All sports have their share of aging athletes, guys that seem to defy time and continue competing when they are well past what should’ve been their prime. Most of the time, these guys are supporting players with a specialty skill that keeps them around. A kicker in football, a left handed middle reliever in baseball, or a three-point specialist in basketball.
Occasionally though, it’s one of the sports’ icons, a guy in a front and center position, that keeps showing up each season. Football fans keep seeing Brett Favre lumber onto the field each Sunday, and baseball fans watched Roger Clemens dominate hitters into his forties. In MMA, this guy is the forty-six year old Randy Couture. Saturday night, however, the MMA legend showed that maybe the years are finally catching up to him.
Couture has been fighting in the UFC since long before most current MMA fans even knew the sport existed. There are few, if any, MMA fans that would deny the legitimacy of the “Couture Legend.” Those that do, do so quietly and behind closed door so as not to incur the wrath of the legions of fans who would consider such talk blasphemy.
During his career, Couture has beaten guys with names like Liddell, Ortiz, and Belfort. Even when he’s not currently holding one of the UFC titles, it still seems like he must be the champion of something. He’s the kind of guy that MMA pointed to when arguing the sport wasn’t barbaric. How could it be when a guy like Randy Couture is one of the biggest names in the game?
However, regardless of how “great of a guy” someone is, how much they have done in the past, or how much they want to do well now, there comes a time when it’s just not enough. Whether that time is near or has already come for Couture is something that needs to be considered.
MMA is not football, where if Favre loses a step or two it may result in more interceptions than he usually throws. Nor is it baseball, where a few mph off Clemens’ fastball is going to lead to a bloated ERA. In MMA, a step too slow means you don’t see a thundering right hand about to knock your jaw off the hinges.
In his last ten fights, Couture has a record of 5-5. The very valid argument around the record is that it’s not that bad considering he always seems to be fighting the best in the world. This is also the same argument for him needing to make sure he stops before he loses that step instead of after. The caliber of opponents Couture usually fights, with the exception of a few, are of the variety that can cause significant bodily harm to an opponent who is a step or two off their game.
Brandon Vera, Couture’s opponent Saturday night, was not one of those guys that Couture should have had much to worry about. An up and down fighter, Vera is the kind of opponent that a few years ago Couture would have simply out-planned, out-worked, and eventually pounded out his will to continue. Instead, Couture struggled to get a decision victory that probably should have gone to Vera, who had inflicted the only semi-serious damage of the fight. In the past, Couture locked onto an opponent had the appearance of imminent danger for his opponent. Saturday night, that same tactic looked like little more than Couture hanging on.
Apparently the judges gave Couture credit for controlling the fight, as well as maybe a point or two for being named Randy Couture. The control amounted to Couture leaning Vera up against the cage most of the night, while he tried to figure out a way to get the fight to the ground. It was only partial classic Couture; the other part that was missing was the one where he actually inflicts damage on his opponent. He couldn’t hurt Vera in the clinch, and he couldn’t get him on the ground where the popular opinion was he would overwhelm Vera with ground and pound.
It has been over two years since Couture looked impressive in a victory, when he stopped Gabriel Gonzaga with punches in August of 2007. Since then, Brock Lesnar finished him with punches when they met, and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira dominated him for three rounds in their match at UFC 102. Combined with the Saturday night’s performance, Couture has not shown in several years that he still has the championship form.
Most MMA fans, this one included, would like nothing more than to see Randy Couture dominating opponents for years to come. He exemplifies everything good about the sport. He is always the consummate professional, whether in victory or defeat. He is fully dedicated to the sport, and he is the classic example of success achieved through hard work. On top of that, he’s just a flat out tough guy, the kind of guy both accomplished mixed martial artists and couch potatoes alike wished they could be like.
Even with these great qualities, all fighters, Couture included, eventually run out of steam. Whether it comes from the years of submitting a body to the punishment of the sport, or simply from the natural course of aging which slows us all down, fighters can’t stay the best forever. At some point they must decide that they can’t compete at the level they expect from themselves, and have to make some hard decisions.
There is no doubt that Couture still has the skill to compete in the octagon, as he is still better than a majority of the fighters who make a living at it. However, to think that Couture deserves a shot at Lyoto Machida, or any other UFC title holder, is to look at Couture’s performance the past two years with rose colored glasses. Saturday night Couture showed he can still do enough to win a fight, but it didn’t show he still poses a threat to guys that sit atop the division.
Comments
Your so stupid have you ever been in the ring??? For a man
Randys age is impressive to me those young guys with there big
Mouths get took out!!! Why do you want to bash randy like
That??? You get in the ring with randy and beat him and I
Will give you a &1000 until then keep your mouth shut you
Punk ass bitch!!!
I think you are either stirring controversy or just had to write something, Tom. Vera has improved a lot as of late and styles make fights. A young, strong, talent like Vera nullifying a lot of Couture's game may just be good work on Vera's part. Counting Couture as going down the drain is not the smart place to bet your paycheck yet.
Settle down there Rick Jones. The writer wrote a very intelligent piece, which included giving Randy the respect he deserves. That being said, just like every human and every super-human (like Randy), we age. At some point, we lose a step. Yes, Randy could beat 99% of the human population into bloody pulps. That's not the question. The question is whether he can handle the .0005% of the population in the LHW or HW divisions of the UFC. Nogueria schooled Randy a few months ago in Portland. Most people agree that Vera beat Randy on Saturday night. He has a chance, but not a good one, against the elite of the LHW division. I am a big fan of Randy Couture. The guy is a class act and one of the toughest human beings walking the earth. But based on his last few performances, his time has passed. I'd love to be proven wrong and to see him wreck shop in the division, so I hope he has more in the gas tank.
Ok, so it was not the most impressive win for Randy, but it was a win and no Randy did not get the benefit of the judges doubt, he earned it. Never mind the 46 year old Couture, what about the man 14 years his junior who got controlled and couldn't mount much of an offense himself. the idea is NOT to let your opponent do what he wants. Randy did exactly what he wanted (boring as most of it was) and Vera only did a little of what he wanted. Most people seem to agree Randy won round one and Vera won round two. The third round according to punch stats saw Randy landing 32 punches to only 12 for Brandon. That's a huge disparity. We Randy wasn't landing at a high rate he mostly had Vera against the cage. Vera's take down was not enough to win the round when he did nothing with it. I'm not a Randy excuse maker, it was indeed a pretty boring fight, but Brandon couldn't make it more of a brawl and that's not Randy's fault. I didn't see any indication that Randy is showing his age.
Rick Jones, I wasn't at all tyring to bash Randy Couture, nor imply that he is washed up. I was simply stating that he's not at the level now that he once was. As I said in the piece, he's still better than most fighters, and probably still will be in ten years. The point was that great athletes, even Couture, can't stay at the very top of a sport forever. .
Rocky, I do agree that Vera deserves some of the credit, I should've stated as much. But I still think he's a guy that Couture at the top of his game would have dominated as opposed to getting a close decision victory.
This article is just one guy writing a lot about his opinion. Then; we come on here and give our opinions.... Some valid... But guys like big mouth Rick needs to be knocked out.
I disagree with you on a few statements you made. The Couture/Noguiera fight was a barnburner... to state that Couture was dominated the entire fight is simply not true. It was the fight of the night. In the Vera fight, he controlled nearly the entire fight, but simply took two devastating body kicks which would have ended most fighters. Couture gave Lesnar a very good fight... far better than the younger, bigger Frank Mir did in his rematch.
What's the point of the article, brother? That fighters eventually run out of steam? Well, of course they do. That Couture is past his physical prime? Of course he is... he's 46. But he's still a contender, without a doubt. He got the win again. He will this next run at light heavyweight as far as he can. Does he deserve a shot at Machida... that's the wrong question to even ask at this point. Does he deserve a RUN at the title with a couple more fights? Of course... he got the win, period. I'd say two more W's & then give him the title shot
Hey Tom, I think you have made a gross error and completely sold Randy Couture short. Randy is still and will continue to be a dominant force in MMA. Yes, his most recent fight with Vera was a little slower paced, that just goes to show his impressive ability to control the tempo at his discretion...the fact is, he sticks to his game plans and executes them nearly every time. The Nogueria fight was an all out war, how the hell do you figure that he was dominated in that fight? I remember a particular epic moment when they both had thier right hands on each other and were pounding with the left. He also gave Lesnar the best fight so far. Randy may be technically past his "prime", but he is still a hell of a competitor and still managing to hand much younger guys their asses. This guy is the very essence of hard work, determination, and strong will. GO RANDY!!!!
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