Randy Couture versus Father Time

If you care for Randy Couture as a person more than as a fighter, you would probably want him to retire from fighting – from mixed martial arts, from wrestling, from boxing, from mere training for a pro fight. Not many 46-year-olds of the earth’s six billion-plus people can do what Couture can (and make hundreds of thousands in the process). But in today’s three-round tussle against ex-Pride heavyweight king and UFC interim champ Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro,” Couture showed more proof (after the KO loss to Brock Lesnar) that he should just be content to watch UFC bouts ringside instead of being the one watched inside the cage.

The people usually get it right when predicting the outcome of matches, with 77% picking Couture over Nogueira in an online poll. But Nog had other plans, like taking the fight into the ground whenever he could to go for a submission.

Entering the ring with, appropriately enough, the Rolling Stones’ chestnut Gimme Shelter, Nog with his posse in tow including his twin brother Antonio Rogerio “Minotoro” and middleweight king Anderson Silva (making the sign of the cross while Nog was being frisked standing on the Harley Davidson logo before entering the Octagon), Minotauro looks relaxed and ready to rumble.

Couture, wearing an Everlast baseball cap, walks towards the Octagon with his entrance music (a rather obscure tune, since I didn’t recognize it). It would have been perfect if Couture, as opposed to Nog’s Stones song, would have made his entrance to the music of the Beatles' Helter Skelter or Revolution 1 (Couture did revolutionize MMA fighting to a certain degree).

Eleven pounds lighter, an inch shorter, and with four inches of shorter reach, Couture looks smaller than Nog, but he has been here before facing bigger opponents.

Round 1

They keep the fight on their feet in the first minute and 10 seconds, going to the ground only briefly as Couture stands right back up. Nogueira knocks down Couture in 3:01 with punches. Nog goes for an arm-triangle choke, holding it for at least 10 secs, but Captain America amazingly escapes. Couture lands a left uppercut and a right straight. With less than a minute left in the round, they tangle as Couture gets Nog’s back to the fence and they stay there practically doing nothing until the horn sounds to end the round.

In Free-For-All’s card it’s Nogueira 10, Couture 9.

Round 2

At 4:30, Nog catches Couture in a guillotine but Couture struggles loose. Couture takes down Nogueira and finds himself in Nog’s guard. In a wonderfully-executed move, Nog rolls and reverses as Couture defends with a half-guard. Nog gets Couture in a left arm triangle, pulls his left leg for full mount, and punches Couture on the head and ribs. This time, it’s Couture’s turn to perform a great escape as he slips out of the triangle. Couture gets back on his feet as they throw punches at each other, Nog being more accurate. Couture lands two left hooks,
Nog retaliates with a right leg kick before the horn sounds.

Nogueira 10, Couture 9

Round 3

Nog lands good shots on Couture’s head. At 4:25, Nog knocks down Couture again (this time with a beautiful right semi-uppercut) and rains down blows while in Couture’s half-guard. Nogueira pushes Couture to the fence, controlling The Natural with his right arm while striking with his left hand. The referee lets them stay there for some time. At 2:28, Couture gets his right leg on Nog’s shoulder and tries to pull out, but Nog gets Couture’s back and looks to hook
in a choke. Couture tries to pull out from under Nog who is on his back too high unable to do a choke. Couture eventually escapes and reverses, is now on the full guard of Nogueira with a little over a minute left. Nog holds on tight to the back of Couture’s neck. In the last two seconds Nog reverses and mounts Couture but the horn sounds to end the match.

Nogueira 10, Couture 9.

Couture applauds. He could be expressing his approval to both Nog’s performance and his own. They both do deserve to be commend for duking it out unreservedly, going out to win instead of not losing. Nogueira just was too good for Couture today. But lest he entertains notions of challenging Brock Lesnar for the belt, he should not. Couture and Mir tried but were proved wanting. Lesnar needs a challenger who is striker who hits as hard as him and is just as physically imposing. Grapplers are just not good enough to beat Brock.

Surprisingly, one judge scored it 29-28 for Couture, while two had it 30-27 for Nogueira.