Still the Champ!

"The type of fighter that stands the best chance of defeating Randy Couture is a big, heavy grappler like Gonzaga."

"If Randy is going to take Gonzaga out, he's going to have to do it early."

"Randy can win this, but it's going to have to be by decision because Gonazaga is going to hang with him until the very end" (Dave Scott).

The above statements represent some of the common observations made by MMA fans and journalists leading up to last night's UFC Heavyweight Championship fight between reigning 3-time title holder Randy Couture and Gabriel Gonzaga. The fact that each assertion was based in sound logic meant nothing after the bout was over. All such statements were rendered irrelevant by what actually took place during the main event of UFC 74: Respect.

The final result: Couture wins by Technical Knock Out due to strikes at 1:37 of the 3rd Round.

From the moment Randy wobbled Gonzaga with a left jab during the initial striking exchange, it became clear that the 44 year-old veteran had a damn good shot at retaining his belt. When he slammed his 252-lb opponent utilizing a violent single leg takedown within the first period, it became emphatically evident that The Natural could impose his will while simultaneously stealing the heart from his foe. The crunching finish to the monster slam resulted in a clash of heads that broke Gonzaga's nose.

The challenger dripped, sprayed, and spit blood for the remainder of the bout as Couture consistently controlled him in the clinch and landed tight punches and elbows to his injured face. Yet Gonzaga landed several solid shots of his own throughout Rounds 1 and 2. He even connected three or four times with the same high kick that obliterated Mirko Cro Cop. But the champ at least partially blocked the majority of those strikes and inexplicably stood his ground when one happened to get through.

Randy consistently outclassed Gonzaga in every aspect of the game their battle covered. The champ was finally able to finish his opponent when he mounted Gonzaga early in the third frame. Couture pinned Gabriel against the fence and rained down a cluster of unanswered blows, provoking the referee to step in and wave off the fight. Randy Couture's successful title defense not only solidifies his continued status as one of the best in the sport today. It also vanquishes one of his few lingering demons: that aforementioned inability to prevail against a heavier, skilled ground technician.


Have I ever mentioned that he's my favorite fighter of all time?

UFC 74- Title Fight Analysis

Hey Friends,

I know I've been relatively silent in the blogosphere once again. That has much to do with the fact that I spent most of this week at my grandparents house in Bloomington where the Internet is something only spoken of in whispers and rumors.

For my return to active posting, I've decided to share my thoughts on tomorrow nights UFC Heavyweight Championship fight between my hero Randy Couture and the up-and-coming challenger Gabriel Gonzaga. Dustin recently asked me to offer some insight and I thought I'd share my response to his request with all of you. I have limited myself to 6 dense paragraphs.

A Bad Match Up for the Champ?
As one of the central proverbs of combat sports declares, "Styles make fights." On paper, Gabriel Gonzaga is arguably the worst style match-up Randy Couture could be up against. When Randy first moved down from heavy to light heavyweight in 2003, it had everything to do with the fact that he had dropped two consecutive title fights to other skilled grapplers who outsized him. Gonzaga fits the mold of those two previous opponents: Like Ricco Rodriguez, Gabe is highly competent ju jitsu player with plenty of brawn to supplement his technique. Like Josh Barnett, Gabe gets your thinking about his superior ground game and then lambastes you with his thunderous striking power. Randy admitted before the Gonzaga-Cro Cop showdown in April that Gonzaga would pose a greater challenge for him, and now many MMA pundits are agreeing with him. A lot of credible folks are picking the challenger to win Saturday night.

The Evolution of Couture
The potentially fatal flaw in the above pro-Gonzaga logic is that it compares a present day Gabe with the Randy Couture who stepped into the Octagon at UFC 36 and UFC 39. Not only does it overlook the Randy who dominated Tito Ortiz for 5 rounds (at 205 lbs., Tito was a grappler with a definite size advantage), it doesn't give much merit to Randy's championship victory over Tim Sylvia. The pro-Gonzaga crowd rightly points out that, although Tim was half a foot taller and had 40+ pounds on Couture, Tim's strength is the stand-up game and he's not known for his grappling. But I think this point gets an excessive amount of attention and another very important truth goes unnoticed: Randy demonstrated a skill set against Tim that was nowhere to be found in the Randy who fought Barnett. He's had an effective combination of boxing and wrestling ever since Couture-Liddell I, and he demonstrated at UFC 68 that competent Muay Thai skills are not part of his arsenal.

Key Questions to Consider
I think picking a winner in this fight comes down to how one chooses to answer three key questions. First, can Randy neutralize the submission game of a bigger, stronger opponent? I think he can. His fights against Barnett and Rodriguez ended as a result of strikes not submissions. Those two men, however, used their submission grappling skills to make Randy defensive, get him on his back, and pound him out. Other than having to defend a couple armbar attempts during Couture-Belfort III, Randy's not had to worry much about being submitted since his loss to Rodriguez. Gonzaga may be able to follow the blue print of his predecessors to victory or, if he's slick, he might get Randy thinking too much about the ground and pound and catch the champ in an armbar or side choke.

Question number two is, Who has the better stand up? I'll be thoroughly surprised if this battle is won on the feet by either man. Randy has always employed striking to set up takedowns or to neutralize the superior stand up of an opponent. Gonzaga, meanwhile, may have stopped three of his last four opponents with strikes but two of them were men who are winless in the UFC and one whom he thoroughly bludgeoned from the mount and disoriented before kicking his head into the 12th row. I think Randy and Gabe will neutralize one another standing up.

The final question (which Randy himself has continually brought to the fore) is, Can Gonzaga handle the intangibles and physical stress of competing in a 5-round championship main event for the first time in his career. Randy, on the other hand, has been in several 25-minute wars and is perpetually in the title picture of whatever weight class he has competed in. Georges St-Pierre's championship loss at UFC 69 emphatically demonstrated that even the most complete skill set cannot achieve victory without a steely mental resolve to compliment it. Randy has such resolve. Whether or not Gonzaga shares it has yet to be seen.

My Prediction
Couture by Unanimous Decision. After Randy won the UFC Heavyweight Championship for the third time in March, I posted a lengthy reflection on how he has consistently thrived in the role of the underdog. I learned my lesson when I picked Randy to lose against Tim Sylvia despite my deep loyalty towards The Natural. This time, my heart and my mind are siding with Randy. Randy will give Gonzaga hell and outpoint his opponent but, unless the challenger gasses out, Gabe will hang around until the final bell.

Back Online

Hello Everyone!

I'm happy to announce that I got my computer back from the Geek Squad yesterday afternoon. Now I once again have daily access to cyberspace. I want to extend a thank you to the Tranbargers, my grandpa, and the Indianapolis Reisses for letting me use their computers while I was bereft of my laptop over the past two weeks. Their collective generosity kept me from jonesing for the Internet too badly during that period of separation.

To give you an update on what I've been up to since I last blogged, I've mostly been making arrangements to make my move to Denver. After reseraching several moving options, I decided against hiring a moving service or even renting a truck. I've decided to pack whatever "essential" possessions I have into my Honda, drive out to the Mile High City, and simply buy all-new furniture once I arrive. A scouting trip to Target and other such retailers revealed that this plan of action would be no more expensive than renting a truck and trailing my car. AND I'll be spending that considerable chunk of cash on things I'll get to keep for an extended period of time, rather than on rentals I'll have to return once my move is complete.

As for the date of my departure, I will be leaving Indianapolis on Friday, August 31st. Mapquest tells me that the journey from Indy to Denver will take 16 hours, 11 minutes which, I must admit, is a longer trek than I'm manly enough to make in a straight shot. Using the combined powers of Mapquest and a recently acquired road atlas, I discovered that Salina, Kansas is precisely ten hours from my house in Indiana, and I plan on stopping there for some R&R. The next morning I will drive the remaining 6.25 hours into Denver, check into my empty apartment, and start filling the place up with stuff. Orientation is on September 7th, so I'll have the 2nd-6th to get settled in, let my body adjust to the altitude and maybe explore the city a little.

I'm trying to get as many preparations finalized now as I possibly can. Doing so goes along way toward alleviating any anxiety I may have about moving. My apartment is set, my hotel reservation is made, and 70% of what's I'm taking with me is already packed up. What's left to deal with at this point is that I'm having a little work done on my car (mainly recharging the A/C) tomorrow, there's still some small things to work out where my financial aid is concerned, and I'm still pessimistic about how much stuff I can actually fit in the Honda. However, all the big stuff is under control and that's allowing me to be more excited about relocating myself then nervous.

Now I just want to enjoy my last two weeks at home before I head 1,100 miles west for the next several years.

Repairs

Hey friends,

I'm getting the word out that I'm about to take my computer to the Geek Squad to have some repairs done. My screen has been acting up for the last two or three months now, and I figure now is the best time to have it fixed. Why is this the best time you're probably not asking? Well, two primary reasons: 1) I'd prefer to tie up this loose thread before I move to Denver a month from now and, 2) the 3-year service plan I purchased runs out on August 28th. So, those of you who regularly contact me through some facet of cyberspace (or may have been contemplating doing so in the very near future), I'll be more difficult to get a hold of for a week or so starting this afternoon or tomorrow morning when I take in my laptop.