As was expected, Randy Couture has returned to the ranks of UFC heavyweights and will fight Brock Lesnar at UFC 91 this November.
Couture’s return was made official this afternoon on a media conference call held by the UFC with Dana White, Couture and Lesnar. UFC 91 will take place in Las Vegas, not Portland, OR as was expected and will be headlined by Couture’s return to the Octagon.
According to Dana White, current UFC interim heavyweight champion Antonio Nogueira will still fight Frank Mir at UFC 92 for the interim belt, and the winner of that fight will meet the winner of the Couture vs. Lesnar fight to “unify” the titles in 2009.
This means that Brock Lesnar is getting a shot at the UFC heavyweight title in only his forth professional fight. Lesnar holds a record of 2-1 overall and 1-1 in the UFC and still will be getting a crack at “The Natural’s” belt.
Who Will Win the UFC 91 Main Event?
- Randy Couture (72%, 69 Votes)
- Brock Lesnar (28%, 27 Votes)
Total Voters: 96
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LOL i never thought id see the day when the UFC becomes a bigger circus than EliteXC.. but here we go guys, strap on your giant tophats, release the 12 midgets from the tiny clown car and rein in your elephants circque du UFC is about to begin.
Im glad to see Randy back, but this shameless display of having Lesnar fight for the UFC HW championship is really sickening. Imagine all the other HW fighters who have been working their *** off trying to get a shot and it never materializes.
I bet if Lesnar was 0-2 they would have still given him a title shot lol. So what if Randy beat him? hell lets just give him an immediate rematch.. why not? hes Brock Lesnar..
Brock has not earned a title shot pure and simple..
Doc, you reported it, now whats your opinion on whats happening?
Kind of mixed opinion I guess.
I’m excited that Randy is back and that we get to see him fight again. I think its stupid that he is fighting Lesnar and I think even though the UFC says they will “do everything in their power” the fight with Fedor will never happen for Randy.
It stinks that it now seems like Randy “caved” in for the money because his legal battle against Zuffa could have opened a lot of doors for other fighters and how fighter pay and contracts are structured in the future. Now that Randy re-signed with the UFC and all the legal battles are being dropped, you can bet things will stay status quo on that front.
I don’t see it as Randy giving in, really. All along all he said he wanted and didnt get from the UFC was respect. For him to come back that means he got the respect he wanted by his salary, benefits, PPV cut, etc… so Randy got what he was looking for and thought the UFC would never offer.
All in all, I’m glad he’s back, but the fight with Lesnar scares me a bit. Man, I wanted to see that Randy vs Fedor fight happen.
Doc, good point about the fighter salary control thing. It seemed like Randy was trying to be some kind of crusader for fighters rights at first then, as it all played out, it kind of backfired on Randy. Made him look greedy and most people werent interested in the politics behind it, they just wanted to see Randy fight. Now with pretty much everyone against him, fighting a losing battle in the courts, he finally threw in the towel and decided to get back to fighting.
I dont see the Fedor fight happening either.. Fedor is like a ronin these days, he doesnt get tied to a long term contract, he just takes it one fight at a time. The UFC could easily rent Fedor for the night, but it wouldnt suit their interests. What if Fedor beats their champ? then he walks away and everyone knows that the best HW fighter in the world is not fighting for the UFC. That would then roll over to the other divisions, and put the whole UFC fight roster in question.
As for Lesnar, i think i already said my piece about that, lets just say, I think Randy will have an answer for the one trick pony. Ive never seen Randy lose a fight because he was outsmarted/trapped, he will put Lesnar in a position where he can threaten submissions and he WILL submit Lesnar. LOL and hes not even a submission guy!
Wow… You all have basically said my thoughts. I am happy that Couture worked everything out with UFC and is back where he belongs, in the Octagon. But I think It is ludicrous Couture fighting Lesnar not only because of Lesnar’s failure to prove himself but also because of the havok it adds the the HW division. Because now there is a possibility that Lesnar could beat Randy (although a long shot still a possibility) and then Lesnar would have to fight Mir if he can beat Nog. How ironic if lesnar gets to that fight only to lose to Mir… again.
Lesnar vs Mir 2 for the UFC HW title? LOL how anti-climactic would that be? A whole heap of miracles would have to happen for that to take place…
First Mir to bear Nog which isnt happening in my opinion (complete mismatch). Then Lesnar to beat Randy, which also wont happen (Randys way too smart for Brock).
If all that happens, then give Brock the title, it must be fate for all that to go down hehe.
Question.
Are we gonna work together for the hot fight this weekend?
Im glad you asked that question Lam, i was gonna ask it myself closer to the fight date. I definately think we should tak about that 1 fight atleast for the good of the fightcamp..
Chonan by Unanimous decision.
I think Chonan will get the better of the striking but neither guy will be able to pull off the submission. In the end assuming they both get their share of takedowns, Chonan will score more points striking on the feet and GnP but i doubt there will be a finish.
Thats how i see it going down but i would love to hear your thoughts on this fight guys.
I got Carneiro by submission in the 2nd round.
I got carneiro by unaminous, but cant really tell you why.
Oh and Randy can kiss my ***. I”m pretty much done with him as a fan. I try not to judge, because I”m not in his shoes…but d*mn man it’s hard to spin this any other way than just out and out greed.
im with BV on this one i got Chonan by UD, he seems to be the better striker in this one and i got a feeling thats what it will come down to.
One reason i dont think Carneiro will get the submission is because he couldnt submit Chonan in their first fight and he also had trouble getting the takedown.
The only unknown factor is the gas, if Chonan gasses out in the cage he could end up losing the decision. The thing is, Chonan could also knock him out, which would also mess up the pick.
Thats why i said Chonan by decision, he will probably gas enough to put the KO out of reach, avoid subs and pound out a decision.
so Randy vs. Brock for the title…. huh? um well? ok but? yeah i dont know what to make of all this, should Nog be pissed? i think so, it looks like Randy disrespected him twice now. it should have been Couture vs. Nog instead of Nog vs. Sylvia and now it should be Couture vs. Nog and not sh*t storm they got happening. some of you might remember when Lesnar first got signed to the UFC i said he will fight for a title before you know it, but man i didnt think it was going to be like this. i was thinking more along the lines of winning his next few and fighting for the strap late next year or something. im really hoping a years worth of ring rust doesnt put a belt around Brocks waist, i can just hear it now “after only four MMA fights Brock Lesnar becomes the UFC heavy weight champ making him the best heavy weight in the world” f*ck i can taste the bile in the back of my mouth lol.
You put it perfectly RJ, sht storm LOL and it looks like Randy and Brock are the sht puppets brewing the storm.
I swear man, Nog isnt gonna cut it in the UFC unless he grows a huge beard and a mohawk and starts doing something to hype himself, because being a great fighter doesnt seem to be enough these days.. I can see why theyre not signing Fedor..
Ill be pissed if Brock wins too man.. whats gonna be the dream match for 09? Lesnar vs Kimbo? we went from Chuck and Wanderlei to Lesnar and Kimbo, how did this happen in 1 year??? man the mma world is such a mess since the fall of Pride.
thats what ive been saying couture didnt want to fight nog but comes back for lesnar LAME!!!!!!!!!!
Randy grinds out a 5 round decision. I think Randy’s cardio is much better than Brock’s. Give Brock props for taking a fight he is not yet ready for. Brock will be a strong contender in the future, but he’s simply not ready yet.
Nog defeats Mir and ultimately, Nog defeats Couture.
gatties
i agree with u totally except that i think lesnar is the wild card in all this i really wouldnt be surprised that the guy pulls something out his butt and wins.Now whatever everyone is going with on the chonan fight ill go with.
im not totally sure about the cardio thing, Randy knows how to train and trains with some very good people, Brock being an all around good athlete also know how to train well and with guys like Sherk around no doubt hes doing good cardio workouts. Brock may have a huge amount of muscle to feed that will put a dent in anyone conditioning, Randy is 45 years old and even Captain America starts to get tired faster at that age. im thinking that in this fight the cardio thing will be the one wash, ring time, size, strength, knowledge, these things will matter but cardio not so much.
This is absolutely disgraceful to MMA. Can someone please explain to me how Randy, an already small heavyweight, will ever be able to exercise his famous “lay & pray” incredibly boring fighting style, against Lesnar?
So Lesnar wins, and now has the possibility of fighting Mir again? this is sooooooooo f—ing stupid and a slap in the face to all UFC heavyweight contenders AND MMA fans!!!
I’m disgusted and you all should be too!!!
Ever since Randy returned to the heavyweight division I think his fighting style has been excellent.
Look at his fight with Tim. He had Tim on the ground for the first round and then outboxed him for the rest of the time. His fight with Gonzaga was the same thing. I dont think it was boring “lay-and-pray” fighting
your are right Amir this is a bit of a slap to all the fans who stuck by Randy and a bit of a dis to the MMA community but its not THAT bad. i preach a lot about the greater good of the sport and this is one of those of things that fall into that category. the UFC is the biggest MMA organization in N.America and in being that they must cater to both sides (hardcore and part time fans) this fight will be a big money maker and will help to put the sport in the limelight even more then it is.
Doc,
I must have seen an entirely different fight then. From what I saw, Randy Couture as a heavily undersized heavyweight, has done nothing more, in my opinion, then smother his opponents into the cage and then lay on top of them for an entire 5 rounds. I would hardly say that Sylvia hadn’t done exactly the same thing before his exit out of the UFC. I just don’t care about him anymore because I think the UFC has enough all-around talent to give us the exciting fights that we deserve, not 2 desperate wrestlers trying to gain leverage up against the cage for 25min. Randy has 0 punching power and I’ve yet to recall him attempting some legitimate submissions since going back up to heavyweight.
amir you must not recall the huge right hand rany hit tim with that sent him down on his a$$ in the first couple seconds of there fight. 0 punching power wouldn’t do that to a big guy like tim. he may not have knockout power but he has a good amount of power in his punches to knock down or finish a fight.
true speak…. although thats my bias opinion, you being my protege and all lol.
lol oh thats what i am .. i see how this works
I’m so glad that you knuckleheads are finally realizing that the UFC is a big f’n joke (with the exception of some fighters) They lick Liddell’s balls and made that looser Forrest Griffin a f’n champion, now they’re making the WWE champion a real-sports champion. What is MMA coming to? It seems as if popularity is what counts now a day. I hate to see truly talented guys not getting a shot at the title. Seriously, this is sick. I think this is even worse than seeing Kimbo fighting, at least Kimbo doesn’t mind getting hurt. Who the F does Lesnar think he is? Norgueira, Fedor, Cro-Cop, Kongo, Igor Vovchanchyn, and a crap load more of HW would kill him. I hope Randi breaks Lesnar’s f’n neck.
just a few questions for ya bro:
#1 what MMA promotion is not a joke?
#2 how did the UFC make Forest a champ aside from giving him the fight?
#3 what make you think Kimbo is ok with getting hurt and Lesnar is not?
your absolutely right about popularity counting for a lot, and that is why they “lick Liddells balls” but guess what? its pay per view buys and ticket sales that pay the bills, and the two best fighter aren’t always the ones who get that done. im all for only the best fighting the best, but i will deal the bullsh*t matchups as long as the sport i love doesnt fall off again. at one point it was really tough to find fights to watch and in the last few years MMA has become so much more accessible, so give me a Kimbo or Lesnar main event on every card for all i care as long as they give me a handful of real matches to go along with it.
Savage,
I do recall that “huge right hand” that knocked Tim Sylvia down, but you know what? that’s ALL I seem to remember in that entire fight. Actually I do remember something else from that night, a feeling of emptiness as to why I ever spent my money on such a terrible main event.
I think the only person more surprised than you by landing that right hand and knocking Tim Sylvia down was Randy Couture.
i’m sorry you feel that way amir.. i agree to a point there was some ground where he was holding him down for a lil bit but while he was doing that he was punching him in the head and body trying to finish the fight.. So if you think that randy has only been laying and preying what do you think gsp has been doing .. cuz he has been taking his opponets down at will holding them there and beating on them and then they stand for a bit same thing so wouldnt you think that its the fighter showing their dominance not just layin gon them. but your gunna belive what you want so it’s just to bad you cant see the talent behind it
Come on man, there is NO WAY that any comparison can be made between GSP and Couture. GSP has, by far, better striking, accuracy, submissions, GnP and nowadays I would even say grappling. I was on Randy’s side when all this started but as more and more reports and facts came out, it was obvious what his motivations really were. The guy got KO’d twice at LHW and got to fight for the title?
GSP fights like a madman and, like Anderson Silva, is a true artist. Randy Couture/GSP? no comparison!!!!
come on man dont let your hatred cloud your thinking. Randy Couture is, was, and will be a great fighter no matter how much you dislike him. i really dont like Lyoto Machidas fighting style but im not going to sit here and say he sucks. Couture has accomplished more in MMA (as far as titles go) then anyone else, so that alone he should get some props right? you may bring up the fact that he didnt deserve the title shot he got but that means nothing (just like Forrest) he still had to get in the cage and win the fight, the way i see it is if you get an undeserved title shot and you win it kinda proves that “yeah maybe you did deserve a shot” because you had what it take to beat the champ. its cool if you dont like Couture and dont watch his fights but your trying to run him down to the world based on your opinion of his character, and these are the sort of things that give the internet fanboys a bad name. judge a fighter by his inring performance, judge an actor by his onscreen performance, and judge a singer by what he put on CD, forget what they did outside those forums because no one is perfect including you and i, and its really sh*tty that people who know me from 15 years ago still fear that i might hurt someone when i get angry based on there opinion from a one time thing. sorry for the the long one, hopefully you dont think this is some kind of attack on you i just want to see the real fans stay real fans for the fights and the entertainment they bring us.
You make really good points, but I have disagree with your assumption that I have hatred for Randy Couture. I actually lost my voice from yelling so loud at the tv when he slammed Gonzaga on his head or knocked Sylvia down with that punch, but who wouldn’t have?
I guess I’m at a point where I believe Couture is an issue from the past when the UFC should be looking to the future. There is a decent amount of talent that deserves the spotlight too.
Im real glad that the boards are finally alive again. There was a lull for a while when there weren’t really anything to discuss. Im happy