Huge MMA News! (rock, single, titles, career, quote)

[[MERIT]]

After a very public split with the organization back in October, reigning UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture has agreed to return to the UFC, and he'll meet Brock Lesnar in a UFC 91 championship bout with Brock Lesnar.

UFC President Dana White today confirmed the news in a media conference call.

White also confirmed that UFC 91 will take place Nov. 15 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas -- not at the Rose Garden Arena in Portland, Ore., as first expected.

As part of Couture's return to competition, White confirmed that their ongoing legal battle has been resolved.

"I think some compromises were made on both sides," Couture said.

"All I give a [expletive] about is that he's back and fighting," White said.

White also confirmed that the winner of an upcoming fight between interim heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Frank Mir will meet the Couture vs. Lesnar winner sometime in 2009 to unify the titles.

This is HUGE news for MMA fans. Couture's been out of action for over a year so it will be great to see him fight again. This will be a make-or-break fight for both Couture and Lesnar. Couture, the grizzled veteran who has been on Dana White's bad side for the better part of his UFC career, versus Brock Lesnar, the ratings-drawer who the UFC is hand-grooming to be their next Heavyweight Champion. This will undoubtedly garner the highest ratings of any UFC PPV in recent memory, if not ever (the current highest was 600,000+ PPV buys, held by UFC 81, which featured the UFC debut of Brock Lesnar).

From the wording of the article, it appears the the UFC is still considering Couture their Heavyweight Champion, meaning a win by Lesnar would make HIM the champion. Is anyone else pissed that the UFC is giving Lesnar a title shot in only his 3rd fight with the company (especially when he LOST one of those fights)?

It's going to be hard to pick a winner in this one. Lesnar has the height, weight, reach, and age advantage. Couture definitely has more experience, but at 45 it will be hard for him to stop the 6'3'' 265+lb former NCAA Division I Wrestling Heavyweight Champion. Couture's only shot is to make Lesnar stray from his gameplan. It is doubtful that Couture can out-wrestle him (although Randy is an excellent wrestler). Couture may outstrike him, but a single shot from Lesnar could mangle couture for the rest of the fight (ask Heath Herring). As much as it pains me to do so, I'm taking Brock Lesnar via KO.

This one's a wee bit easier. Nogueria vs. Mir is a no-brainer. Mir has no chance in hell of breaking Big Nog. I pick Nog via Submission (probably a Rear Naked Choke).

This will set up Lesnar vs. Nogueria. Nogueria can take a hell of a beating, so Lesnar's power is basically thrown out the window. As long as Nog can get him on his back, Lesnar will be easilly submitted.

With Couture signing a 3-fight contract, this leaves the door open to the much anticipated Couture/Fedor fight that has been brewing for ages. For UFC to not go ahead with this as Couture's return bout is beyond me. Risking him losing to Lesnar will definitely diminish his drawing power for the Fedor/Couture fight, good move Dana White.

Thoughts?

[Laces Out Dan!]

I have so much respect for Randy in that he only wants the best or he's done, which is why he left the UFC in the first place. (No Fedor). By no means am I saying Brock is the best, or even anywhere close..but no less, hes a challenge purely because of his insane strength and athleticism.

[lucifer_sam]

Kimbo Slice and Tank Johnson was the apex of MMA/UFC fighting. Everything else seems to make me sad.

On a sidenote, did anyone else see the Faber/Pulver fight over the summer? I thought for WEC (which I consider to be kinda inferior) fighting, it was pretty good. But Faber was way too good for Pulver.

[Laces Out Dan!]

Originally Posted by lucifer_sam

Kimbo Slice and Tank Johnson was the apex of MMA/UFC fighting. Everything else seems to make me sad.

On a sidenote, did anyone else see the Faber/Pulver fight over the summer? I thought for WEC (which I consider to be kinda inferior) fighting, it was pretty good. But Faber was way too good for Pulver.

You havent been watching MMA for long have you..

[[MERIT]]

Originally Posted by lucifer_sam

Kimbo Slice and Tank Johnson was the apex of MMA/UFC fighting. Everything else seems to make me sad.

On a sidenote, did anyone else see the Faber/Pulver fight over the summer? I thought for WEC (which I consider to be kinda inferior) fighting, it was pretty good. But Faber was way too good for Pulver.

*Tank ABBOTT actually.

Kimbo/Tank sucked, theres a thread around here somewhere dedicated to it. If you want to see the "apex" of MMA then go hunt down a video of Matt Hughes/Frank Trigg II or Takanori Gomi/Nick Diaz from PRIDE.

And how can you call WEC inferior? They and UFC are under common ownership by Zuffa, so it's not like they are trying to compete with each other. And WEC actually showcases the smaller weight classes. Guys like Miguel Torres and Urijah Faber would never get air-time in the UFC. WEC has finally catapulted the Bantamweights and Featherweights into MMA's peripheral.

[lucifer_sam]

Originally Posted by LesPaul43

You havent been watching MMA for long have you..

I've only had cable for about 1 1/2 years now.

[Thrice]

Ive been watching UFC since it began, I still have the first ten on VHS recorded. Huge news for MMA would be to go back to the original rules. Im a die hard Tank fan, I like when the sport wasn't about who could train their ass off the hardest and be a well rounded fighter, but when each person brought their own style to the table. Abbott was just a street fighting beast, then you had the Gracies...which might actually be 100% the opposite of Tanks style, then the Shamrocks who are gaaaaay as hell IMO, but they had a little of both mixed in. Todays MMA does not appeal to me in the way of the sport, but as entertainment. This is evident from the Kimbo Slice, Tank fight. Tank only fights for large sums of money now b/c he cant really hang with the stamina freaks of today. Does Vitor Belfort still fight?

Sorry, pretty loaded, just ranting.

[[MERIT]]

Belfort still fights, he fought at Affliction's last PPV. He was supposed to fight Matt Lindland for the WAMMA Middleweight belt at the next PPV in October but he broke his hand :\

[Laces Out Dan!]

Originally Posted by Thrice

Ive been watching UFC since it began, I still have the first ten on VHS recorded. Huge news for MMA would be to go back to the original rules. Im a die hard Tank fan, I like when the sport wasn't about who could train their ass off the hardest and be a well rounded fighter, but when each person brought their own style to the table. Abbott was just a street fighting beast, then you had the Gracies...which might actually be 100% the opposite of Tanks style, then the Shamrocks who are gaaaaay as hell IMO, but they had a little of both mixed in. Todays MMA does not appeal to me in the way of the sport, but as entertainment. This is evident from the Kimbo Slice, Tank fight. Tank only fights for large sums of money now b/c he cant really hang with the stamina freaks of today. Does Vitor Belfort still fight?

Sorry, pretty loaded, just ranting.

I dont see how that makes sense..its evolved more as a sport now, as you said with the immense amount of training etc. Before it was more of entertainment than sport as the way I see it.

[[MERIT]]

Originally Posted by LesPaul43

I dont see how that makes sense..its evolved more as a sport now, as you said with the immense amount of training etc. Before it was more of entertainment than sport as the way I see it.

You're exactly right. When the Gracie's first conceived the UFC they wanted the cage to be electrified and surrounded by a moat filled with man-eating alligators (I wish I was joking, but I'm not). Early "MMA" was little more than tough-man competitions, contended under few or no rules, with no weight classes and no regard for fighter safety. Today's fighters are well-conditioned athletes who cross-train in all areas of fighting: boxing, wrestling, jiu-jitsu, sambo, kung-fu, aikido, etc. Today's MMA is more like a chess match than a street fight.