UFC 102: Mirror Mirror On The Mat

People get older faster in mixed martial arts than in golf. Even if you have 46-year-old Randy Couture, a former two-division champion, and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, 33, a former Pride FC heavyweight champ duking it out on Sunday, these two with their 79 years put together are mere tots compared to the geezers in golf’s Seniors tours.

“Captain America” Couture is not only still healthy, he is ageless, immortal. He will be around for Christ’s Second Coming, if he has his way. The comicbook Captain America may be dead but this Captain America can still stop attacks on his person without the aid of an
adamantium-vibranium shield. Nogueira, on the other hand, is almost as indestructible. Run over by a truck at age 11 in Brazil, he spent 11 months in the hospital for an operation and convalescence and ultimately became one of the toughest light-heavyweight/heavyweight MMA warriors on the planet.

Sunday’s UFC 102 main event of Couture versus Nogueira is a sort of battle of the ages, with the Octagon smelling of liniment and smelling salts. There is little concern that any or both will undergo cardiac arrest. What every MMA fan is looking forward to is slam-bang technical action from these two veterans. Couture (16-9) is a great wrestler who has developed decent standup striking (“dirty boxing”) skills, while Nogueira (31-5-1) is a splendid Brazilian Jiujitsuka with fantastic submission moves coupled by just as decent striking abilities. They are almost mirror images of themselves stylistically and physically. Couture at 6-feet-2 inches and Nogueira at 6-3 are giants of the MMA game. Aging giants but still imposing. Their three-round tussle should be a doozy.

Let’s see how they match up.

Speed:
Neither Couture nor Nogueira is Speedy Gonzalez. None of them will overwhelm their opponents or each other by being seen as blurs. They are more of the wear-you-down types. Couture with his excellent wrestling and dirty boxing, Nogueira with his out-of-this-world jiujitsu and decent boxing. In a sense, they are mirror selves, reflecting on each other their speed or lack of it.
Advantage: Even

Power:
One would think that Couture with his bulkier look would be stronger. He had no problems taking down the likes of Tito Ortiz, Chuck Liddell, and Tim Sylvia. If he gets his paws on Nogueira, Minotauro will go down. But then, that’s exactly where Nog wants Couture to be – in his world. A BJJ black belt of Nog’s caliber should have in his arsenal a strong takedown or slam. Likewise, if Nog gets the edge position-wise, he should be able to take Couture down to the ground quickly.
Advantage: Even

Stamina:
Couture’s work ethic and conditioning are legendary. He wouldn’t have made it this far in time and stay competitive if he didn’t keep himself constantly in fighting trim. You could probably give him a week’s notice to fight any of the top 10 heavyweights in the world and he wouldn’t bat an eye agreeing. Nog, on the other hand, looks road-torn and weather-beaten more than Couture. They have both been in battles to cripple lesser fighters. It is a testament to their strong stock and discipline that they are still around fighting. But let is give the edge to Couture in this category, just a little.
Advantage: Couture

Smarts:
Couture was a world-class Greco-Roman wrestler before he made the switch to the much more demanding MMA field. He transformed himself from a man used to taking the fight to the ground to being able to stay on his feet striking with his fists. He is not exactly a well-rounded fighter (did you ever see Couture knock out an opponent with a kick?) but his three quarters of warrior skills is better than most fighters’ all-around game. Like Madonna, Couture reinvented himself and still surprises many. And he is not known as "The Natural" for nothing. While Nogueira, being a native Brazilian, trained himself (at least by being aware mentally) to fight in all categories. He focused on judo as a child, and added boxing to his repertoire, before concentrating in Brazilian Jiujitsu. He eventually earned black belts in judo and BJJ at 23. Nog knew how to fight and knew how to fight in many modes. This widened his martial horizons early on. Couture didn’t see the necessity to train in other avenues of fighting until his 30s. But considering the results for both fighters, Couture has overachieved – hence smarter.
Advantage: Couture

Winning two out of four categories on paper, Couture is set to win their fight. But as we don’t tire of saying: in MMA, on paper is not worth the spit it is written on.

Other bouts of note, for Filipino fans at least, are the Brandon Vera-
Krzysztof Soszynski light-heavy and Mark Muñoz-Nick Catone middleweight match-ups. Vera and Muñoz are both Filipino-Americans, both are trying to pick up speed after experiencing road bumps. Should they lose tomorrow, the UFC won’t have much reason to look beyond their present contracts. It is drop-your-opponents or your contract gets dropped.

In Soszynski, Vera will have not only a heavy-handed striker but also a ground fighter adept at submissions. Vera is a wrestler with modest skills and outstanding kickboxing talent. He will have to avoid being grabbed or taken to the ground. A clinch will be like a kiss of death to Vera. Keeping the fight a stand-up tussle will be to Vera’s advantage despite Soszynski’s power. Vera is quicker and more mobile. He can pick Soszynski apart as long as he doesn’t get tagged early on by one of the latter’s KO punches. Vera will have a very dangerous time figuring out Soszynski.

Muñoz (5-1) is a former NCAA Division I national champion wrestler. Catone (7-1) is not as accomplished as Muñoz in his college wrestling career, but he had achieved in the national level. Muñoz, with the moniker “The Philippine Wrecking Machine,” is a strong puncher – if he hits his foe. In his UFC 96, Muñoz earned his title in a reverse manner, by being wrecked by Matt Hamill with a head kick in the first round for a KO loss – the first of his pro MMA career. Muñoz dropped down 20 pounds for tomorrow’s fight. We will find out if it’s the right thing to do. Muñoz has three TKO victories, same as Catone, in keeping with the doppelganger theme of UFC 102. But Catone has more balanced skills judging by his three submission wins. On this we can conjecture that the only way for Muñoz to win is by making sure that he stays on his feet.