Randy Couture has graced us with his presence in the world of fighting since UFC 13, and at 46 years of age he shows no signs of stopping anytime soon. Albeit recent losses to Brock Lesnar and Big Nog, a drop down to light heavyweight may be all the motivation Corture needs to be on the winning side once again, but he has his work cut out for him against Brandon Vera. While Couture has five championship belts in two different weight classes, Vera has progressed tremendously since entering the sport. Vera has well rounded skills both on the ground and standing, and appears to be a probable treat in the future for the title belt. Couture has never been a stepping stone for anyone. Only time will tell if these two competitors have trained enough and put business aside to take the other one out of their game plan. A win for either could mean being next in line for the title (after the rematch between Shogun and Machida, of course).
Will Vera Stand or Fall?
In the UFC, Brandon Vera has made his name by being a formidable force in the standing game. Perhaps, with some of the most artistic and technical muay thai skills in the game, 78 percent of his strikes are for accurate power. Vera is also tied for first place in the UFC with landed knees or kicks to the head of opponents. Guess who comes in first?-Anderson Silva, and maybe a little bit of foreshadowing. What little UFC fans know is that like Couture, Vera also has an accomplished background in Roman-Greco wrestling and is comfortable on his back in jiu jitsu . A former division I wrestler at Old Dominion University, and an trainee at the Olympic Training Center, Vera has successfully defended 62 percent of take downs while in the octagon. Never once has Vera been submitted. If there is one criticism of Vera's game it is his recent inability to finish fights. As a heavyweight, Vera exploded with a 4-0 record after first stepping into the UFC. He set precedence with knockout after knockout, then a contract dispute, and Vera has struggled to gain acceptance as one of the best in the world ever since. Vera has looked to relaunch his career by dropping down the light heavyweight division, which appears to be the right move after his dominating performance in his last fight. Hands down this is the most important fight of Vera's career where we all are striving for a chance to see the full arsenal of "The Truth."
All is Won and Lost in the Clinch
Everyone knows Randy Couture's game plan. He comes in with a quick pace, and dirty boxes his way into the clinch where he often succeeds at taking 62 percent of his opponents down to the ground (62: An ironic number?). Is Couture a black belt on the ground? No, but he will wear down his opponent and offer relentless ground and pound until his opponent has no choice but to quit. One place that Vera is not accustomed to is being on his back, or so we all are accustomed to think. The most interesting point in this fight is that both guys are very strong in the clinch, and are capable of doing a lot of damage from that range. The second most interesting point is that both guys are good at controlling the ground game, but with different motivations of doing so. So, this fight is a chance for Vera to punish with knees, keep his range standing, and stop Couture in a convincing way with no questions asked (i.e. submission or knockouts only). Couture will always be too old or too slow in the eyes of his critics, but this is an important fight for Couture, as well. Couture should stick to his game plan, keep Vera's power at bay in the clinch, wear him down to the ground for a TKO a la Fabricio Werdum (although, that was a premature stoppage in my opinion). If Couture can beat one of the top up-and-comers of the game he can very well find himself in the title mix once again.
According to UFC.com, 68 percent of fans think that Couture will win this fight. I am not so sure about those numbers. This may be the first time where Couture is not the underdog. However, this fight is about as even as it gets as far as talent is concerned, and is a style match up that has a "Fight of the Night" bonus written all over it.
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