Mauricio “Shogun” Rua Hopes to Fight Randy Couture in First UFC Title Defense
Following his first-round knockout of Lyoto Machida in the main event of Saturday’s UFC 113, newly-crowned UFC light heavyweight champ Mauricio “Shogun” Rua hopes to fight UFC hall of famer Randy Couture in his first title defense.
“I would be very happy to fight Randy Couture because he’s a legend, an icon in the sport, and someone I admire. I would be very happy to fight him,” Rua told Sherdog (video below).
Despite undergoing an emergency appendectomy just 7 weeks before his rematch with Machida, Rua avenged his controversial October loss to “The Dragon” and claimed the 205-pound title with a decisive KO just 3:35 into the bout.
“Shogun” was expected to face the winner of a UFC 114 matchup between Rashad Evans and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in his first title defense, but UFC President Dana White has said that while that is the likely plan, a title shot is not guaranteed for the winner.
Couture, a winner of back-to-back fights over Brandon Vera and Mark Coleman, is expected to meet UFC newcomer and former boxing champ James Toney at UFC 118 in August, and could earn another shot at the title he’s held twice before if he wins.
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Tags: Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Quinton Jackson, Randy Couture, Rashad Evans
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I think sooner or later we are going to have to include Anderson Silva in the LWH title picture. I know he is booked for August and an automatic tite shot at 205 may be unwarranted, but any day that he weighes 205 pounds, he has to be considered one of the best 205ers in the world. And in my opinion, a matchup with Shogun would borderline being a superfight, stylistically.
I’m not too sure how I feel about the Couture speculation. I think it would have to be a timing issue depending on who else is available, but there are other guys right now that I would rather see fight Shogun. Couture is a legend, though, and I think he will always keep a fight competitive, so I am okay with it because I have been burned in the past by writing off Randy.
A.Silva needs to work his way out of Dana’s Middleweight doghouse after his interpretive dance against Maia before he is allowed to consider 205.
There have been reports that Dana White’s plans for Silva are as follows, assuming he keeps winning, Sonnen, Belfort, vacate 185lbs title, make a permanent move to 205lbs.
I think that with the way things are currently scheduled, if Rua does have a title defense against Couture, it will only be after successfully defending against the Rampage/Rashad winner, if he can do that.
You’re probably right, but I could easily see Dana White pawning James Toney duty onto someone else if he thought there was some money to be made matching Shogun and Couture…
If A.Silva takes LHW then what would happen to Machida? He will never be able to fight for the belt untill Silva releases it to someone!
Couture vs Shogun…………nay…..not a good PPV buy.
Yeah, because no one ever pays to see Randy Couture fight…
sarcastic?
LOL.
Yeah, just a bit.
Randy Couture is one of the most popular fighters in UFC history, so almost any PPV he’s on is going to do better than average…
;-)
I don’t think Couture is anywhere near a title shot. Let him face someone in the top 5 in the division first. Beating Vera and Coleman is hardly impressive to say the least.
^agreed
Isn’t Couture scheduled to welcome Toney into the UFC?
Couture may get a title shot simply because he’s Couture, and not because he kicked around Mark Coleman and James Toney…
I think this would fit more ….Couture may get a title shot simply because he lives in vegas where I(jchol) live :)
Lets just say that Randy lives in a MUCH nicer part of town than I do.
Actually, I believe that Couture lives out by Lake Las Vegas, which features a lot of mansions and other multi-milion dollar homes.
I on the other hand live in North Las Vegas, in a VERY middle class part of town…
;-)
Who did Shogun beat to get his title shot? Oh yeah, Coleman and a way washed up Liddell. Yeah, Coleman and Vera are HUGE steps down and shouldn’t be considered lining up for a title…
It’s the same path, for crying out loud.
Randy? Really? No shame in wanting to safely and successfully defend your belt.
Actually this is a smart move by Shogun.
If he wins he’s beaten the most decorated fighter in the history of the UFC, and will subsequently carve a nice space for himself in the promotion, however if he loses he’s lost to the most decorated fighter in the history of the UFC, and there is no shame in that.
You follow??
Got ya
Shogun/Couture is an intrigueing match-up, but the I think the shot should, and will, go to the Rampage/Rashad winner. How ’bout Couture facing the Rampage/Rashad loser, or even Machida? After he schools Toney of course.
i have to agree with you cam completely. couture needs to beat a top 5 contender. a win over james toney is pointless going towards a title shot. i do not understand that fight at all
Honestly, and I’m not trying to blast you here, but if you don’t understand why Dana White would consider signing a fight between a new 205 champion WHO ASKED FOR THE FIGHT and a five time, two weightclass former champion and Hall of Famer in Randy Couture, then you don’t understand how Dana White runs the UFC…
ok jcohl first of all shogun did not call couture out like the article portrays like he did. he just said he would like to fight him because he is a legend of the sport. i am sure that shogun would have said that he would like to fight any of the top contenders in the ufc if it were brought up in the interview. i am a couture fan i am not bashing the guy it is amazing that he is still a top contender and very competitive considering his age. all that i am saying is a controversial win over vera, a win over a washed up mark coleman, and a probable upcoming win over a washed up boxer who has not fought mma is not enough for a title shot, especially in the most competitive division in the ufc. coleman vera are not even top 10 fighters in lhw (coleman was cut after his embarressing performance) . if couture is serious about a title shot he needs to beat a top contender and not waste his time fighting james toney. a win does absolutley nothing for him and a loss would cost him any chance of a title shot ever again. instead of couture fighting toney he needs to fight lil nog, rashad or rampage(whoever loses and is not fighting shogun next), forrest griffin(i realize will not happen) or maybe even thiago silva or jon jones. and btw i never claimed that i knew how dana white runs the ufc all i ever said was couture does not deserve first crack at shoguns belt(if couture fought griffin, which i know will not happen, would have the possibility of being the biggest ufc pay per view ever)
and a win over machida would do it too. sorry i cant believe a left him off
and jcohl, when i said i did not understand that fight at all, i wasnt talking about couture and shogun, i was talking about couture and toney
I would want to fight Randy, too. He’s not as highly ranked and he’s one of the biggest names in the sport. It’s a win-win for Shogun…sorry all of you catch-wrestlers.
I think Randy would be a great opponent but I don’t think a win over James Toney would put him closer. The winner of Rampage/Evans should get the first crack at it.
Couture has expresses interest in fighting Machida or Anderson Silva. Either one of those guys would be a great fight and a victory would qualify him for a shot in my book.
I agree with everything you said Jason. I would love too see Randy vs. Anderson, I truly feel Randy would smash him.
Are you kidding me? Anderson will tag him 100%.
Im sorry guys call me a hater, but i just cant wait for the day Shogun gets KTFO!! Machida is my favorite LHW fighter and after saturday may 8th i will buy every paperview that Shogun fights on and invite as many friends as i can and hope that Shogun gets put to sleep!! if i feel like this, i cant imagine how A.Silva lil Nog and the rest of the black house members feel!! i would love to see my boy RAMPAGE to knock Shogun out! Sorry guys but thats how much i love Machida lol!!
well kable9405 go to youtube and type in shogun vs your boy rampage and watch how that fight went. that was shogun in his prime and now that he is 100% healthy he is back in his prime. he is only 28 years old. joe rogan was all about “welcome to the machida era will let me tell u i believe we just witnessed the beginning of the shogun era. the only three fighters in that division i think can threaten shogun is anderson silva, which i dont believe he will ever permanently move up to 205 because of machida, unless dana forces him too. lyoto machida, a shogun machida 3 is inevitable IMO. i do not think he is ready yet but jon jones. besides those 3 i do not see anybody else having a chance against a 100% healthy shogun
Well Kable9405, you should be very happy that Shogun has some restraint and class, because he had a very good opportunity to blast Machida one more time but instead stepped off on his own before the ref even got to him. I’d have blasted Machida just because he didn’t have enough class to admit he lost the previous bout. ;)
I’m not sure if Couture deserves a shot, but being a shogun fan, i’m not sure this is a smart move for shogun. Couture has shut many of us up, icluding myself with his recent wins and performances.
Couture could take shogun down or push him against the cage and keep him there.
I don’t know if couture is an easy opponent like some have said.
If Couture does indeed get a shot at Shogun, being run up into the cage and held there is exactly what you’ll see for 25 minutes, because Rua hasn’t exhibited anywhere near the skills needed to shake Couture loose.
Especially when gold is on the line…
I don’t think so TC. Randy would simply use his greco to keep Anderson pressed against the cage and dirty box the living hell outta him the whole fight. And when he does finally put anderson on his back…goodnite Silva! The height and reach won’t be a factor either. We all saw what Randy did to Tim Sylvia.
Dude…Silva is slimy S*** …..Randy wouldn’t even able to catch him. Also Silva has a good running away ability. With that he can beat anyone. :)
Sorry I have to disagree TC. Yes Anderson is a very elusive striker, but to say Randy wouldn’t even catch him?? Are you nuts? I’d love to see him pull that showboating sh!t with Randy…it’d be a real short night for him. He’s never ben put to the test against a wrestler like Randy either IMO. It will be alot harder for him to break Randy’s will too unlike with his other opponents. What you’ll see is Randy go out there, dictate the pace and place of the fight and impose HIS will. You’re forgetting TC that wrestling, not striking is what gives you the edge in dictating where the fight takes place in MMA. This is why they say that a collegiate wrestling pedigree is the best base to have when entering MMA.
But did you see how Maia and Thales tried to take him on the ground desperately and how they miserably failed! Also don’t forget that Silva submitted Hendo indeed.
TC have you taken into consideration the fact that on a scale of 1 to 10 Thales and Maia’s takedowns are maybe a 5? Come on! How many times does a good striker have to be matched up against a good wrestler and lose for you to see that 9 times out of 10 the wrestler will come out on top? 90% of the time wrestling is boxing’s “kryptonite”. It nullifies and diminishes the strikers ability to strike. If a boxer matches up with a wrestler and has no wrestling skills, he will lose due his inability to grapple. You will see the same thing we saw with GSP/Hardy and Koscheck/Daley.
Did you just compare A. Silva to hardy and Semtex??? Dude Randy is a great fighter and a great competitor. I don’t think Randy would fare too well against the spider. In order for Randy to clinch A. Silva he needs to come into close range. Silva would tag him on the way in and catch Randy. Anderson has too many tools to nullify Randy. He has one of the most dangerous clinches in the game. Ask Franklin. We all know about his stand up. Oh and he is a black belt in jits. Hendo is a great greco wrestler and was subbed in under 2 rounds. Randy lost a stand up battle to big nog whose striking is no where near A. Silva striking. I know he has proved people wrong before but the spider would destroy Randy. I am a huge Randy fan, I started watching mma because of him and I respect the hell outta the guy but the spider would be a horrible match up at this stage of his career.
Well said Drtysan1.
that makes no sense at all – Couture beats Toney and gets a title shot? WTF? Love Couture but that math doesn’t compute – where’s Mitrione’s shot? – ok so no history like Randy but still.
It might be okay to go with the winner of Toney/Couture vs winner of Rampage/Rashad but are these guys really the only 205′s in line for the title?
Anderson Silva does not deserve a shot at the LHW title. Not with his antics of late. That being said, I would give Anderson a fight against Bones Jones… He want’s to stand and bang so bad, and needs to find someone who can stand with him, give him the best and most unorthodox, young up and comer in the entire division and sport.
Jones vs Silva would be a great main event on any card…. winner gets a title shot!
Sorry if this sounds off topic but it was in reply to those stating Silva should be in the mix at 205, when I personally don’t think he deserves it at the moment.
As far as Shogun fighting Couture… NO THANKS. It wouldn’t even be close. Also, beating Toney really is not something that would warrant an immediate title shot anyways in my mind. I think there are much more deserving and competitive choices, in guys like Rampage, Rashad, Jones, Lil Nog, etc.
Jones vs Silva would be a great main event on any card
100% agreed. Anderson’s chin IMO has yet to be tested and Jon Bones is the best and most unorthodox young up and comer in the entire division. He’s also the best test for silva in respect to striking. Make it happen Dana!
Not so much this year, but I’d say that by 2011 Jon Jones represents the best chance of seeing someone hand Anderson Silva a major a$$-kicking. The guy’s speed, strength, athleticism, non-standard stand-up, and wrestling skills will be a nightmare for Silva once Jones has a few more fights.
Thats not to say that Silva is undefeatable, but IMO currently men like Sonnen at 185 and Couture or Evans [or possibly even Hendo]at 205 would simply neutralize Silva’s movement, and grind out a UD, assuming of course he doesn’t sniper-strike them to sleep as they close the distance.
But in terms of seeing every square inch of Silva’s a$$ kicked, other than the HWs Jon Jones 2011 is your man…
;-)
Randy could be one fight from a title shot if he beats the right guy. After the Toney fight, a win over Machida, Lil Nog, Rampage/Rashad loser, or even Forest could earn a title shot.
First up for Shoguns belt would have to be Rampage/Rashad winner. Shogun/Rampage II would be huge, but lets hope Rampage does something to learn how to check kicks.
When you’ve won and worn as much gold as the VERY popular Randy Couture has, “earning” a title shot isn’t nearly as much as a priority for Dana White as promoting the fight.
Look at some previous title challengers:
- did Shogun “earn” a title fight against Machida in their first fight?
No, he beat Mark Coleman and Chuck Liddell, both who are clearly past their fighting primes.
- did Brock Lesnar “earn” a title shot against Randy Couture?
I’ll just say “no”, and leave it at that. Most of the frenZy knows where I stand on the issue.
- IMO Frankie Edgar didn’t “earn” a title shot against BJ Penn, unless Matt Veach who is no longer with the UFC was secretly a ranked 155er. And Sean Sherk is also past his fighting prime, so how seriously can that win be taken in terms of “earning” a title shot?
- did Dan Hardy “earn” a title shot against GSP?
Certainly not, as he failed to face or defeat any top UFC 170er [Fitch, Alves, Koscheck, Thiago, even former champion Matt Hughes?]
Beating Mike Swick is not and should not leapfrog you over several 170 fighters who are FAR better than you are.
So while I understand those who post about “earning” title shots, I would suggest that if you’re looking for a legit ranking system and title contenders who “earn” their opportunities, you get your MMA on somewhere other than the UFC, because Dana signs the fights he personally wants to see, and the ones he feels will make Zuffa the most money.
End of story…
Agree with your 4 cases indeed.
Damn you and your common sense, jcohl.
i think that stylistically (spellcheck) couture would do better against shogun the champ then he would against some top 205ers like bones, A silva or even machida but i have also learned through ufc history not to bet against couture.
Regardless of how things play out in the 205 or 185 division for anderson,i think a anderson/jones match is eminent.As much as i want to see sonnen win i don’t think he can pull it off,and that go’s the same for belfort.And IMO jones is gonna keep plowing through opponents until he runs into silva.And hopefully he can pull the upset off.Jones one pitfall is his inexperience,wich may play a factor.
i see shogun is already calling out opponents he knows he can beat. smart move by the champ.. hope this doesn’t happen and it shouldn’t
jcohl,
we all know your a huge couture fan but honestly the winner of rampage rashad deserves the title shot over couture by a mile. lets say rampage and couture both win their next fights (which i think they will) rampage will have recent wins over former champ rashad evans, wanderlie silva and jardine. while couture will have a recent wins over former BOXING champ and MMA wanna be james toney (useless win in the title picture), vera (whos on a losing streak and hasnt been a “contender” for awhile not to mention a fairly lackluster performance in that win if u ask me) and mark coleman who is no longer in the ufc and unlike couture he actually fights like a 45 year old.
just cause shogun says he wants to fight couture doesnt mean couture automatically gets the title shot. what if shogun asked to fight brandon vera in his 1st defence the ufc wouldnt give him that fight. and dont try saying that vera is on a losing streak and couture is on a winning streak im just saying all things being equal shogun doesnt decide who gets the title shot the ufc does.
and just because shogun, brock, edgar and hardy got unwarranted title shots doesnt mean its right and it doesnt mean it should happen again. but at leats those fighters are in their primes. couture has had his time. if he beats a top 5 contender then good for him he deserves a shot but until then it would be purely a popularity contest that would get couture his title shot and thats not right.
This isn’t about “right” and “wrong”, or “deserving” or strength of opposition or anything like that.
I’ve posted this several times on several threads, yet somehow posters keep missing the point, but the UFC is all about Dana White and the fights he wants to see, and the fights that can earn Zuffa the most money.
Sh!t like rankings and earning title shots and contendership are secondary to fight promotability and fighter marketability.
I’m not saying its moral or just, I’m just saying it IS, and will be for the foreseeable future.
If its THAT unpalatable to you, I’d respectfully suggest you find another MMA promotion to follow, as the UFC and its uber-successful business model aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Couture once again challenging for gold is money in the bank, so IMO Dana will at least consider it.
Also, in the UFC the bottom line is the bottom line, if you follow, so to respond to your Brandon Vera statement I’ll say that no, Vera would not get the shot if Shogun asked, but it has nothing to do with winning or losing streaks.
It has everything to do with Couture bringing more to the table promotionally than Vera, or almost anyone else in the UFC can bring on a given day…
Rua-Couture would be a huge draw especially a treat for real MMA Fans, i wouldn’t mind seeing this happen, just imagine if Randy would be able to “Couture” himself to victory, the world would go bananas i tells ya!! :)…… i would pay the big bugs for this fight for sure
The thing about Couture is he’s one of the few guys that can come up with an effective strategy and actually execute it. Every fighter, and even some of us fans can look at a match up and think to ourselves “well, this guy needs to rely on ground skills or this guy needs to keep the fight standing, etc…” But Randy has always been brilliant at developing a key strategy for a fighter and going out there and pulling the trigger, even if it didn’t involve his wrestling background.
He’s the only guy that’s come close to beating Brock. In his camp he brought in guys that were huge to help train on how to get out from underneath him, and if you noticed in the fight, Brock couldn’t keep him down. His only Mistake was trying to stand with him toe to toe and trade.
With Vera, he knew he had to control him up against the cage to negate his striking. So, if Couture fights somebody legitimate, (not James Toney), he could very well earn a shot. I think He’s very capable of figuring out Anderson or Machida and theres no doubt in my mind he could counter Rua’s striking and take him to the mat. If Griffin could make Rua submit, Couture would own him.
Good points, well said. Except Randy’s not the only guy to come close to beating Brock as Mir did defeat Brock at UFC 81 via kneebar submission in rd 2. And I have to agree 100% with your assessment of Randy’s ability to execute his job. I also concur with your statement: “Randy has always been brilliant at developing a key strategy for a fighter and going out there and pulling the trigger, even if it didn’t involve his wrestling background.” cool post Jason ;)
couture is a challenge for anyone. not sayin he would win at all but always comes with a good game plan. off topic but why do so many hate on chuck with comments like way past his prime and way washed up, anyone who has ko’ed chuck in the ufc has also won the 205 title rampage obviously, rashad who also won the belt with a ko and shogun by ko in his title win elite. the elite-not anymore, washed up-hardly
i think the winner of rampage vs rashad should fight jon jones for a shot at the belt
I couldn’t disagree more. Why should that happen when Jon Jones is not a contender for the LHW belt yet, or at least on paper he isn’t. Don’t get me wrong he’s a great fighter, but for Rampage or Rashad to have to go thru Jon jones to get a title shot, after they’ve both already won gold at LHW?? That would be almost like saying that whoever wants a shot at Anderson Silva must go through Belcher…Not going to happen.
Well yeah, Mir won but he didn’t beat him. He was getting owned til he snuck that submission in there. But hey, thats what MMA is all about.
So Rua wants to fight Couture because Couture is a legend and he admires him? Is this what Randy can expect from all his fans..that they love him so much they want to beat the heck out of him? What price fame, eh?
Rua: “Randy..(thump!)..you are my (whap!)…idol (crunch!). Wow, I just kicked Randy Couture’s old legs! Awesome!”
Randy: “I’m glad I am your idol, Shogun. God you kick hard. Shogun, next time just ask for an autograph.”
Didn’t read every post but I dont think anyone has mentioned lil nog. He will win his next fight and while both wins will be over lower middle tier guys he should be considered especially since it would be a rematch of their close spit-dec. fight in pride
Has anyone thought that maybe couture wants to fight james t to actually see if he can stand with a ex pro boxer? I mean taking him down, or really doing anything other then striking with him seems…idk too easy and if he’s plannin to put ol “lights out” on his back in 5 seconds into the first then why even bother calling him out to begin with? I’m sure he saw mercer knock big tim out cold, somthing he didn’t do even tho he threw a over hand just like mercer Idk I’m just thinkin out loud here I guess…sry if this is kinda only half on topic
Chall, have you ever thought that the reason Couture wants to fight Toney is perhaps for the paycheck?? Or maybe he’s tryin to prove once and for all that the one dimensional boxer will more than likely always be outclassed by the wrestler? Or maybe it’s to show the boxing world that MMA is no walk in the park, even for a boxer like Toney contrary to popular belief? Just food for thought.
All valid points, except that first 1 I refuse to believe my hero, captain merica himself is just fighting for a paycheck lol I’m just sayin challenging JT to a fight only to take him down and tap him out or ground and pound him is the same as lance armstrong challenging a man with 1 leg to a bike race, but if he can knock him out or get a tko, now that would be sumthin
I think Randy Couture wants to fight James Toney because Randy is a fight fan and James Toney knows a lot about boxing and it is a chance to test yourself against a boxer …in MMA! That shouldn’t be too much of a problem for Randy Couture. All Randy has to do is get James on the mat…he is a fish out of water compared to Randy.
So why WOULDN’T Randy want to fight James Toney? Hey, you know the pay-per-view will be huge for that fight…meaning lots of money and exposure as Randy beats on ‘ol James. What does either Randy or James have to lose anyway? It’s not like Randy is going to lose respect if he loses and it won’t screw up any future title shots for Randy either. It could happen because it is James Toney, afterall. They don’t call him “Lights Out” for nothing. Make no mistake about it, fighting James Toney is not a game of golf…there is a chance the man could knock you out…but if that scares you then you are in the wrong business!
Shogun fought 7 weeks after getting his appendix out. That surgery hurt a lesser mortal like myself. Shogun is truly made of championship material. As for fighting Randy Couture… wtf… why does he want to fight Randy Couture… maybe he wants to test his wrestling defense against a great wrestler… im not very excited about this matchup, though. Id rather seen Shogun versus Silva.
I read somewhere that Randy was commenting on how alot of boxers like Mayweather talk trash about MMA and that Toney is the only one who has put his butt where his mouth is. I don’t think this is about a pay check or seeing if he can stand with him. I think its about Randy sending a message to boxers that “hey, this is our wolrd, you got no business being here.”
We all know Randy isn’t gonna stand with him, he’s gonna double leg and ground and pound.
I think Randy is going to beat James Toney pretty easily if he wrestles him. If it comes down to striking then I think James Toney is still going to lose but I would be careful about striking with a seasoned and skilled boxer like Toney. James Toney has been in a hell of a lot of fights and is one of the trickier fighters out there. The man knows how to punch and he can slip punches in his sleep … making him a dangerous close range in-fighter. I think Randy can beat him if he controls the distance with low kicks and fire takedowns at James.
Or he’s gonna wait until Toney puts all his weight on his front leg and then kick it into the front row.
Shogun vs Couture.
Ahhh, how about no?!
Nog Couture was worth watching as they are still great but not contenders like:
Jon Jones
Rashad Evans
Quinton Jackson
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Forrest Griffin
Anderson Silva
Lyoto Machida
Thiago Silva
I agree wholeheartily; this isn’t 2002 when there was not nearly the depth at 205 there is now.
And to jcohl’s point, Rua did take an easy road to the title. That doesn’t mean two wrongs make a right. And yes, we all know Couture is a major draw. But someone who had that much trouble against Brandon Vera does not deserve title consideration. And frankly it wouldn’t even be a good fight..Rua would expose him.
My vote for Shogun’s first defense is the Sugar/Rampage winner.
Let Jones win one more and he’ll be at the front of the line in my book. Just for grins, let him welcome Anderson back to 205 when he’s done beating republicans.
I will be the first to say Randy has lost a step or two since his peak (the first Chuck fight) and his mini second wind era (Silvia/Gonzaga). At first glance, it’s seems silly to offer him as a title defense now for Rua, who has broken into the P4P circle since his big win.
But on second thought, it does make some, crazy kind of sense.
There’s no arguing that the winner of Rampage/Rashad is the true #1 contender. And undoubtedly, whoever wins that will get a title shot. But even the winner of that fight could get hurt and not necessarily be able to fight with a reasonably quick turn-around.
Rua is ready to fight again in the short term. So is Randy (and he will obviously not incur any damage if he fights Toney, unless he pulls a hamstring or something).
The big picture is that Randy only has one more big fan fare title fight left. It won’t happen if he loses again. Even tho I thought he lost to Vera, he is undefeated in his two fight return to LHW. He is the former 2 time LHW champion. Mr. Legend of the Sport. No one is going to cry foul if he gets a title shot and EVERYONE will buy it because it is the last chance to see the Natural on the big stage. And if he somehow wins you can NOT have missed that, even if Randy is a 1000 to 1 shot.
And Randy’s chances again Rua are actually better than against Machida, IMO, because I think Lyoto has better takedown defense. Rua has proven to have the better stand-up, but Randy is all about the clinch, take down and grindage. If he can get Rua down (not inconceivable) he could make a game of it.
Now, before I get too far, I think Randy’s biggest liability is that he is a bit chinny now that he’s got some gray whiskers, and obviously Rua could put him to sleep quick, but Randy COULD be something of a threat on the ground. Not taking anything away from Shoguns BJJ black belt, but there is a window there.
One more time for Couture. It just makes sense.
He should fight the winner of rampage and rashad then the winner of that fight should fight silva dont get me wrong couture is a legend but way past his prime and if he keeps fighting he might be another ali story jus my opion but i dont want to see randy get hurt
Randy won’t be a walk in the park – he has nothing to lose and everything to gain by fighting Shogun.. Randy has dominated many of his recent opponents (except lesnar of course) and with a decent co main event, this could be a huge card. Rampage and rashad have yet to deserve the title shot (IMO)
The winner of Rampage/Sugar will prove they are more than worthy by one of them beating the other. Remember, these are recent former LHW champs in their prime, only fighting (and beating) other elite contenders. But hey, you have your opinion, I’ve got mine…
I’m skeptical of Evans because he got dominated by machida.. And rampage… I don’t know.. a lot of guys (Liddell, wanderlei, ortiz, jardine..) are starting to show some signs of slowing down.. I got a feeling rampage will show some signs of ‘octagon rust’ and/age
I don’t think anybody in MMA is close to being Ali simply because nobody gets hit in the head as much in MMA. No 12 round fights and no padded gloves to allow for more contact.
If anybody is even close to that, Its Chuck.
Randy’s just too old for elite competition watch the vera fight, watch a (recent) Machida HL , then watch machida shogun 2 (or1).
i worship the guy but put down the Captain America comic book please.
Or maybe he could fight Machida’s dad.
Wow, lay off the guy, willya? What are we basing this whole “he’s washed up” conversation on? If you wanna go by his recent wins, Vera, while on a seemingly unending losing streak, is still a respectable striker- top 5 in his weight class? Certainly not. I won’t even mention Coleman, that fight happened about 15 years too late… Couture’s recent losses? The current HW champ, who is literally a beast, & Big Nog, whose still top 10 in a very stacked HW division and held the interim title a few fights ago. So getting beaten by current and former champions suddenly means you’re washed up? He gave Brock his hardest earned win to date, all at the ripe age of 45 (80 in MMA years)… At his age, maybe you think his dentures will get stuck in his mouthpiece, but he hasn’t recently been KOed in the first round (Machida) or beaten beyond facial recognition (Mir), so why do we think he’s gonna get killed all of a sudden? I say he’s a legitimate challenge for anyone who steps into the cage with him and any win you get over this guy is earned, not taken easily. And since when does a record-holding, hall-of-faming, former champ need so much justification for getting a shot at a title he’s held twice before? Should he get it in front of the Rashad/Rampage winner? No, wouldn’t be fair, but I still think Couture-Rua for the belt would sure as sh!t be a must-see, imo. Make it happen, Dana!
100% agreed vj, great post.
80 in MMA years??
Lol, Good one.
What does that make Shamrock??
Reminds me of Tom Beringer in Major League 2
Roger Dorn asks when he’s gonna get to start, he looks at him and says “theres an old timers game coming up soon”
who said washed up?
but too old for the top 5).
He fought a great fight against Vera – but agree with the many who gave that one to Vera
if you need another perpective.
I’d watch Randy face Chuck when hey are in their 60′s as it’s be fair and competitive at least.
Not for the belt just a pair of suspenders and a beer afterwards.
Does anyone else find it ironic that Shogun is asking to fight yet another 40+ (out of his prime) year old man?
Being that he beat two 40+ (out of their prime) old fighters en route to his first UFC title shot, and if Couture were to get the first crack at Shogun’s title (for whatever reason), that would make it 3 ‘old men’ out of the 5 fighters Shogun’s faced so far in the UFC.
Being that Shogun is still in his 20′s and obviously in his prime, I find it quite odd.