
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11-16-2008 @ 7:21PM
Scoot said...
Just retire from the sport and jump start your fledging acting career. Trust me, it's not worth developing pugilistic dementia like Jerry Quarry did.
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11-18-2008 @ 5:21PM
Eric said...
I hope he retires ... there is nothing left for him. Randy has fought to defend a title or gain a title in more than half of his fights. It is unlikely that he will ever get that opportunity again.
I have no interest in watching him get knocked out by Liddell again, and light heavyweight is just too stacked.
What about a fight with Mark Coleman?
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11-20-2008 @ 7:48AM
Shawn said...
Randy is a true champ...all brock did was hold him against a cage, what fat bar fight hasn't ended like that? my guess is Noguira wins n maybe upsets brock but brock might hold on like silva but like tim silva won't be a true champ, simply a big guy....get brock winning by submission..arm bars,etc...then let's talk. As for Randy vs fedor...fedor isn't all that great...he wins, doesn't make him always better match up...could be a good fight...I figure they'll see if liddell has it in him n ight go 1 more time but prob cotour will fight nogura n rematch as he has a new 3 match contract so 2 left so won't retire...fact!
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