Couture vs Lesnar At UFC 91
by Robert Sargent
Ending his 11-month departure from the UFC and the related legal battles, UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy "The Natural" Couture will step back into the Octagon at UFC 91, in a title defence against former professional wrestler Brock Lesnar.
The scheduled UFC 92 fight between UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira and Frank Mir will now serve as a #1 contender's bout.
Couture (16-8-0) signed a new three-fight contract with the UFC, with a clause that UFC management would do everything possible to set up the long-awaited "superfight" between Couture and #1-ranked heavyweight fighter Fedor Emelianenko.
Lesnar (2-1-0), a physical phenomenon who dominated the far more experienced Heath Herring at UFC 87, is bizarrely being vaulted directly into an immediate title shot. This, despite the fact that his performance against Herring was anything but exciting, and ignoring the fact that Mir has already defeated Lesnar, while Nogueira has defeated Herring three times.
The logic behind this decision makes little to no sense, but it is presumably the only way that the UFC could lure their Heavyweight Champion, Couture, back into the promotion.
Likely seeking to avoid a lengthy legal battle with the UFC, and cognisant of his physical limitations at the age of 45, Couture accepted the deal in hopes of finally being able to meet Emelianenko inside the Octagon sometime in 2009. However, he must first get past Lesnar, who is much younger, stronger and faster.
Couture, a six-time UFC champion, last competed against Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 74, where he scored a third-round TKO victory. However, he then cited a lack of competition for him to face in the UFC, as well as numerous other contract-related issues, and departed the promotion after it failed to sign Emelianenko.
His sudden return, as well as the apparent disregarding of Nogueira as the promotion's "Interim" Heavyweight Champion, begs the question as to whether Couture felt that he had little chance to defeat Nogueira if they were to fight. An argument could be made that Nogueira actually poses an even greater threat to Couture than Emelianenko does, as Nogueira's mastery of the ground game would all but negate Couture's ground and pound style.
Regardless, the new deal has resulted in a softening of stances, of sorts, from UFC President Dana White, whose previous statements of disinterest in signing Emelianenko have now changed to an open willingness to sign the Russian powerhouse. This is perhaps as a result of Emelianenko's 36-second destruction of former UFC Heavyweight Champion Tim "The Maine-iac" Sylvia at Affliction: Banned on July 19th.
Past issues between both parties aside, Couture is easily one of the most recognisable faces in UFC history, and his comeback after losses to Chuck Liddell instantly made him a huge fan favourite. That fan support is likely to continue at UFC 91, but whether that will be enough to aid Couture in his battle with Lesnar remains to be seen.
