Dana White: “[Randy Couture's] in the Mix with the Top Five”

UFC president Dana White used Randy Couture’s victory over Mark Coleman at “UFC 109: Relentless” to reiterate the fact that Couture is right in the middle of the UFC’s light-heavyweight title picture.

“Again, this guy is totally getting disrespected by everybody, he’s one of the best light heavyweights in the world right now,” White said at the UFC 109 postfight press conference.

White made similar comments prior to Saturday’s Hall of Fame bout, however most MMA enthusiasts still feel that the outcome of the contest hasn’t changed the fact that Couture may be washed up. He struggled against a younger and more athletic Brandon Vera in his last outing at UFC 105, winning via a controversial unanimous decision.

“He’s only lost twice at this weight category…yeah keep laughing. I’m telling everybody that was chirping and talking [expletive], he’s one of the best light heavyweights in the world, period,” White continued.

Who he’s going to fight next in the 205-pound division is up in the air right now since all of the UFC’s superstars are finally getting healthy and have already been assigned their next opponents.

“He’s in the mix with the top five and can fight any of those guys at any time. It’s going to be a matter of timing now,” White explained.

Couture seems fine with being considered a top light heavyweight again, although he wouldn’t rule out a return to heavyweight if the opportunity presented itself.

“I’m enjoying training and competing against guys my own size, to be frank. The trend in the heavyweight division is these guys are not just big individuals, they’re damn good fighters. If you give away, 30, 40, 50 pounds to somebody it’s a pretty disparaging difference,” Couture said about remaining at light heavyweight.

There’s a lot of interesting bouts for Couture down the line, but if timing is the issue, the question becomes: how much time does the 46-year-old Couture have left?

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This story originally appeared on the MMA website, 5thRound.com