Later this month, on Nov. 14, the 105th cage-fighting battleship of the Ultimate Fighting Championship—skippered by the ageless "Captain America," Randy Couture—will once again be sailing overseas to Manchester, England.
The main event will showcase Couture, who at 46 is undoubtedly in the winter of his career yet still seeking past glory, hoping that an impressive victory over Brandon "The Truth" Vera will catapult him back to the summit of the UFC's 205-pound light-heavyweight division.
And, likewise, a possible future title shot against the formidable champion, Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida.
The problem this writer sees with Couture's future aspirations is somewhat of a physical one, but to a much larger degree it is most certainly a mental one.
The physical part of the problem is obvious. Vera is a far younger, undoubtedly stronger, and much tougher competitor in comparison to Couture at this advanced point in "The Natural's" long and storied career.
The mental aspect of Couture's problem, however, is a hidden one, and one in which most 46-year-old men at some point get fooled by and subsequently need to deal with.
Somewhere hidden deep inside the cortex, or the complex circuitry of Couture's middle-aged brain, there exists a 22-year-old courageous young warrior, a once highly decorated Greco-Roman wrestler, and a three-time former UFC heavyweight and two-time light-heavyweight champion.
Therein lies the problem.
This younger fantasy fighter, which lives inside Couture's psyche, is undoubtedly still very much a huge part of the middle-aged Couture's career, still driving his bus, so to speak, and likewise could be steering him over the proverbial cliff.
Nonetheless, Couture intends once again to flatten every obstruction placed in front of him on his steep and rugged pathway to the 205-pound championship.
Another part of the problem could be that Couture has had upset victories—when the odds were stacked against him—in the past. Over some very big names, too, I might add.
So besides the obvious, which is the financial gain, it wouldn't take Sherlock Holmes to detect why "The Natural" clings to his past glory, constantly dreaming of regaining it in the way that he sometimes does.
Before Couture's huge and relatively recent upsets over the likes of heavyweight contender Gabe Gonzaga and former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia, he was beating up such notables as Chuck "Iceman" Liddell and Tito Ortiz.
Some of those aforementioned cage-fighters are now history, and as a result may no longer be relevant, but there is one who is still very much in today's UFC title mix.
Couture has the better of a trilogy—and a light-heavyweight championship win to go with it—over Vitor Belfort, who will be fighting for the 185-pound title early next year.
Belfort was a young 19-year-old phenom in October of '97 at UFC 15, yet out of his four previous fights before meeting Couture, none had gone longer than the 1:17 mark.
Couture—who, at the age of 34, was even then considered old for the game—demonstrated his signature clinch-wrestling and dirty-boxing skills, annihilating the young Belfort and leaving him in a bloody slump against the UFC's octagonal cage.
Ten years later at UFC 68, Couture was still in legendary form; he had been retired for more than a year, yet the young warrior living deep inside him once again beckoned him onward. Couture sensed he could once again become the heavyweight champion of the world by dethroning Tim Sylvia.
The 6'8" Sylvia was still at that time considered a mainstay UFC champion; he was on a six-fight win streak and was a huge favorite to demolish the older, smaller, and certainly less strong Couture.
Writers such as me thought him to have lost his marbles; not only was Couture going against the odds by moving up in weight, he was an old man fighting a 6'8" Goliath.
However, in normal Couture style, he came into the fight well prepared, with a strong game plan.
In the opening seconds, the elder statesman faked a low kick to Sylvia's legs, and when the big man dropped his hands Couture flattened him. The crowd roared to their feet.
The rest of the match saw Couture totally dominate the much larger champion en route to winning a unanimous decision.
So you see, this upcoming fight against Vera in England at UFC 105 is nothing new to Couture—he is fighting against all odds once again, and even though he is one of everybody's all-time favorites, I can't see him winning this time out.
At the same time, though, I'm sure among his legions of fans worldwide, none will be overly shocked if "The Natural" emerges in victory...and, honestly, I won't either.
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