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.
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