Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Couture will be one of the biggest fights in mixed martial arts history. It will take place on Saturday, November 15th, in MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada for UFC 91.
The UFC marketing machine is going to shove this clash of names down everyone's throats like never before as it gets closer and close to fight time, so prepare.
It will be sold as THE biggest fight in MMA history. And despite any controversy over the match being made, the point can not be argued. Two big names, each for their own reasons, will collide.
Only one question remains. And we ask it to some of the brightest minds of the MMA Bleacher Report Community. Who wins and why?
Jad Semaan
Lesnar will take Couture down easily, and shouldn't have much difficulty keeping him there. The size and strength difference will be too great for Couture too overcome.
"The Natural" does not have a good guard and he lacks high-end submission skills. He will need to catch Lesnar with a flying knee or cut him with an elbow. The fight won't be on the feet for long, and I don't think cardio will play a large factor either.
Lesnar might be really aggressive and look for a tko victory after getting a dominant position on the ground. It's possible he may finish Couture, but I think he'll end up scoring a decision victory using superior wrestling and ground control.
Couture has lost to bigger grapplers before (Ricco & Barnett), but Lesnar is a different kind of animal, and presents an even worse nightmare match-up for the "Natural".
However, I must say that the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion will be the man who walks away unscathed from the four-man "tournament" involving Couture, Lesnar, Noguiera and Mir.
Couture holds the official title, Nogueira has the interim belt and Mir never lost his belt in a title match, so whoever emerges undefeated in his next two fights will be the true champion, and only after the other three contenders have lost.
Bryan Trafford
For Couture to win this, he will have to negate the advantages Brock will have in this fight which are speed, youth, power, and size. Randy will need to avoid standing at a distance with Brock, and initiate clinches where he can work on the inside.
On the ground Randy will most likely end up on his back, and should look to work for submissions. The longer this fight goes without Randy taking too much punishment, the better his chances will be.
As for Brock, he should look to keep this fight standing and at a distance to start with. He has shown quick hands and reflexes, and he needs to try to soften Randy up before shooting for a takedown which we all know is coming and I doubt Randy will be able to stop.
If he can avoid clinching and keep those legs from being exposed in bad positions on the ground, this can be easy work for him.
My pick is Brock by ground-n-pound stoppage in a fight that's not even close.
Derek Bedell
Brock Lesnar is a monster. The guy is a former division one wrestling champion with freakish strength. Although his MMA skills are very fresh and new, I feel Lesnar will overpower Randy Couture in their November super match-up.
Randy Couture has been out of action for over a year. "The Natural" can easily pull of the victory due to his masterful game plans, experience, and the fact that he’s Randy F’N Couture.
However, I feel Lesnar’s incredible strength, wrestling background, youth, speed, and athleticism will be too much for the 45-year-old.
Randy can’t wrestle Brock the way he has others in the past. Lesnar is a lot more athletic and quicker than Tim Sylvia. So this fight will be incredibly different than that David vs. Goliath showdown.
I expect Couture to pick and choose his spots and try to tire out the beast in Brock Lesnar. Expect Randy to try and pull of the win by decision or in the later rounds. That seems to be the smart thing to do.
Randy Couture is the Rocky Balboa of MMA and this fight sure has the qualities of Drago vs. Balboa in Rocky IV. The question remaining is will we see Rocky prevail and win the hearts of millions again or Drago dominate and finish.
37 comments Last one added 7 months ago — Leave a Comment
Todd Jackson 8 months ago
I dont know if it will prove true but I think a strong defense for Couture will be Judo throws. If he can clinch with Lesnar and use leverage to lean him one way or the other, he can flip Lesnar using his own body weight and momentum, scoring a take down in the process. Stand it up box a bit, clinch, control, flip him again. If he charges for take downs, knees knees knees. Brock is very top heavy, and he commits when he moves forward, I know Randy isnt a Judo pracitioner but throws arent that hard to master, especially when a guy is garaunteed to come forward. Just my take on it. I dont pretend to know how this will go, I see Brock getting a bit of an education. His size and strength are quite beneficial but his lack of experience will be exposed. Gonzaga and Sylvia were as large as Brock for the most part, not equally but generally speaking, they had more experience fighting than Brock does, Randy schooled them both. If this stays standing, Couture wins, the ground game is another story. That is to Brocks advantage, but for some reason, I just cant bet against Couture anymore. It has cost me before. Even if he is in there with Goliath. I remember the UFC days of old, David VS. Goliath matchups. Size and strength usually lost to speed and accuracy. Ive seen that scenario too many times to bet Brock will win due to superior physical makeup. The expereince in Randys corner should be equally valued. Ring rust is a whole other topic I will not waste your time with as Ive said enough already. Great read, good ideas and comments about the fight in this article. Take care.
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Nick Tatum 8 months ago
Nice breakdowns by the contributing writers here!!
My take on things isn't much different:
Even if Randy can use a judo throw to momentarily throw off Brocks' balance or if Randy can get in a position for dirty boxing, Brock is too strong for Randy to be able to maintain these position long enought to do all that much damage.
The fight will go to the ground, likely before too long, and Lesnar will win a wrestling match (maybe even a ground and pound TKO)!
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Doug Drexler 8 months ago
Your analysis is extremely flawed...
First of all, you listed Vitor Belfort under his "key wins." Couture fought Belfort three times, all as a light heavyweight.
All of the losses you mention are completely irrelevant. The losses to Rodriguez and Barnett were SIX years ago. Any MMA fighter evolves his skill set over time. He is not even close to the same fighter today as he was then. He has learned to deal with larger opponents, even grapplers (see Gonzaga fight). The other three losses you list were SEVEN, EIGHT, and NINE years ago.
You make a point about his two recent wins at heavyweight, "As for those last two wins, they will be the only wins Randy has over heavyweights in the past six years on the night that he fights Lesnar. Think about that." The reason they are the only wins he has at heavyweight in the past six years is because they are the ONLY fights he has at heavyweight in the past six years.
You then go on to discredit both Tim Sylvia and Gabriel Gonzaga by listing their recent fight history. The fact of the matter is that Brock Lesnar has only THREE fights in his entire MMA career.
Lesnar has yet to prove anything inside the octagon. He beat up an unknown can that K-1 found over in South Korea. He then loses in 90 seconds to a struggling former champion, Frank Mir, who had lost two of his last four fights prior to defeating Lesnar. Lesnar finally gets a win in the octagon against Heath Herring, who hasn't finished a fight in two and a half years. He had him hurt in the first round, yet couldn't finish him. He constantly put Herring on his back, and did absolutely nothing with the position. Now you want us to believe he's going to defeat Couture?
I hope I don't spend my money to watch Lesnar lay on Couture for 25 minutes (yes, this fight is a FIVE round match). And I certainly hope the majority of the people don't really buy into the hype machine trying to convince us that Lesnar deserves the title shot, let alone stands a chance to win.
I'll make my analysis quick...In reality, speed and power are the two advantages Lesnar has in this fight. Couture will surprise Lesnar in the wrestling department. Remember, this is MMA, not college wrestling. The style of wrestling that Couture uses is designed for MMA. Greco wrestling focuses on the upper body, which is exactly how Couture will attack Lesnar. He will use "dirty boxing" from the inside to distract Lesnar, wrestling to keep him off balance, and will end this fight via TKO in the fourth or fifth round.
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Robert DesRoche 8 months ago
No. The first time Belfort and Couture fought it was a heavyweight bout.
Six years hasn't made him any bigger. I know the other losses were forever ago but the fact of the matter is they are losses, and I was listing his losses.
I know those are the only fights he has at heavyweight in the last 6 years. That's why I said that. People try to paint him as a dominate heavyweight champion, top ten p4p fighter and it's ridiculous. Let him beat more than two guys at heavyweight first.
The fact that Brock only has three fights in his career is irrelevant. I was focusing on Randy.
Yet to prove anything? That's simply false. Whether he lost to Mir or not, he proved that he has a lot of athletic ability and size that translates to MMA in that fight, at the least. And Herring, whether you like it or not, is a solid opponent. Completely dominating him the way Brock did proves something.
Lesnar doesn't deserve a title shot, but I'd be shocked if he didn't win. Lots of people who understand MMA very well are picking Lesnar, and to say that he 'doesn't stand a chance to win' is ludicrous.
As for your analysis, I don't think he'll be able to clinch with Brock and dirty box him successfully. Lesnar should be able to make quick level changes and take him down with relative ease. Don't forget that Couture is giving up 50 pounds. Of course Couture is a better mixed martial artist p4p, but I don't see how anyone couldn't favor Lesnar in this matchup.
I appreciate the comment.
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Robert DesRoche 8 months ago
And as for the Gonzaga fight, yes he did well against him.... but Gonzaga isn't a wrestler. Not to mention his nose was broken early in the fight which did see to hinder him as the fight continued. The point I was making with the Barnett/Rodriguez references was that the big grappler is still the worst matchup for Randy. And I don't see how that can be disputed.
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Doug Drexler 8 months ago
No problem, Robert.
We may disagree on the merit and outcome of this fight. But we share a passion for the sport of MMA.
By the way, the first fight between Couture and Belfort at UFC 15 may have been a heavyweight bout, but if my memory serves me correctly, "heavyweight" included anyone weighing more than 200 pounds. The current weight classes were formed some years later.
My impassioned "speech" is caused mostly because I despise WWE (or any form of fake combat). My nephews watch it, and I can't stand it (they can't turn it on over at my house). I have a hard time accepting him into "our" sport, but I will eventually warm up to him in time.
As far as predicting the outcome of this fight goes, we certainly disagree. And that's why they climb into the cage, isn't it?
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Robert DesRoche 8 months ago
Ok, so we agree about the Belfort fight. I'm aware that the heavyweight class was totally different back then, but it was still a heavyweight fight. When I think of Lesnar I really don't think of WWE at all... I'm think I'm unique in that aspect.
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Doug Drexler 8 months ago
Don't forget that neither Rodriguez nor Barnett were particularly good wrestlers, especially Rodriguez. Their area of expertise was submissions. Obviously, they had a size advantage on Couture.
Some would argue that a bigger fighter with submission expertise is the most dangerous matchup for Couture. In fact, that's why he stated that Gonzaga would be a more dangerous matchup for him than CroCop when he was a commentator for their matchup.
That's why I believe that Couture will ultimately lose to Big Nog (assuming they both win their upcoming matches) when they meet in 2009 to unify the UFC heavyweight title.
We'll see my friend...
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Robert DesRoche 8 months ago
I definitely see the submission argument. I feel the reason that Gonzaga was viewed as a tougher matchup by Couture was because Gonzaga is dangerous on his feet and on the ground, and he saw Cro Cop as a guy that he could just take down and ground and pound. What I may argue is that a big wrestler like Brock is the type of guy that is the a mismatch for Couture. A guy that can neutralize Randy's best skill sets by putting him on his back. Couture just hasn't faced a fighter quite like Brock before. Also, as you said earlier, I hope Brock doesn't lay on him for 5 rounds without being able to manufacture a finish.
If Lesnar beats Couture... I'm not sure if I'd pick him over Big Nog. I think I would pick him over Mir though.
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Jonathan Goh 8 months ago
I think this fight will be alot closer than you guys say it will. The reason being that Couture is a much different fighter than he was in years past. He's far more experienced and aggressive and knows how to think his way through matches better than almost anyone. He's like a fine wine who's gotten better with age. I believe Couture is a master tactician and will make this very competitive, but unless he pulls off a submission, I don't see him beating Lesnar in the standup or in wrestling.
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Ryan Sarazin 8 months ago
Well I'm gonna go with the minority here and pick Randy to win this bout.
That being said, I wouldn't be at all surprised if Brock takes home the belt. But I'm picking Randy and here's why...
Should Brock end up on his back he's screwed. Just like Randy was years ago against Barnett and Rodriguez. Brock is very top heavy as someone mentioned above; his legs are tiny in comparison to that mammoth upper body of his. Couture is very good at mixing his dirty boxing, clinch techniques and high single leg takedowns. If Herring can put Lesnar's back against the cage then so can Couture. This is where Couture will use his timing and mix his boxing with change in levels and take out Brocks 'little' legs. Brock hasn't been truly tested on the feet yet, he hasn't really been hit and I'm wondering how he'll deal with that when trying to concentrate on defending the takedown. It's my opinion that Couture confuses Brock here and is able to get that much needed takedown.
Let's also remember that Couture has brought in some seriously big heavyweight wrestlers to train with at Xtreme Couture. Shane Carwin is a monster of a man at 6'3", 265 lbs and is an NCAA wrestling champion, and is tall and muscular with a very similar build to Lesnar. These wrestlers are putting Couture through hell right about now and I don't think the size will be anything Couture hasn't had to deal with in training.
If Couture can put Lesnar on his back then Brock is in big trouble. This is where I think Couture confuses Lesnar some more as Lesnar hasn't been truly hit inside the Octagon. Couture can win a decision this way if he can manage to take Lesnar down. Lesnar, in this position, could also make a rookie mistake when being ground and pounded and give up his back to Couture where Couture could have a chance to catch him in a rear naked choke.
Again, it wouldn't surprise me if Brock pulled out the decision win in this one, but I'm going with Couture by Unanimous Decision.
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Jeff Wackerly 8 months ago
I agree with you 100% ryan. I don't even need to write my opinion again as you just did for me. Thanks.
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Brian Oswald 8 months ago
Quite a writers bloc you put together Robert. Kudos! Keep me in mind for a future panel article. I will always argue for the underdog. For now, I will put my thoughts down on here. I probably could have made it a “response article,” I apologize for the length in advance.
Stating the obvious; Brock is stronger, faster, younger, and will outweigh Couture by 50-60lbs. He is a better wrestler, at least from a take-your-opponent to the ground mentality. He is a free style wrestler where Randy is a Greco-roman wrestler so there are differences there. Mainly, in Greco-Roman, the wrestlers are permitted to hold and attack only above the waist. Freestyle wrestlers go for takedowns. Brock’s size and strength will make it harder for him to utilize his Greco-Roman wrestling and his infamous clinch, although he used it against both Josh Barnett and Ricco Rodriguez with success.
In Regards to Couture vs. Barnett, (as an example of taking on bigger fighters) Couture dominated Barnett in the first round. He used his Greco-Roman wrestling to dominate the upper body, pin him against the cage, successfully took him down, and land some strikes.
He started out doing the same thing in the second, but Barnett had a great reversal and turned it around on Couture; ground-and-pounding him out. It is worth noting that, at the time, Barnett had 20lbs. on Couture vs. the 50-60lbs. that Lesnar will have on him.
But you can’t compare Lesnar to Barnett just because it works for the “bigger fighter/grappler” example. This will be only Lesnar’s fourth MMA fight. When Barnett beat Couture is was his Josh’s 11th MMA fight and his record was 11-1. Couture went on to face Ricco Rodriguez in his very next fight. It was Ricco’s 15th fight and after beating Randy his record stood at 14-1.
There is a big learning curve between your fourth fight vs. your eleventh or fifteenth. Also, Couture is not the same fighter he was when those fights took place. It was over 6 years ago. He may weigh the same but a number on a scale doesn’t account for everything. Couture will have something that Lesnar doesn’t have: intangibles that you can’t measure with a bench press, a scale, or fewer candles on the birthday cake.
Couture has old man's strength & heart and is an octagon veteran. His speed and strength come from a different source. I can out bench my Dad and certainly out run him but, for some reason, he is just as strong or stronger then me. I don’t really know how to define old man strength but I know it’s a big factor. Your strength is more set in its ways; more hardened, rugged and cagey.
Also, Couture knows the angles of the octagon better then anyone. He knows how to use octagon leverage and take advantage of the fence like no one else. He is a blood hound and will sniff out any weakness Brock has. Sure Brock has all the traditional advantages going for him. But I think the discrepancy is not as great as people are latching onto.
As far as the gamelans for both fighters go:
Brock will obviously try to take Randy down. It’s the crux of his game plan. Take him down, hold him down, and try and land as many shots as possible. He will probably hope it looks a lot like the Herring fight. Except I am sure he would like to finish the fight with some ground and pound. No one wants to see 5 rounds of lay ‘n pray from Lesnar.
Going back to the Herring fight, Brock showed the strength he has in his hands by laying out Heath with one punch. That sure made setting up the takedown painless; except for Herring of course. I suspect the stand up game will look a little different between Couture and Lesnar though. Randy is a boxer, for all intensive purposes. Lesnar hits hard, but is by no means a boxer. There is a big difference between throwing heavy hands and being a technical & tactical boxer. The question is, “Can Randy hurt Lesnar with his dirty boxing?” He will have to if he has any chance.
Two more questions, “Can Randy win the battle of the upper body and utilize his wrestling/clinch? And can Lesnar actually finish Couture with ground and pound?”
Most people will say “Heck No” to the first question. The second question probably can’t be answered yet. But Lesnar showed nothing, in terms of finishing, in his Herring fight.
At some point Lesnar will take Couture down. I don’t think it will be as easy as it was with Herring though. Also, Heath was able to escape from Brock’s full guard. So what will Randy be able to do? Randy will have to be able to get this fight back to his feet, one way or another. Either by escaping from Brock’s mount or neutralizing the action and getting the referee to stand them back up. Look for Couture to employ whatever he has to gain an advantage.
So will Lesnar get the decision by lay ‘n pray over Couture or can he actually get a T(KO) via ground and pound?
Can Couture get the decision by scoring more points via his “dirty boxing” and escaping Brock's mount? Or could he actually T(KO) the big man in the later rounds after softening him up?
While I would give the conventional edge to Lesnar, how can you count Randy out? He is 9-5 in championship fights, 6-2 at HW and 3-3 at LHW. I know it’s easy to call this fight for the bigger, stronger, younger, better “takedown” wrestler based on tangibles. But intangibles count for something too.
So can Randy overcome a monstrous bench press & squat, a 4.7 in the 40, 50+ lbs, and NCCAA championship caliber wrestling? If his 12 years of octagon experience, legendary fights, underdog status, master gameplans, superior boxing, and of course “old man strength” have any say, then just maybe. If anyone can neutralize Lesnar with a gameplan it is Couture.
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Robert DesRoche 8 months ago
Holy long! I'll set aside some time to read this by tomorrow. Hopefully. Pretty busy.
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Robert DesRoche 8 months ago
Nevermind. Already read it. Great analysis.
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Jad Semaan 8 months ago
I find it interesting that none of the writers published an argument on why Couture would win. For the betting odds they are about even, at -115 each give or take. And if you look at the stats for some MMA websites such as mmaplayground.com, the majority of MMA fans there (61%) are picking the "Natural." Maybe the MMA authors on this site know something that others don't?
Anyways, I just wanted to point out that few other heavyweights could come in and dominate a veteran such as Herring in their third pro fight. Couture would not be able to finish Herring even now, so Lesnar should get some more credit for that victory. I would really like to see Couture face Mir; I'm not exactly sure how that fight would go down. Still, Noguiera will end up winning the four-man tourney, though his eventual showdown will Lesnar should be entertaining while it lasts.
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Brian Oswald 8 months ago
I tried to make a case for what could allow Couture to win. I dont know if anyone will actually read through all of it though! I am not outright picking hm to dominate. I think his fight is too close to call, although convention makes it easy to pick Lesnar while the intangibles give Couture a reasonable chance. Couture has become a "mythic" figure in MMA so I do think alot of fans pick him to win blindly, based on that, and also his past feats. But I also think people are blindly picking Lesnar because of the bigger, stronger, younger, better "take down" wrestler argument.
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Brian Oswald 8 months ago
Great concept & panel for a a hot topic article by the way. POTD
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Robert DesRoche 8 months ago
Thanks to Bryan Trafford for starting the group article concept around here. This time it was just my turn to execute the article for this topic.
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Joseph Lupoli 8 months ago
Brock via ax kick to the head with one second left on the clock.
Then I woke up...Couture via arm-bar midway through the first.
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Robert DesRoche 8 months ago
Lol.
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Dorothy Willis 8 months ago
Great job Robert and panel. You certainly stirred up a rnge of comments. It is good to disagree when you are able to back up your opinion. I am at a loss here because I am old and would love to see my favorite old man of the sport win over his fresh youthful opponent. My reasons are sentimental, not logical and as everyone agrees--this could go several ways. An enjoyable article with great discussion.
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Derek Bolender 8 months ago
I think people a lot of people get caught up in the whole couture aura, which is understandable, I think we all have to a certain degree. He's one of the greats and people are emotionally invested. As a buddy of mine would say, "you're too close to the forest to see through the trees."
If you remove the emotional factor and simply look at the matchup I don't see any realistic way that Couture will be able to win this fight. It's simply a bad matchup for Couture. The layoff is a minor factor but the real difference in this fight will be lesnar's dominant physical skill set.
The speed, power, strength, and athleticism of Lesnar cannot be simulated in training nor has couture seen anything like it before in his career. It will allow lesnar to hoard off couture's takedown attempts. It will also allow lesnar to be able to take couture down with relative ease. Lesnar can throw caution to the wind as well b/c he doesn't have to worry about getting submitted.
He's got 50 - 60 pounds on him. That's Rampage taking down Tyson Griffin. Lesnar's physical skills will also not allow couture to control lesnar's movement and hold him in the clinch, or pin him up against the fence, which also negates his dirty boxing.
I hope couture has been practicing his submission skills ... I think lesnar wins via TKO by ground and pound. I would say unanimous decision lesnar but I don't think couture will be able to take as much punishment as a much larger herring was able to do.
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Brian Oswald 8 months ago
Derek,
Brock fighting Randy is not quite like Rampage fighting Griffin. I see what your getting at though. However, you cant go off of actual pounds, you have to go off of percentages. I would say its more like Rampage fighting GSP. Still a decided size & strength advantage though. So point taken, kind of =)
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Doug Drexler 8 months ago
It's funny how everyone talks about Lesnar being a bad matchup for Couture because he takes away Couture's primary strength. Couldn't the reverse be said as well? In terms of fighting skills in MMA, there are a few things to consider: striking, wrestling (takedowns and TD defense), ground 'n pound, and submissions.
Is Lesnar a skilled striker? If so, we haven't seen it yet. He is a powerful striker as we saw in his fight with Herring. But most experts don't expect to see Lesnar display technical footwork and working angles. Is Couture a skilled striker? He may not be a technician like Anderson Silva, but he knows how to execute a striking gameplan designed for a specific opponent. Just ask Chuck Liddell, Tim Sylvia, and Gabriel Gonzaga. Advantage Couture.
Is Lesnar a skilled wrestler? Of course he is. One thing we haven't seen yet is how his wrestling will translate in the cage against someone with Couture's wrestling skills. It is a different type of wrestling, and as I mentioned in an earlier comment, Couture has perfected using his greco-roman wrestling in the sport of MMA. Advantage unknown.
Is Lesnar skilled at ground and pound? He displayed dominant positional control against Herring, but never really threatened to finish the fight. Couture has made a career of dominant ground and pound. Advantage Couture (I may change my mind about this if Lesnar shows something we haven't seen yet).
Is Lesnar skilled at submissions? Of course not. Couture hasn't shown a propensity for using submissions either. But there is no question that Couture is more schooled in submissions than Lesnar due to a lengthy MMA career, and the fact that he trains with many of the top fighters in the world at his gym. While I don't expect we'll see a submission, the advantage still goes to Couture.
Having said all this, the matchup is intriguing primarily because there is so much we don't know about Lesnar's skills. If Couture were fighting another MMA veteran, the breakdown of the fight would be much easier. However, the only way we can make a prediction is by GUESSING at what Lesnar may or may not be capable of doing against a top-level fighter like Couture.
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Todd Jackson 8 months ago
This is the best explanation of the wild card factor surrounding Brock Ive read so far. I am leaning towards Randy for sheer loyalty and experience, nothing more. I refuse to pick Brock even if there are glaring physical advantages. Your points are very strong as far as the unknown elements Brock may or may not possess. Great point, youve given me just a little bit more to think about.
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Brad 8 months ago
I said this somewhere else already, but I definitely think that the unknown factor of Brock Lesnar helps to make this match what it is. It's because of (rather than in spite of) the fact that we don't know if Lesnar can take a punch, mix it up on his feet, go five rounds, apply a RNC that we allow our imaginations to run wild with him. He's like the little guy in the kung fu movie who doesn't do anything for the first half of the fight... we're waiting for it and we just KNOW it's gonna be cool when he does.
That's also the reason this fight is that rare pick 'em bet in Vegas. Nobody has enough facts to go too far out on a limb.
I'm picking Brock Lesnar via shooting star press in the 3rd.
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Leon Horne 8 months ago
People are writing off Brock's submission skills. Nick Thompson a guy with 21 out of 36 career wins by submission is training with Brock. He said at the beginning of Brock's mma career up until the last fight, Brock was getting schooled by the black belt 200-225lbs submission specialists in his camp. He says now, they can forget about it. Brock isn't getting submitted or tapped by the guys he was being beaten by 6 months ago, he even has some submissions of his own. Not to mention having former Greco hopeful and Couture knowledge fountain Marty Morgan is going to help.
Here is the information: http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3672982
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egbert garcia 8 months ago
ill go for couture,
you know all how couture dominates in skill and experience.no doubt,brock is a lot stronger and maybe faster than couture.but brock being hurt in a fight is a different story,no one knows how brock can handle being hurt,trying to protect himself and at the same time fighting to win.many MMA fighters have a broken bone to their body but still fighting.their bones snaps in a subbmission but never tapsout,blood rushing to theire faces cannot breath to there noses coz of the blood.you cannot practice or master that kind of way of fighting.you learned it from experience,in this fight there will be a lot of punishing.
if you can still remember how fast lesnar taps while mir has ankle lock on him?
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Marcus Smith 8 months ago
I hear the same thing over and over again "how well can Brock take a shot" for those of you who remember when Brock screwed up on his "shooting star" versus Kurt Angle back in the WWE days you'll recall at that time he was about 300lbs and all that mass came down on his neck, now I consider that being able to take a shot he continued on hurting of course but finished the match...no punch to the face or kick could ever amount to that kind of punishment.
So can Brock take a shot you bet....look at his neck and traps he is built like a bull.
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Dave Snodgrass 8 months ago
Randy Couture wins with a tko 3 minutes into the 2nd Round.
Don't give Lesnar too much credit for beating Herring. Heath Herring is a chump, not a veteran. He was a chump in Pride and he's a chump in UFC. It's amazing Dana keeps him around. He brings nothing to the organization. The worst part of all his fights is having to listen to his crying about how he lost the fight after it happens.
Lesnar's loss to Mir should give some idea of what skills he has against an actual seasoned fighter. And Frank Mir (who i'm a big fan of), is no Randy Couture.
Brock Lesnar has never been matched up against someone that can dominate a fight like Couture can, even against a fighter as big as Brock. Some say MMA is 90% mental/10% physical. I'm not sure I agree with those ratios but I'm quite sure at least 50/50. At this point, Couture has all the mental advantage in this fight, but Brock does not have all the physical advantage. ie cardio. 265 lbs, even if it is ALL muscle, is still 265 lbs. it takes alot of oxygen to pump that much blood to that much of a body.
I give no respect to the WWE crap. All that shows is that a person has very minimal acting skills, nothing more. However, Lesnar is an AMAZING wrestler and he is a natural athelete, much like "the natural". I believe Brock Lesnar will be a great figher in time but he is not champion material yet. He is still a one dimension fighter. Lesnar vs Slice is a more acurate matchup. Neither are MMA fighters yet.
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Robert DesRoche 8 months ago
I completely lost respect for your comments when you brought up Slice. That is absolutely ridiculous.
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Dave Snodgrass 8 months ago
i'll agree any day, Kimbo slice is a joke. but it is ridiculous to state that either Slice or Lesnar are actuall MMA Fighters. Maybe back in the early UFC days both of those fighters would right up there at the top of the list next to one dimension fighters such as Tank Abbot. But the sport has evolved into much more and it requires much more than knowing how to do one thing, no matter how well you do that one thing. Actual real wrestling (NOT WWE) is a great starting point for a MMA fighter. Probably the best way to start an MMA career. But it will take time before he is at Coutures level.
We'll see how it proves this saturday. like i said, Couture, tko, 3 minutes into the 2nd round
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andrew andrew 7 months ago
I think Brock played it smart and conservative vs Heath while on top position. People are complaining he was laying and praying- but I did not see that. He had mount options there many times and only went for it a couple of times. He was content to score with shots and keep position which won him the fight easily, and kept himself out of precarious sub attempts. I think his size, strength, weight advantage, athletic ability and wrestling background will negate randy´s clinch and takedowns. I think Brock´s reach advantage, power, and threat of a takedown will win him the stand up. I think Randy is amazing and inspirational, but not that great of a fighter in terms of skills. Outside of clinch and takedown skills- which Brock should be able to contest- he does not impress me. Chuck laid him out twice, and he then beat two fighters with weak wrestling ability who matched up well against him. I like Brock to win by 5 round decision. He will be smart and not be too agressive while on top- like he did vs Mir- whom he was dominating impressively before he got caught. He will dominate the stand up.
btw- I am enjoying your post. Thanks
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Dominic McCann 7 months ago
Like a few of the posts are saying, we don't know how Brock will react will the pressure get to him for being up against such an experienced fighter. I think personally Brock will try and end it quickly as if it goes the distance I can see with Randy's experience he will get the decision.But I have said to all my mates that if Brock does knock Randy down early or even takes him down early he will bombard him with shots to try and end the fight. Not a good move if he doesn't end the fight as his energy will go down rapidly. Randy has been in these situations before, we can guess how is would usually take the fight to an opponent. But will Randy change his gamplan to take into account the size of Brock. Who knows, we will find out in a few hours. As for the size of Brock I don't really think that can be taken to seriously because to hit someone it takes more than just miscle its in the mind- I do amature cage fighting and I know I can hit hard but if my mind is lost in the crowd or size of event the decisions aren't always as I would like them. Whatever the outcome I hope it is a great fight and agreeing completely that I hope Brock does not just lay and pray.
Oh I am going to put my money on Randy for this one. Should Brock give us an upset depending on his performance we will know if he is going to be a true champion.
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Matthew Fales 7 months ago
I think that yeaha Randy has exsperiance but brock has yuth power and he is a wrestling champion and basicaly this fight is going to be up close belive me its going to be when randy gets in brocks reach its prety much over
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Derek Bedell 7 months ago
I just realized my prediction was exactly right...sweet!
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