“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the
fight in the dog.”
Ultimate Fighting Championship icon
Randy
Couture knows a thing or two about that axiom and being the
king of the hill. While not the most physically imposing specimen,
Couture exuded an unyielding grit that saw him become a three-time
UFC heavyweight champion and a two-time UFC light heavyweight
champion. “The Natural” built his reputation as an all-time great
through his storied career. A former United States Army sergeant,
he was renowned as a bearer of destruction who terrorized two
weight classes for years.
As Couture’s exploits continue to fade further and further into the
past, a look at some of the rivalries that helped shape his
remarkable career:
Couture and Belfort engaged in one of the most compelling rivalries
in UFC history. In their first encounter, a heavyweight title
eliminator at
UFC
15, “The Natural” outlasted Belfort as the Brazilian’s power
reserve failed him. Prior to that, “The Phenom” was on a four-fight
winning streak with an average finishing time of just under a
minute. Belfort’s endurance tapped out to Couture’s constant
pressure and wrestling, as the American walked away with the
technical knockout at the 8:16 mark of the contest. Their paths
crossed again, this time at
UFC
46 for Couture’s light heavyweight strap. In the first round,
Couture tried to close the distance to engage in the clinch while
Belfort tried to counter the offense with a left hook. However, the
Brazilian’s glove grazed his opponent’s right eye and opened a cut.
Belfort was declared the winner when the cageside doctor advised
that the fight to be stopped. The third fight was booked
immediately as the next assignment for both the men at
UFC
49. This time, Couture exercised caution and systematically
dismantled his opponent on his way to a third-round technical
knockout, reclaiming the 205-pound throne in the process.
Another significant rivalr in Couture’s career, Liddell was on a
blistering 10-fight winning streak with six finishes before he
crossed paths with “The Natural” at
UFC 43.
Meanwhile, Couture was descending to a lower weight class, having
succumbed to back-to-back losses against bigger, stronger opponents
in the heavyweight division. After two rounds of Couture testing
the Liddell’s resistance in the grappling department and “The
Iceman” returning fire sporadically, the pair waged a swinging
contest in the third round. Couture got the better of Liddell with
a looping right hand and continued to pour on the pressure,
eventually taking his rival down and pounding out the finish at the
2:39 mark of the third round. They met again at
UFC
52, where Couture’s freshly acquired 205-pound title was on the
line. It took Liddell a little over two minutes to crush Couture,
handing him the first knockout loss of his career. With that, the
stage was set for the final chapter of their rivalry at
UFC
57.. Liddell cracked Couture multiple times on the feet before
the decorated Greco-Roman wrestler took the fight to the ground and
managed to survive the opening frame. However, in the second round,
Liddell snared Couture while inching closer into rage and landed a
devastating counter right hand and a few thundering shots on his
fallen foe before the referee could intervene and call an end to
the fight at the 1:28 mark.
Ortiz had defended his light heavyweight throne five times before
Couture stepped up to the challenge. The fight was billed as
“Champion vs. Champion” and saw Couture bucking the ravages of age,
as he put together one of his finest performances against Ortiz at
UFC
44. Couture harnessed his superior wrestling skills to outclass
his opponent. Ortiz simply had no answer for his Couture’s
pressure, surrendering to a lopsided unanimous decision loss that
saw “The Natural” crowned as the undisputed 205-pound king.
Couture simply could not keep up with Lesnar’s ferocity and vibrant
zeal. The World Wrestling Entertainment superstar looked invincible
at their
UFC
91 clash. In the opening round, they engaged in
rough-and-tumble wrestling sequences, with Lesnar emerging as the
clear winner in the exchanges. However, in the second, the former
NCAA Division I national champion landed a brutal punch that
knocked Couture down. Lesnar pounced on him and continued pounding
away until the referee had no choice but to wave off the fight. In
only his fourth professional MMA outing, Lesnar was crowned the UFC
heavyweight champion. Couture, on the other hand, went on to
compile a 3-2 run after that loss and announced he was “finally
done fighting” after a knockout loss to
Lyoto
Machida at the age of 47.