Randy Couture To Face Mark ColemanComing off of a controversial decision victory over Brandon “The Truth” Vera at UFC 105, Hall of Famer and former two-division champion Randy “The Natural” Couture will look to make it two in a row when he returns to the Octagon against fellow Hall of Famer Mark “The Hammer” Coleman in the main event at UFC 109.

Couture was originally set to face Coleman all the way back at UFC 17 in 1998, but an injury forced the bout’s cancellation. Now, well over 11 years later, the two legends will finally meet.

Couture (17-10-0) was successful in his return to the light heavyweight division against Vera, but has been heavily criticised for doing almost nothing throughout the fight and preferring to engage in a series of clinches against the cage.

However, Couture is a guaranteed draw and has been a fixture of UFC main events for years. At 46 years old, Couture will finally square off with an opponent whose age is similar when he takes on Coleman.

The 44-year-old Coleman (16-9-0) put on one of the best performances in his career in a hard-fought decision win over Stephan Bonnar at UFC 100 after losing via third-round TKO to Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 93.

Originally set to make his return to the UFC against current UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar, an injury forced Coleman’s withdrawal and he also had to pull out of a bout with the returning Tito Ortiz at UFC 106.

 

The pair of aging Hall of Fame veterans will clash in a bout that could potentially propel one into the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship title picture, but the level of competition is high and it remains to be seen whether Couture and Coleman can still succeed against the sport’s elite.

The bout will headline the UFC 109 card, which takes place on February 6, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada.