"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?
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?
2 comments:
Congrats to Randy. Looked like a convincing win for the champ. So considering how many belts he's held, is it too much to consider him one of the best ever? There is a lot to say about someone who is undefeated...but what about the guy with longevity who can bounce back and regain a title?
You can easily consider Randy one of the best ever. The only negatives any naysayer might focus on are his less than exceptional record (MMA: 16-8, UFC: 13-5) and the fact that he's never strung together the type of dominant title run accomplished by the likes of Hughes, Ortiz, and Liddell.
On April 27th, UFC.com posted an article which skillfully framed the debate over who is the greatest champion in the history of the organization. See:
http://www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=news.detail&gid=5628
That article puts forward why Couture has to be considered the greatest UFC Heavyweight Champion of all-time. After last night, we can bolster that argument with the fact that Randy now shares the mark for most combined defenses in that division.
Randy qualifies as one of the best ever in this young sport based on his heavyweight credentials alone. Supplement these historical accomplishments with what he's acheived at light heavyweight and you're hard pressed to leave him out of the All-Time Top 5 and insane to exclude him from the All-Time Top 10.
Dustin, the point you raise about longevity is key. During a ten year MMA career, Randy's been labeled "done" twice already. Yet The Natural keeps revving his career back up and accumulating more hardware for his trophy case. And it should not be overlooked that, of his last 15 UFC contests, only one was not a championship contest. Win or lose, Couture is perpetually involved a title picture.
Is Randy Couture the G.O.A.T.? Frankly, he's not. Other champions like Fedor or Hughes are much more deserving of that honor. Even still, if Randy could close out his career with high profile victories over world class heavyweights such as Minotauro Nogueira, Cro Cop and Mr. Emelianenko himself, his name would necessarily be mentioned whenever and wherever "The Greatest" was debated.
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