UFC 109: Randy Couture's “Icing on the Cake”

There isn’t much left for Randy “The Natural” Couture to prove to himself, the UFC, or any of his countless number of fans. The 46-year-old Everett, Washington native is already a three-time heavyweight champion, two-time light-heavyweight champ and the first fighter to hold titles in two different weight classes.

He is also the only five-time champ in UFC history, the only fighter to have competed in 15 title bouts, and the oldest (46) to step inside the octagon. So, it’s needless to say that whatever the UFC Hall of Famer does from here, is icing on the cake.

Couture began fighting in May 1997 at UFC 13. He, along with his UFC 109 opponent, Mark Coleman, helped pave the way for wrestlers to succeed in mixed martial arts. He demolished countless opponents, including superstars Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell, Tito Ortiz, and Vitor Belfort throughout his career as a light-heavyweight and heavyweight.

It was in August 2007, when Couture proved he was still capable of competing at the highest level. It was there in Las Vegas at UFC 74: "Respect” that “The Natural” began to show another big part of his repertoire. He came up with a perfect game plan for his big and dangerous Brazilian counterpart, Gabriel Gonzaga. Using an inside striking strategy full of elbows and uppercuts, Couture punished Gonzaga in his first defense of his re-captured heavyweight belt.

His victory over Gonzaga was by no means the highlight of his legendary career; however it did bring a great deal of publicity as to how intelligent this veteran fighter really is. It is intelligence that he will lean on this February atop the UFC 109 fight card in order to try and take down an opponent very similar to himself. As he already knows, Mark Coleman is not an opponent to take lightly.

To defeat Coleman would not only help him plan the next step in his Hall-of-Fame career, but it will also solidify his decision in making the drop to 205 pounds. While a UFC 109 victory wouldn’t mean an immediate title shot, it would make the crowded UFC light heavyweight title picture even more packed.

If a title run is not in his or the UFC officials' immediate plans, it does open the door for some intriguing matchups. A win over a notable opponent of Coleman’s caliber allows him to look at a couple different options, such as revisiting a rumored bout with UFC middleweight, and sometimes light heavyweight, Anderson “The Spider” Silva. If that bout doesn’t come to life, how about a Couture vs. Rampage, Couture vs. Griffin, or even another Couture vs. Ortiz matchup? The options are plentiful and whichever way you look at it, you can’t go wrong with pitting Couture against any of those 205-pound giants.

What if Couture falls in the UFC 109 main event? A loss to Coleman doesn’t kill his chances against any of the aforementioned possible matchups; it just doesn’t make them as appealing. Win or lose, there isn’t anywhere for a legend of his stature to go but forward. Only on fight three of his newly signed six-fight deal, be on the lookout for more Randy Couture headliners.