A look into the greatest champion the sport has ever seen, Randy Couture. Who wins and why?
Check out this edition of The Triangle Choke to find out.
The Triangle Choke:
Couture vs. Lesnar
He's like Andy Griffith, if Andy Griffith could ground-and-pound the crap out of you- Actor Kevin James describing Randy Couture
As one of the biggest events in UFC history approaches, the hype accelerates, and for me at least, it is time for reflection. Even though this card offers several exciting bouts and the freak of nature Lesnar, my concentration is on Randy "The Natural" Couture.
I recently read Randy's autobiography "Becoming The Natural" in preparation for his titanic battle against Lesnar. In it you see the real Randy Couture; a flawed individual like all of us. He doesn't hide his mistakes in his book; he admits them and tries to pick up the pieces and move on. We see a side of Randy in the octagon, in interviews, in his previous role as an announcer and we gravitate to this heroic, "Captain America" like figure. The truth is far from that. Randy has been married three times, his father left him at a young age, he had multiple extramarital affairs, and to top things off, late in his career he finds out the person he thought was his father may not be. All of this would be enough to wreck most people. I'm sure Randy would openly admit many of these issues were his own fault. All of these circumstances seemed to sharpen his desire and narrow his focus. In a sense his situation reminds me of Kobe Bryant. Regardless of what the truth was with Kobe's legal battles in Colorado, he would fly from the court proceedings to a game and perform admirably. Kobe knew people doubted him, were against him and it seemed to raise his game to another level. I believe this is true with great athletes, not those who are necessary athletically superior but those whose e desire is to compete and win. I doubt that Randy wrote the book solely for financial rewards; maybe he needed to unload a sizable burden. Either way, it took tremendous courage to be that open and honest for anyone to read.
Sometimes as a fan or even a casual observer one can rewrite history even if in their own mind. I decided to study Couture all over again, in part to be prepared to cover this event and write this column but also to better understand how this legend was created.
I started by watching his win at UFC 15 against "The Phenom" Vitor Belfort. Belfort was primed for domination as Couture was a heavy underdog. Randy proceeds to control the fight and wins by TKO. A shocked crowd looks on. I, of course thought Belfort would win.
After disappointing losses to Josh Barnett and Ricco Rodriguez in the heavyweight division, Couture drops weight and fights for the Light Heavyweight Title against Chuck Liddell. Couture was a huge underdog. He used leverage and angles to avoid Liddell's heavy strikes and pounded Chuck on the ground forcing a stoppage. Simply an incredible performance by a determined, aging fighter. I, of course picked Liddell to win.
I pulled out season one of The Ultimate Fighter. I wanted to watch Randy in action as a coach. He treated every fighter on both teams with the utmost respect. He was there to help them and instill confidence in them. As Kevin James stated, Couture is sort of like Andy Griffith, friendly to everyone, like he grew up in Mayberry. Opponent or comrade, Randy treats everyone the same.
After two losses to Chuck Liddell and turmoil in his personal life, Randy Couture retired. At this point in his career he is an all time legend, a Hall of Famer, his legacy secured.
Randy settles in to the role of a commentator and an ambassador for UFC and MMA as a whole. If the story ends here all is well, nothing left to prove.
A few friends and I started hearing rumors of UFC coming to Columbus, Ohio. We viewed it as a once in a lifetime opportunity to view UFC live. Columbus is around two hours from where we live. We were pumped!!!! They drove to Ticketmaster and immediately ordered the tickets. In all honesty, I wasn't excited about spending over $200 for a ticket. Then I would rationalize using the once in a lifetime opportunity theory. At this point we are very excited with local heroes being on the card, Rich Franklin and Matt Hamill. Then the news broke that Randy Couture, after a year layoff, was coming out of retirement to fight for the Heavyweight Title against Tim Sylvia.
Wow!!! A chance to see one of the greatest in person, now the expenditure seemed even more like a once in a lifetime opportunity.
We made the two-hour hike full of anticipation. We arrived several hours early to soak up the atmosphere and get our bearings. We got into the arena, settled in our seats and listened to an enthusiastic crowd roaring in approval. We yelled and cheered for Hamill, Hughes, and Franklin. As the main event approached, I truly don't think any of us believed Couture could win. My cousin said he would but to this day I believe that was out of sentiment only.
To understand what I felt from that moment on it may help to understand me as a sports fan. I'm truly what the word fan was derived from, a fanatic. I take losses personally and watch every single game of my favorite teams. I have over two thousand VHS tapes of football; basketball and baseball games including the Final Four back to 1988. Crazy? Probably. I have been to big games in all three major sports. I've watched the greatest of the greats including Michael Jordan in Madison Square Garden in the 1993 playoffs, an electric atmosphere to say the least.
With that being said, I have never experienced anything like what I did on that cold snowy night in Columbus, Ohio. When Couture made the walk to the octagon I couldn't hear anyone around me. The roar crescendo to one of the greatest voices in all of sports made his famous announcement, "This man is the former etc". Bruce Buffer's voice only served to raise the decibel level even more.
Immediately, Couture lands a thunderous blow to Sylvia knocking him to the ground. The crowd goes wild. For me at least, it didn't seem real until the 5th and final round when Randy dominated. Nothing could be heard except the chorus of Randy! Randy! Randy! I can only equate it to watching Rocky, except this was real. Of all the events I've watched in person, that night topped them all. When Rogan spoke with Couture, calling him his hero as he has many times before, goose bumps were all over me and to be quite honest, I was somewhat choked up.
As we made the two-hour drive home in the snow, we were like young kids, discussing what we had just witnessed. We had the announcement declaring Couture the champion recorded on one of our phones; we played it over and over.
I will steal a thought from Mike Greenberg when he describes a hall of famer. Some are hall of famers and others deserve their own wing in the hall of fame. Couture, he deserves his own building.
Much later, I was fortunate enough to meet Randy in person at a book signing. Just as he appears on television, he was kind and soft-spoken to everyone. He continues to handle himself with class, respect and dignity that earn him the moniker of "Captain America".
My Prediction:
Stylistically, Couture and Lesnar are almost identical with Randy having a much more polished game. It is difficult to over look the facts:
• Couture hasn't fought since August 2007
• Brock is 14 years younger
• Couture will be outweighed by as much as 35-40 lbs.
• Brock is more athletic
With all these factors in play, my prejudice aside, I believe Lesnar will win this fight. I'm sure as all the times before, Couture is relishing the underdog role and getting one more chance to prove everyone wrong. Despite my prediction, deep inside, I can hear Joe Rogan standing in the middle of the octagon, in front of a packed house and millions watching around the world, stating "That guy is my hero". It is going to be a great one.
The main card has several exciting bouts even with Sadollah being scratched from the card with a leg infection.
My predictions are:
- Florian vs. Stevenson- Florian by submission. He continues to evolve into one of the best in the business
- Gonzaga vs. Hendricks- Gonzaga is a very talented heavyweight. It is my opinion he has yet to reach his potential. He can be a champion and will dominate this fight.
- Maia vs. Quarry- A very intriguing matchup. Tough bout to call but I think Maia's submission game will be too much for Quarry
- Hazelett vs. McCrory- Hazelett will prove to be too much
MMA fans, stay out of life's triangle chokes!
