Whoever coined the phrase “opposites attract” could have pointed to
the
Randy
Couture-
Vitor
Belfort trilogy in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight division as a
prime example.
The lunchpail American wrestler and the flashy Brazilian striker
fought one another three times between Oct. 17, 1997 and Aug. 21,
2004, bringing the styles-make-fights mantra to life at the sport’s
highest level. Couture won two of the three meetings, with all
three resulting in finishes. Now nearly two decades removed from
their final confrontation, the two men remain interminably linked
by what took place between them inside the cage.
As their rivalry continues to drift into the rearview mirror, a
by-the-numbers look at what made Couture vs. Belfort so
unforgettable:
2,500: Days between the first and third Couture-Belfort meetings.
Couture took bookend victories, as he put away the Brazilian with
punches 8:16 into the first round of their UFC 15 pairing in
October 1997 and prompted a third-round doctor stoppage in their
UFC 49 main event in August 2004. Belfort won the second match due
to a cut 49 seconds into their UFC 46 headliner in January
2004.
160,000: Pay-per-view buys for the two premium live events
headlined by Couture-Belfort. UFC 46 and UFC 49 both drew 80,000
buys. Their first clash served as the co-feature at UFC 15.
12,100: Fans to witness the third chapter of the Couture-Belfort
rivalry in the UFC 49 main event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in
Las Vegas. It was the highest attendance figure of the trilogy and
generated a $1,293,035 gate.
1,445: Seconds of fight time in the Couture-Belfort series. The
battled one another inside the Octagon for a total of 24:05—the
equivalent of nearly five full rounds.
233: Total strikes landed by Couture and Belfort in their trilogy.
Their third encounter accounted for more than half of them
(141).
3: Submission attempts between Couture and Belfort in their three
bouts. Belfort was responsible for two of them, while Couture
tallied one.
75: Significant strikes by which Couture outlanded Belfort in their
rivalry. He connected with 85 such strikes while absorbing only 10
in return.
5: Takedown attempts for Couture in his trilogy with Belfort. The
three-time NCAA All-American wrestler completed three of them for a
60% success rate.
0: Knockdowns recorded between the two light heavyweights in their
three-fight series. Belfort was credited with 11 of them in his 26
other UFC appearances. .571: Cumulative winning percentage between
the two men following the completion of their rivalry. Belfort went
14-10 across his 24 subsequent appearances, his run highlighted by
victories over
Dan
Henderson (twice),
Matt
Lindland,
Rich
Franklin,
Anthony
Johnson,
Michael
Bisping,
Luke
Rockhold and
Nate
Marquardt. Couture, meanwhile, suited up 11 times and compiled
a 6-5 record, with wins over
Mike Van
Arsdale,
Tim Sylvia,
Gabriel
Gonzaga,
Brandon
Vera,
Mark Coleman
and
James Toney.