MMA News

Props: Bloody Elbow

“Well, I definitely don’t want to stand around and allow him to establish his range and hit his rhythm. I’d like to make it as much of a wrestling match as I can. That’s what’s going to put me in the best position to win. I’ve seen Brandon fight a lot and I’m very familiar with his style, with how he uses his hands, with his motion. If you’re a fighter, you definitely have to fashion your training camp to work out the right game plan for your opponent, to be ready for the problems he poses and to make the right plan to beat him. I’ve studied the places he likes to be and where he doesn’t like to be and now it’s up to me to use that in the Octagon.”

– UFC hall-of-famer and five time champion Randy Couture talks to MMA Fanhouse about taking opponent Brandon Vera out of his game and onto the ground at UFC 105 this Saturday in Manchester. It will be the first fight at 205-pounds for “The Natural” since he retired following his 2006 loss to Chuck Liddell. If he’s successful against “The Truth,” there have been some rumblings about a shot at Lyoto Machida in 2010. Can the aging wrestler continue to defy the odds? Or will Vera’s Muay Thai send him back into retirement? Opinions please…

Props: Las Vegas Sun

Quoteworthy:

“When they first told me I was going to fight in (UFC) 105, I was like, ‘Hell, no. That’s nine weeks from now. I just got done fighting (at UFC 101).’ Then they said I’d be fighting Randy and I was like, ‘Oh yeah, I’ll fight Randy.’ I always knew at some point in my career I would fight Randy. He’s one of the best. If you’re on a certain path, you’re going to have to cross certain people. I’ve told everyone it’s like a dream and a nightmare coming true at the same time. He’s broken all barriers. There is no ‘old’ now. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he fought until he was 51. The fights in the old dog. But I’ve got to go in and touch that chin, see how much is left in Randy. When they raise my hand, I want Randy to look over and be like, ‘That (expletive).’ I want him to be proud of me for turning into the fighter I always talked about being. He’s been there and watched me run my mouth at the Olympic training center. I want him to experience it first hand and say to himself, ‘He’s going where he said he was going to go.’”

– Light heavyweight Brandon Vera talks about his upcoming fight against mixed martial arts legend and former division champion, Randy Couture, in the UFC 105 main event from the Manchester Evening News (MEN) Arena in Manchester, England, on Nov. 14. “The Truth” is fresh of a dominant performance over Krzysztof Soszynski in August, using a new-look southpaw stance to foil the “Polish Experiment” for three full rounds. Couture, on the other hand, has lost back-to-back fights in the heavyweight division to Brock Lesnar and Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira. The 46-year-old will return to the 205-pound division for the first time since 2006. Will “The Natural” have the right formula for success against Vera, as well as in the land of light heavies moving forward, or will the younger, faster and possibly hungrier challenger be too much to handle?

Props: Las Vegas Sun

Quoteworthy:

“When they first told me I was going to fight in (UFC) 105, I was like, ‘Hell, no. That’s nine weeks from now. I just got done fighting (at UFC 101).’ Then they said I’d be fighting Randy and I was like, ‘Oh yeah, I’ll fight Randy.’ I always knew at some point in my career I would fight Randy. He’s one of the best. If you’re on a certain path, you’re going to have to cross certain people. I’ve told everyone it’s like a dream and a nightmare coming true at the same time. He’s broken all barriers. There is no ‘old’ now. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he fought until he was 51. The fights in the old dog. But I’ve got to go in and touch that chin, see how much is left in Randy. When they raise my hand, I want Randy to look over and be like, ‘That (expletive).’ I want him to be proud of me for turning into the fighter I always talked about being. He’s been there and watched me run my mouth at the Olympic training center. I want him to experience it first hand and say to himself, ‘He’s going where he said he was going to go.’”

– Light heavyweight Brandon Vera talks about his upcoming fight against mixed martial arts legend and former division champion, Randy Couture, in the UFC 105 main event from the Manchester Evening News (MEN) Arena in Manchester, England, on Nov. 14. “The Truth” is fresh of a dominant performance over Krzysztof Soszynski in August, using a new-look southpaw stance to foil the “Polish Experiment” for three full rounds. Couture, on the other hand, has lost back-to-back fights in the heavyweight division to Brock Lesnar and Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira. The 46-year-old will return to the 205-pound division for the first time since 2006. Will “The Natural” have the right formula for success against Vera, as well as in the land of light heavies moving forward, or will the younger, faster and possibly hungrier challenger be too much to handle?

Props: Las Vegas Sun

Quoteworthy:

“When they first told me I was going to fight in (UFC) 105, I was like, ‘Hell, no. That’s nine weeks from now. I just got done fighting (at UFC 101).’ Then they said I’d be fighting Randy and I was like, ‘Oh yeah, I’ll fight Randy.’ I always knew at some point in my career I would fight Randy. He’s one of the best. If you’re on a certain path, you’re going to have to cross certain people. I’ve told everyone it’s like a dream and a nightmare coming true at the same time. He’s broken all barriers. There is no ‘old’ now. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he fought until he was 51. The fights in the old dog. But I’ve got to go in and touch that chin, see how much is left in Randy. When they raise my hand, I want Randy to look over and be like, ‘That (expletive).’ I want him to be proud of me for turning into the fighter I always talked about being. He’s been there and watched me run my mouth at the Olympic training center. I want him to experience it first hand and say to himself, ‘He’s going where he said he was going to go.’”

– Light heavyweight Brandon Vera talks about his upcoming fight against mixed martial arts legend and former division champion, Randy Couture, in the UFC 105 main event from the Manchester Evening News (MEN) Arena in Manchester, England, on Nov. 14. “The Truth” is fresh of a dominant performance over Krzysztof Soszynski in August, using a new-look southpaw stance to foil the “Polish Experiment” for three full rounds. Couture, on the other hand, has lost back-to-back fights in the heavyweight division to Brock Lesnar and Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira. The 46-year-old will return to the 205-pound division for the first time since 2006. Will “The Natural” have the right formula for success against Vera, as well as in the land of light heavies moving forward, or will the younger, faster and possibly hungrier challenger be too much to handle?