UFC Announces UFC 91: Couture vs. Lesnar
RANDY “THE NATURAL” COUTURE vs. BROCK LESNAR
UFC WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
SATURDAY, NOV. 15, 2008
LIVE FROM MGM GRAND GARDEN ARENA
Las Vegas, NV (USA) – On November 15th, the champ is back.
Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White today announced that after a year away from the game, UFC heavyweight champion Randy “The Natural” Couture will make his long-awaited return to the Octagon to defend his title against rising star Brock Lesnar in a clash of titans destined to shake the foundations of the sport. This championship bout, the biggest heavyweight title fight in years, will headline UFC 91: COUTURE vs. LESNAR, live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2008.
“I am happy to announce that UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture will be returning to action in the Octagon,” said Dana White, UFC President. “He’s a legend in the UFC, and one of the fighters that helped build this sport. I have always said that wrestling is one of the best bases you can have in MMA and not only is Randy a top level wrestler but his opponent is as well. Brock Lesnar showed the MMA world that he is for real in his last fight, dismantling the far more experienced Heath Herring. His combination of speed and power was absolutely devastating. It is a fascinating matchup: the crafty, multiple-time heavyweight champion versus the younger, bigger, and stronger challenger. This is one that will go down in the history books.”
Ticket information for UFC 91: COUTURE vs. LESNAR will be announced shortly.
UFC 91: COUTURE vs. LESNAR will be available live on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m. PST on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, DISH Network, TVN, Bell ExpressVu, Shaw Communications and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $44.95 for standard definition or high-definition broadcasts (where available).
A UFC Hall of Famer whose name is synonymous with mixed martial arts, Randy ‘The Natural’ Couture (16-8) is the only fighter in history to win the UFC world heavyweight title three times, and that’s not even mentioning his two UFC light heavyweight titles. Owner of heavyweight wins over the likes of Maurice Smith, Vitor Belfort, Kevin Randleman, and Pedro Rizzo (twice), the 45-year old Las Vegas resident turned back the clock in 2007 with a stirring win over Tim Sylvia at UFC 68 that netted him his third heavyweight crown. Couture defended his title for the first time at UFC 74 with a third round TKO of number one contender Gabriel Gonzaga, and now the man often referred to as “Captain America†will look to prove once again that he should never be counted out in a fight when he takes on Brock Lesnar.
“I have a lot of respect for Brock as an athlete and a collegiate wrestler, but I know exactly where he’s at, he’s trying to make the transition from a wrestler to mixed martial arts,†said Couture. “I’ve been there, done that, and I know what the pitfalls are. This will be an interesting matchup, and it will be very nice to be home in the Octagon for this fight.â€
A physically gifted athlete with the size, speed, and power to impose his will on any opponent, Brock Lesnar (2-1) made an immediate impact in the UFC when he debuted here in February of 2008, and he has his sights set on shocking the world on November 15th. A four-time All-American, two-time Big Ten Champion, and 2000 NCAA Division I National Champion in wrestling, Lesnar made a name for himself internationally after college as a professional wrestler, but he soon found his true love in mixed martial arts in 2006. After a 69 second win in his pro debut a year later, Lesnar entered the UFC and made a positive impression in a loss to former heavyweight champion Frank Mir at UFC 81, but at UFC 87 in August, the Minneapolis-St. Paul resident showed why he is rapidly becoming one of the most feared fighters in the sport today and an immediate threat to the heavyweight throne.
“It’s an honor to fight Randy Couture, he’s a legend in this sport, and to get the chance to test myself against him is a gift,” said Lesnar. “A lot guys would love to have this opportunity, Randy is the UFC heavyweight champion. There is one goal that I’ve had since I started training in MMA and that is to capture the title. Now that I’m getting the chance, nothing is going to stop me. I’m walking out of the Octagon with the belt around my waist.”
Tags: Brock Lesnar, Randy Couture
lesnar does not deserve a title shot. If anyone deserves its either noguiera or mir.
there is no way that randy will let him leave the cage with the strap around his waist, the man has to much pride and will be the best couture we have ever seen
sooo this is a title shot!?!??!
then what is nog and mir fighting for!?!?!
jeremy are u crazzzzzy!?!?!?
why does mir deserve a shot!!!!!
he has not done anything impressive other than defeat an over anxious brock lesnar!!!
come on foo…ur triiiipin!!!
and it is not like brock is some random guy…this guy has sum about him…and dana can see that.he is not your typical fighter…this guy is a killing machine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I just don’t understand how Lesnar now gets a title shot, and Nogueira is …just another heavyweight fighter? I don’t get it.
I love that this fight is going to happen, but wouldn’t you be a little irritated if you were Nogueira? You go from being the champ to losing your belt without having ever lost in the UFC? Sounds shady to me…
i agree rob…but wat wouyld draw in the most ratings…
nog vs randy.. or
brock vs randy…
i think dana is giving the fans what they want..
sometimes it aint about being fair…and remember it is a business!!! and dana has to do whatever he can to keep that business on top and make the most feria!!!!!!! haha
im a big brock fan but he doesnt deserve a title shot but at least we get to see randy get manhandled, and ufc is good at giving title shots to people who dont deserve em right bj penn (sorry had to bring it up
I’m going to whip out my tarot cards here and make a prediction.
After Lesnar wins this fight, everyone is going to moan and groan that Couture was past his prime anyways and was washed out - AFTER of course saying that he’s going to crush Lesnar. After the win, nobody will remember predicting a Couture victory. Lesnar hits so ****ing hard he gives the FANS amnesia.
The winner of this fight fights the winner og Big Nog/ Mir to unify the belts probably Super Bowl weekend. Then for UFC 100 it will be Randy vs. Fedor.
i agree anon!!
brock is going to pound the crap out of couture!!!!
The winner of is what I meant.
Nog didn’t lose his belt. Can’t you read?
The winner of Lesnar-Couture will fight the winner of Nogueira-Mir. We might see a reamtch of Lesnar-Mir for the heavyweight title. I really don’t like any of this smelly mess, but once it’s played out, we’ll have a heavyweight champion and the UFC is supposedly going to try to make the Couture-Fedor fight happen. If Lesnar beats Couture, then what sense would it make for Fedor to fight Couture? I guess 45 year old Couture will have to beat Lesnar and then the winner of Nogueira-Mir in order to acheive “the end game”.
This didn’t make sense @ first, but since the winner of nog vs mir will fight the winner of this match, i’m all for lesnar FINALLY retiring couture.
I know I know, “it’s randy couture, he’s a legend, he’s got way more experiance and is way more skilled on all aspects of mma”…
That kind of $hit doesn’t matter when you’re dealing with a freakin’ monster like lesnar. I’m excited dude! The HW division will finally have closure!
Dude lesnar has two legitimate mma fights, no way he deserves a title shot, but hell whatever makes the benjamins like you guys say its a business. I only honestly feel one person can stop brock and thats fedor if they manage to bring him in the UFC will be the only mma organization standing (In the US).
Lesnar is gonna get schooled in this fight. If he wasn’t so young in the game he would stand a better chance. But his 3rd UFC fight and 4th overall MMA fight. He is in over his head. This isn’t Wrestlemania were he knew he was gonna win. NEVER BET AGAINST RANDY COUTURE. History has proven that.
I’m simply tired of couture’s pre-maddona @$$. Seriously dude who does he think he is? I hope Lesnar gnp’s the hell out of him.
big brock will beat coture i think based on size and speed but thats just a guess not to say coture isnt awsome he is verry smart and crafty i just think this year away was the straw to break the back if he had bin fightin maby not. i want mir to beat big nog so then lessnar can get vengance. randys last fight will be fedor boath promoations will bend and allow a cros promoational fight to make a mint. atleast that would be awsome in my books because evin if he looses every fight from now till his last randy will still be a legand. its eyther fall from grace or go out in glory
I was looking forward to attending this event in Portland. It’s no surprise though that they’d move it to Vegas given the new main event.
Brock is making a huge mistake, he should have been pressing to face Kevin Ferguson(Kimbo Slice), that would have been a giant draw as well.
Brock is not in Randy’s league, but strength and age are on Lesner’ side. If Randy still has anything left in the tank, he should win this one.
brock will win!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
killaghist
I’m not saying Randy’s last fight won’t be Fedor but it sure as hell won’t be a cros promotion fight. Like Dana said it will be amazing if Affliction is still in the MMA business next year. Regardless of who’s name the fight happens under (UFC, Affliction, Dream etc.) Fedor will be fighting his first top 10 P4P opponent in years (aside from Tim Silvia) and he will get his first legit loss on his record.
I dont see affliction just rolling over and letting the UFC have there Flag ship guy they are also a business and he has a contract with them.
I personally think randy will finshing his contract with the UFC then fighting fedor on a affliction PPV
PS lesnar is just to big for randy if he wins it will be like the mir fight with a sub
They moved it out of Portland? There went my plans for 11-15. Very Uncool.
nog still has the interim title, whoever wins the title fight will fight whoever wins interim title fight.
LOL look,
Nog still has his belt , and Randy has his belt
like when Randy and Tito had belts back in the day
bout now Randy and Brock fight for the belt
Nog and Mir fight for the belt
and the winners fight to unified the belts
Unless Brock Lesnar gets some tremendous coaching over the next month, I don’t see any possible way he can compete with Couture. He won’t be the first strong man to have his head handed to him. It’s all about technique.
40for60
dude are you serious??? brock vs kimbo???? the kimbo’s who’s fighting shamrock??? what???
kimbo should go back to the hood cuz he would get killed vs a real mma opponent.
brock does have technique…did u see the improvement from his first fight!?!?!?
he only gets better as his career progresses…the brock we will see fight randy will not be the same brock we saw destroy heath…
he will be far more skilled!!!!! he is built for this sport…he is the chose one!!!!!!!! lol jkjk
but for real…he is going to win…randy has skill…but his body is no longer capable of exercising his full potential…brock wins by tko!
Are you already saying that Lesnar is “a real MMA opponent?” Are you talking about Brock Lesnar?… The guy that couldn’t finish Heath “The Journeyman” Herring?… Brock has a way to go before he can claim to be worthy of being called “a real MMA opponent.”
Brock has no chance… hear me now… NO CHANCE against Randy Couture.
but it should be interesting!
This will be an interesting fight like when Randy came out of retirement and won the HW belt. It will be an unbelievable domination again by Couture.
That’s pretty much the way I see it too. Technique will ALWAYS overcome strength.
he didnt have to finish him!!!!
your acting like it was a fight that was going back and forth…brock never had one strugggle…
he didnt have to finish him…the fight was that easy for him!!!! the way he controlled that fight is the same way he will controll randy…and how is he not a worth opponent?!??!
are u speaking in regards to title worth…or just a reg opponent!?!?!
you are talking about the hw division…mir was going to be granted a title shot after beating brock!!! but why didn’t anybody have a problem with that!!??! but now that brock comes along and is a threat to everyones fav fighter randy…all of a sudden people want to be fair and talk about earning your way to the top!!! come on guys…play it both ways!!
I think you’re missing the point… I’m not saying he had to finish him, I’m saying he was unable to finish him. He wanted to, but could not. He did not have the ability to finish him. Every fighter that gets in the ring wants to get that finish, Lesnar came up short. He did not have the ability to get the finish. He still won the fight, but not the way he wanted to.
Who do you think deserved a title shot over Mir?… I’m just asking your opinion…
DolfanG
Nog, Werdum, Arlovski. The only reason Arlovski didn’t get one was because he was in contract disputes and didn’t get $h!t worked out to get a shot at the belt.
Jer,
I was assuming they would be fighting Nog. Arlovski is no longer in the UFC. That leaves Werdum. He’s a good fighter and I would like to see what he can do too.
Mir was the champion. He was ot for a while because of his accident. I think he deserves some consideration. He did submit Lesnar in a little over a minute and now Lesnar is in title conyention so if Lesnar deserves it, then why shouldn’t Mir deserve it more?
… stoopid keyboard…
I know where Arlovski is but he was getting screwed by not even being on the main card his last couple fights. Listen I like Brock but I like Randy better. As much I want to enjoy watching Brock succeed and progress in this sport I don’t think he is deserving of a title shot yet. It was done purely for business reasons. AKA $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Mir has proven himself over time. Something Lesnar has not done yet.
Of course it was… they all are… I agree with you completely. I think Randy will give Brock some lessons in MMA and kick his big butt. I was just curious why people thought Mir didn’t deserve a title. Arlovski can’t be considered in the mix anymore since he’s not in the UFC. I’m looking forward to Arlovski vs. Fedor. I want to see how good Arlovski really is. They are both Sambo champions. I think that will be a great fight.
mir did not deserve it..i would have went with werdum…but again…maby on paper does not deserve the fight…but it is a great business move!!
I truly hope that for MMA history’s reputation that Randy Couture wins this fight. Nothing against Brock, but Randy is truly a heroic badass that will do anything possible to overcome. I still like Lesnar, Herring’s face was trashed. This won’t be easy for Randy, however… he’s fourty-five now yall, and is now going against the biggest force of his career…
Anon,
I totally agree. When Brock hit Herring with his straight right my chair flipped over at home. I still have a black eye…… Randy is past his prime and I don’t care about the “experience” BS. Everyone is more experienced than Brock. On the other hand, not everyone is as strong as Brock. As long as Brock doesn’t get excited like he did with Mir, he should do just fine. Leg submissions are Randy’s best chance to win unless he can catch Brock with a KO punch….don’t think he will.
and yea mir has proven himself…and was a former champ….but liddell was also a former champ…and when he got one impressive win over wanderwei…that did not mean he was getting another title shot…but that was the case with mir…
kouch i totally agree!!!
Don’t forget that Kevin Randalman was considered a monster back in the day and Randy knocked him out… granted Randy was about 37 or 38 then, but he’s still a strong guy… maybe a little slower, but strong.
We’ll be discussing this long after the fight is over with… “If only” and all of that stuff… fun ain’t it?
KOuch,
I guess all the rumors we talked about last night have come to truth…
Technique baby Technique ….
Randy will take Brock out you will see
Brock cant lay and pray Randy
We might see a rematch of Lesnar-Mir if things go that way.
All_Victim
I agree with you. Techinique will win out. Randy will use Brock’s size against him. I think Randy will submit Brock.
Rhymeskill15 says:
and yea mir has proven himself…and was a former champ….but liddell was also a former champ…and when he got one impressive win over wanderwei…that did not mean he was getting another title shot…but that was the case with mir…
The LHW division is stacked. There is no shortage of contenders. There are probably at least 5 guys that could be the champ if not more. The heavyweight division isn’t quite that stacked. Of the contenders, Mir is the most deserving of a title shot at Nog. To get it right, it should probably be Couture-Werdum and Nog-Mir, but somehow Lesnar got in there. He’ll be tremendous someday, but not today.
Hmm, I can’t wait for this fight. I’m really torn on who I think will win. If it was 3 rounds i’d say it has a good chance of going to a decision. But since it’s 5 rounds I’m leaning towards Brock Via KO, or Couture via submission. Good thing I have 2 and half months to make a decision.
Plenty of time to think it over Joe
Have you made a decision yet?
DolfanG
I think Randy will take Brorks Back
I’m convinced that Randy will not only win, but dominate Brock like the beginner that he is.
Randy will take Brock to school
I don’t understand why Lesnar moved to the top of the heap as far as contenders go. He beat up Heath Herring… Herring did beat Cheick Kongo, but he lost to Jake O’Brien. Does Jake O’Brien deserve a title shot for beating Herring too? I still think that maybe Werdum deserved a shot before Lesnar. But what do I know?… I’m just talking from the comfort of my easy chair…
Couture might win, but I don’t think he will dominate him. Brock is just too big and strong to get dominated imo.
By the way, before somebody gets the weird idea that I think Jake O’Brien deserves a title shot, I was just making a point. He does not deserve a shot.
DolfanG
As long as Liddell beats Evans his next fight will be for the belt. I would like it to be in December to make that PPV top November’s. But that’s gonna be hard. I realize the LHW division is stacked with talent but who else could get a title shot at this point. Most of the big names have lost their last fights. Other than Wanderlei and Liddell. Chuck will get the shot before Wanderlei though. Wan is gonna have to beat Rampage for a shot at the belt.
Joe
When I say that I mean Randy will dominate him with techinique, not with strength. I don’t expect to see Lesnar curled up in the middle of the ring protecting his face from Randy’s punches, I just expect Randy to dictate the fight and be on top the whole fight.
I think you’re asking about who I think could be the champ at 205?… Rampage, Liddell, W. Silva, Rua, Evans (I hope not), Machida, Griffin of course and James Irvin (just kidding). As far as who should be number 1 to fight Griffin, that’s why they have to fight to filter it out.
I don’t know how he’ll do, but I see that Franklin has made the move to LHW too.
OK… I’ve done my best to give you guys the benefit of my wisdom. I really have to watch TV for a little while so I can think up some more gems for your continuing education.
i think Machida will get a shot after he wins
but i dont like Machida he backs up too much for me.
but Machida has the goods to be the next LHW champ
I just would like to see him going forwould and pressing the fight
Machida is boring as $h!t to watch fight. He should have lost to Tito just because he showed no aggression or octagon control. He threw a kick or couple punches then ran for a while. As long as Chuck beats Evans in a convincing way (KTFO) he will get the next title shot.
JerMan55
I Think Machida should of lost to Tito too
that fight was BullSh** ,running away all the time
there should be points taken away for backing up all the time
MACHIDA IS A PUNK!!!!!!!!!! I SAT AFTER LIDDELL AND EVANS FIGHT…THE WINNER GETS TO RIP OFF MACHIDAS HEAD!! HAHA THAT LHW DIVISION IS STACKED!!!!! I THINK A COUPLE OF THEM SHOULD CONSIDER CUTTING WEIGHT AND FIGHTING AT 185!! BECAUSE THAT IS THERE BEST CHANCE @ WINNING A TITLE!!!! WOULD YOU RATHER BE IN A DIVSION RULED BY ONE GREAT FIGHTER…(MW:SILVA)…OR IN A DIVSION WITH A BUNCH OF GOOD FIGHTERS WHO ARE AS GOOD AS YOU ARE???!?!?
*SAY
Rhymeskill15
I agree with you but I honestly think that they fighters who could drop to 185 already know they wouldn’t stand a chance against Anderson Silva.
this will be a good fight, im excited to see randy get pummelled, randy cant study to see how he fights, brock has 3 fights for randy to watch and in all fights he’s done are different randy has nothin to study from, hasnt fought anyone close to his size, his stregnth, or style, heavyweight champion brock lesnar has a nice ring to it doesnt it
HAHAH YEA I SECOND THAT…I JUST WANTED TO CREATE SOME FEELING OF HOPE FOR THEM!! HAHAH
JER..MY LAST COMMENT WAS SUPPORTING YOUR STATEMENT!!!
AND THIS COMMENT SUPPORTS 1000,
YOUR RIGHT BIG HOMIE…BROCK WILL BE THE NEXT HW CHAMP…
What a bad fight ….. couture vs lesnar ? One guy hasnt fought in a year and a bit and the other has 3 fights to his name . Niether one should be recognized as a champion or even a top 5 contender at this stage .By putting randy at the top is a joke …. by the time he fights lesnar and nog he will have fought his last good fights and I dont think he can beat Nog . Am I alone on that one ? couture will not be able to match up with fedor at age 46 + . So why really bother ? Are we gonna pay to see a middle age man get ripped apart by the best heavyweight in the world .. probably not . its not like he has a great record 16-8 is the sh!ts compared to 29-1-1
…Dont get me wrong Randy is a fighter yes . but not anywhere near being one of the best in the world .Never was
Randys not in the top 5 ?
THIS GUY!!!!!
I’m not a Randy fan but i can see him winning by guillotine due to the good possibility of brock being over aggressive in a takedown attempt.. (ie melvin gallard vs joe stevenson)
man lesnar doesnt doeserve title fight if u go to http://www.ufc.com it shows this is for the title!!!! but to show true champ they have the winner of mir and NOG face lesnar if he wins and if he beat couture everyone knows he would doeserve title shot
lets see brock is huge good wrestling extremely strong and randy is very experienced very skilled one of the best skilled ever but hes 45 years old and he wasn’y fought in a year and randy has amazing wrestiling and greeat in the clinch
so i dont know whos gonna win normally would be couture but he hasn’t fought in a year so could go either way IMO
i love how Dana claims that he wont go “Freakshow” like Elite is with Kimbo…then Brock gets a title shot after going 1-1 in the UFC. Not only that, but say Mir beats Nog, and Lesnar proves there is no kind and loving God by beating Randy….
Mir has to beat Brock AGAIN but now its a title fight? The UFC has gone freakshow…Maybe instead of ring girls, they can have Tim Sylvia riding a really small bike between rounds
i can see randy submiting lesnar but not by guillotine…i see a rnc in brocks future…..i still am a little angry that brock is fighting for the title…..i mean jake o brian dominated heath herring…where was his title shot!…i still believe werdum is getting shafted
werdum should deserve a title shot he beat gonzaga coming off a title shot why didnt he get a title shot after that fight
i also saw when i checked ufc 91 predictions saying amir ns TBD hope he gets a fight looking forward to see him fight again he was one of those people who was my very favorite in the begining of ultimate fighter and this time for the first time ever my favorite guy won! in the first amir vs cb i was so amazed and happy won in 55 secs left in round 3 arm bart i was so happy then☺
ya i know…the ufc said he has to win one more fight before he deserves a shot….it should be werdum vs randy……mir vs nog
I would much rather see Couture vs Fabricio Werdum than this fight because Lesnar hasn’t earned a title shot. Lesnar should be fighting Kongo.
he doesnt deserve it but its a great fight will show brocks potential and will be good to see randy get pummeled, people who deserve title shots never happen is always little no names or bj penn
Man Kongo has what a “leather” belt in jitz? LOL That would be a gimme fight for Brock… Further feeding the premature hype. I’d like to see him against a well rounded opponent like Gonzaga, Velazquez, even Carwin. From the little we’ve seen Brock is a ground fighter with sloppy stand up.. so why put him against someone who is totally incompetent on the ground unless you are trying to hype him up.
o its not a good fight…i almost guarentee this fight ends up bad and boring….lesnar is not good…he is good at laying on heaths back and doing nothing but rabbit punch his back for three rounds…..i dont wanna see that for five rounds and i much rather would like to see werdum vs randy
GUN YOUR CRAZZZZY..THIS WILL BE A GREAT FIGHT…RANDY WILL NOT ALLOW BROCK TO JUST LAY ON HIM…HE WILL MAKE BROCK SEEK AN ALTERNATIVE FORM OF VICTORY…SOOOO THIS FIGHT WILL BE FULL OF ACTION..I GUARANTEE WE WILL SEE A BRAWL!!!
Lesnar/Couture reminds me of Rocky….not sure why but it does. Lesnar is going to surprise everyone with a submission victory. I’d love to see a Lesnar KO victory much more though.
Wow its fight of the year and they haven’t even thrown a punch. I understand moving it but my heart goes out to the Portland fans because that is the hosing of the year and this is the year of the Favre.
It takes big stones to make it for the title though. The deal with Cuban must already be signed in blood.
The Anarchist in me wants to see Lesnar win via whatever he wants(Are you going to tell him what to do?) but the sports fan wants what’s best even if its Randy….
Come to think of it .. I just had a flash . Truely the top two fights for the heavyweights right now would be . fedor vs royce in a one time true NHB match ala vintage UFC under proper ref supervision . They both would be willing to do it . And the second being Fedor vs Noguera . those are the only true opponents for him besides werdum and Barnett. The other heavyweights out there dont have the pure skills to match up other than for the cash factor . There’s alot of size out there but it tends to come with less technical approaches which only gives fedor an even bigger advantage .
This is BS…I guess you don’t have to earn a title shot anymore!!! Lost all respect for Dana ans the the fett bros.
How could Lesnar submit The Natural? He couldn’t even submit The Texas Crazy Horse. He was in the ring with a slug and couldn’t finish him… although he did give it the old college try.
Dr Doom,
Less technical skill for the bigger guys. In general its no existant.
The fight to see will be the Big Nog against Frank Mir. That will be a tough fight. I’m anxious to see that. Both guys are big and strong and both guys are black belts. It should be a technically interesting fight to watch. Randy and Brock?… That’ll be Randy taking Brock to school… putting his lights out… picking him up and sending him home.
seriously…you lose once, then win by a decision and you get a title shot for being a giant freak of nature. this is randy vs sylvia all over again, only this time sylvia is a little more muscular.
id still be pissed if i was frank mir.
Mir will get his chance at the title. Its his town more than its Randy’s.Can you imagine who will be holding the belt at the end of next year?
Mir
Nogueira
Couture
Lesnar
Fedor
Any of those match ups would be worth going through MCcarin airport at Christmas time…
agreed. from the worst division to the best, in such a short period of time. With Randy signed for 3 fights, and the possibility of Fedor coming, that’s just absolute gold…
Couture is going to do it right on the money.
No way that Lesnar can upset him with only 3 fight in his repertoire.
Q: For all the old school MMA fans who are scratching their heads like myself, wondering how the hell Lesnar gets a title shot after going 1 and 1 in his first two fights in the UFC, not to mention a fight against a legend like RANDY COUTURE…. the answer is pretty simple.
A: It’s not about who’s the best anymore. It hasn’t been in quite some time for the UFC. Dana cares about only 1 thing…. putting the nails into the coffins that are soon to be EliteXC and quite possibly, Affliction. This fight will draw the BIGGEST PPV buys of all time for MMA. The amount of money made from this single fight will be a landmark for the industry. Dana is a business man and a business man seeks one thing, PROFIT. It’s how the world works people. And in the aftermath….. the demise of competitive organizations and more national television deals for the UFC….
For a lot of us who truly love this sport and want to see the best fighters fight, well we are pretty much **** out of luck half the time. Jijitsu isn’t always fun to watch. Some of the best fighters in each weight class (Machida, Werdum, Arlovski) just don’t put on the same kind of a show other freakshows can with ease.
As long as there are Lesnar’s, Kimbo’s, Bob Sapps & Hong-Man Choi’s, there will be less then stellar fights, that majority of casual fans want to see! My only question is this… if Brock continues his boring performances, laying on top of his downed opponent and trying not to hit the back of his head for 15 minutes… how long will he remain a fan favorite? lol. As long as he is getting paid 200,000$ a fight, I don’t think he cares!
Bottom line, Dana is a businessman. It’s what the sport has become and there is nothing any of us can do about it.
markus i agree 100%!!!
this is a business move…at the moment lesnar is not the best heavyweight in the ufc…but he will become the heavyweight champ sooner or later….and he will be the best hw in the ufc…this is randy’s comeback..would anyone would have wanted to seee randy fight werdum…mir..nog…???
nooo…only the real mma heads who know a thing or 2 about the sport…but this is not guerilla marketing…dana is not looking to please only a certain fanbase…he wants to draw in more people…and think about how many brock fans from back in the wwe will tune into this fight…dana made an excellent choice on the business side…the ufc has gone mainstream…and it is no longer about putting the best fight together that will be pleasing the true art of mma…but instead money is going to ultimately determine any big decision like this!!!!
This is a tournment for the heavy weight belt Mir and Big Nog and Couture and Lesnar everyone of them has a chance to win the belt no one here is left out. The only fighters left out in my opinion is Fabricio Werdum and Cain Velasquez
I think they should degrade Randys belt to another Interim-title. Then have a Interim vs Interim unification bout after this fight to crown the REAL champion. Nobody is gonna look at lesnar as a champions if he should defeat a 100 year old and ring-rusty Couture.
All and all im just happy that Randy came to his senses and made peace with the UFC. This is the birth of the new HW-division in the UFC and in 6 months when Affliction is out of business i hope to see Barnett and Fedor over there as well.
This is completely off-topic but does anyone know when the Anthony Johnson appeal is? If anyone should win an appeal it’s him.
randy isnt staying with the UFC i thought he just stayiong for one last before he goes out and this will be exciting no matter who hes facing i mean COUTURE RETURNING FOR ONE LAST FIGHT!!!!!!! this will be exciting but ya itll be good to see how randy does after this long
granted, rock may not be the most deserving of a title shot…but then again, who is? maybe verdum, but who after that? anyways a fight between verdum and couture won’t sell. u all know that even though you might be complaining about who does or doesn’t deserve it, ur gonna order the fight!
besides, if lesnar does run through the legend that is randy couture, wouldn’t that mean that he was worthy of his title shot?
I like the idea of this. 4 man tournement. The fans win the UFC wins I would like to compare PPV buys on cards with a title fight vs non title fight cards.
this is all a win-win for randy IMO. as i understand, he signed a new 3-fight contract. so best case scenario, he beats lesnar (1 fight), he beats the winner of noguiera/mir (2nd fight), and by the time it’s time for his last fight the UFC will probably sign fedor and he’ll get that fight and if he wins, he’ll definitely go down as the undisputed best heavyweight ever.
THIS IS THE SOLUTION
Werdom vs no namer UFC 90
Randy vs Lesnar UFC 91
Mir vs Nog UFC 92
Randy/Lesnar vs Fedor UFC 93
Mir/Nog vs Werdom UFC 94
Mir/Nog/Werdom vs Fedor/Randy/Lesnar UFC 97
lol@ pre-madonna
To everyone saying Brock will destroy Couture….I haven’t seen anything yet that says it will happen. I’ve said it before, I’m saying it again. HE CAN NOT FINISH A FIGHT!
He should have ended the HErring fight 2 minutes in. Instead he laid Herring on his ass and went into “Lay and Pray” mode. “Golly, he’s down. If I lay on him AND DON’T THROW ANY REAL PUNCHES OR KNEES I just might pull out a decision.”
That won’t cut it. Seriously. Lesnar will be the most boring champion ever if he pulls off the win.
That said, his lack of killer instinct is exactly why I think he won’t be able to pull this off. Even if he puts Randy down, he’ll go straight into smother mode. While Randy isn’t the greatest submission guy around, he has more than enough skills to be able to pull something from the bottom. Again, because Brock has NOTHING BUT WEIGHT on the ground.
That “win” over Herring is exactly what everyone complains about in boring fights. But because it is Lesnar, it’s ok. Look, he’s a more fit Tim Sylvia. Forget that.
I don’t dislike Brock because of his WWE background. I dislike Brock because HE IS NO DAMN GOOD. He threw exactly one good punch in his last 15 minute fight. He’s going to need to get a lot better, and fast, before I give him one iota of credit.
Hey i did a little randy bashing earlier,But now that he’s back i hope he beats that showboating goons a ss. And as far as lesnar being faster and stronger ,he may be ,but he can’t execute a game plan like randy can,most fighters can’t.I think randy will have a plan,stick to it,and take lesnar out in the 3rd by RNC.if he can get his arms around his neck lol.
Oh yea and ronny thanks for clearing that up for us.
well seeing that they are both wrestlers i would give the upper hand to lesnar way better wrestler and if couture desides to stand up and bang hes going to get laid out all and all LESNAR NEW HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMP
Randy will not submit Brock. Randy wont kill Brock either. But Randy will come up with a game plan to get it to a decision. WHo will win, I’m calling split decision for Randy.
this is going to be good guys…i say brock pulls out a tko…its not like he is just sitting around and waiting for the fight…he is improving his game…and he is going to be a dif fighter…randy does not know how to prepare for brock because he really has nothing to prepare with…and by the time the fight comes around brock is going to be improved…so there is no set strategy that randy can go into the fight with…
Lashley is the only obvious sparring partner for Couture.Anybody got any others?
I think both fighters have a good shot at winning. I won’t be surprised either way. I like this unification idea.
and thank you Rhymeskill15 for finally turning off caps lock.
I want Lesnar to progress as a fighter, but I don’t want Couture to lose this one either. I hope this fight proves to be an exciting one though. But IF (it can still happen) Lesnar wins, I’d like to see what the anti-Lesnar supporters would say. I hope they don’t blame Couture’s age. I wonder if they would give Lesnar some credit IF ever he wins over Couture.
Don’t get me wrong, I like both fighters, and I like this matchup. In one corner, you have the legendary “old” guy, and in the other corner, you have the younger and stronger (maybe more athletic) guy with less experience. Whoever brought up “Rocky” in this thread had it spot on. I’m all for this matchup, but I also don’t agree that this should be a title fight for Lesnar. But hey, as long as they make sure it’s exciting, I’ll watch it.
Randy HAS to defeat Brock decisivly or a chance to fight with Fedor might just fade away. Nobody wants to see a boring fight. Nobody wants to win a boring fight. Randy will submit Brock Lesnar. His problem will come when he has to fight a black belt in Jiu-Jitsu like Nog or Mir. I think he would do better against Mir, but that’s an arguement for another day.
yer Randy has to stop Brock, because i think that the judes will fav Brock on the point card because of Dana input on things.
any one thats good in Jiu-Jitsu has the chance to beat Brock
Lotsa good comments but this is long over due so lets sum it up…..
Fight records, rankings and “well deserved” title shots are quite obviously thrown out the F-CKING window.
It has boiled down to ticket sales, money, pay per view sales and money, and more goddamn money.
Dana is putting together the fights that sell tickets and make money, not the fights that anybody deserves.
But hey, I don’t think anyone here will be missing this fight, correct? So something must be working……
I wish everybody would stop ****ing about money,ticket sales,and hyping up the fight.It’s all very necesery.If you don’t like it go watch boxing.Thats the beauty of mma and the ufc they match up whoever they want.It might be unfair to the fighters but it’s great for the sport and the fans.And i personally would like to see more hype.
hey guys its not a title shot pay attention its a internship lesnar vs randy for one and mir vs nogeuria for the other the title fight wont be untill march and to tell the truth both of those guys would get destroyed by brock if he goes out and dominates randy like he will
all victim this isnt elite xc dana has nothing to do with the judging he is sitting front row getting drinks delivered to him enjoying the greatest sports organization ever
JOE SILVA PUTS THE FIGHTS TOGETHER get it right
randy had trouble with tim sylvia brock is the same size but his wrestling is five times as good lesnar will be walking around at 280 and randy will be at 225 think about it he is giving up alot of weight he is going to gas and lesnar is going to win 4 of the 5 rounds
Randy did not have trouble with Tim. He had Tim figured out and the only problem was Tim’s size that he was able to hide behind against every other opponent. I just watched the fight again last night and Randy is a focused, creative fighting machine in the cage. I’ve been bashing him for being old and all but he should not be taken lightly or doubted. Doesn’t Lesnar have to way 260lbs? I also belive Brock is much shorter than Sylvia….who isn’t?
As far as the title situation goes I think it would be cool as hell for Brock/Mir to be the championship fight. Even though it would only be Brock’s 4th-5th fight, the rematch/revenge factor for the title would be that much more drama and excitement. Then Couture fights Nog…..Nog asked for it.
I think that it will be Brocks Cardio that dies
that is why Brock LOVES AND ONLY LAYS AND PRAYS, but Randy wont let that happen, Randy has the Cardio to go flat out for 25mins , im telling you people Randy will take Brocks back and end it..
The weight limit is 265. Randy will weigh 225. Randy will be fit, but with Brock losing from 305 to 265, will that much of a weight loss hurt his stamina?… Especially considering it’s a 5 round fight.
Herring is a tough guy, but is he as accomplished as Randy Couture? Is Herring a match for Couture on the mat? Herring was controlled by Lesnar and Lesnar got the ride time, but that won’t happen when Lesnar fights a guy that’s as good at wrestling as he is and better at EVERYTHING else.
about the lhw, i thing a. silva should get a title shot right now, hes going to dominate the weight class anyways. why not let him start dominating it right now?
it is sort of off topic, but doesn’t brock’s voice not fit his image? lol
1.THE REASON LESNAR WEIGHS 280 IN THE RING IS HE GAINS IT BACK AFTER WIEGHING IN AT 265(UFC LIMIT)
2.ALL OF COUTURES PREVIOUS UPSETS WERE DUE TO HIS WRESTLING ABILITY(NOW HE IS AT A DISADVANTAGE)
3.THE ONLY POSSIBLE WAY FOR RANDY TO WIN IS SUBMISSION(DOES NOT HAVE HEAVY HANDS,LESNAR IS A BLOCK HEAD SO NO CHANCE OF KO)
4.FATIGUE IS NOT A FACTOR BUT WILL FAVOR LESNAR IF ANYONE-ITS EASIER FOR LESNAR TO MOVE COUTURE AT225 THAN VICE-VERSA LESNAR AT 280.
5.LESNAR WINS IN ANY CONCEIVABLE SCENARIO,TWO GREAT WRESLERS,ONE JUST YOUNGER,HEAVIER AND STRONGER
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LOL @ KIMBO VS LESNAR????
ARE YOU JOKING? SERIOUSLY LESNAR WOULD NOT ONLY RUN LAPS AROUND KIMBO BUT HE WOULD KILL KIMBO IN THE RING. KIMBO WOULDN’T KNOW WHAT HIM. DID YOU SEE THAT GUY THAT BEAT HIM A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO? WHAT WAS HIS NAME? I ALREADY FORGOT BECAUSE HE WAS A NOBODY!
AS FOR THE MATCH WITH RANDY, LESNAR LOST TO MIR, LESNAR CAME BACK A TOTALLY DIFFERENT FIGHTER DIDN’T LEAVE HIMSELF OPEN FOR HOLDS AND SUBMISSIONS. THAT IS THE ONLY WAY RANDY IS GOING TO HAVE A CHANCE AT THIS MATCH, THERE IS NO WAY HE IS GOING TO GO PUNCH FOR PUNCH WITH LESNAR.
END OF STORY
RANDY YOU BETTER PRAY TO GOD THAT LESNAR MAKES A MISTAKE LIKE HE DID WITH MIR