This is the final installment of the Ropes, Ring and Cage UFC 91 preview, airing live on PPV this Saturday from Las Vegas, NV. For the whole week's predictions, scroll down to the bottom of this column.
Randy Couture (16-8) vs. Brock Lesnar (2-1) - UFC Heavyweight Championship
On Couture
What more can be said about the man known as 'Captain America'? At 45 years old, Couture has given hope to a generation of older athletes that they can still be relevant, competitive and a winner years after most people would have written them off.
He is the only five-time champion in UFC history and only the second to win titles in two divisions (BJ Penn). He's an Army veteran, a former three-time Olympic alternate and a multiple-time national wrestling champion at Oklahoma State.
Of course, this was back in the 1980s, but who's counting?
The UFC Hall-of-Famer debuted in May 1997 with a rear naked choke win over Tony Haime and TKO win over Steven Graham at UFC 13, when they had multiple matches in one night.
Seventy-eight events later, he's headlining what is expected to be the biggest event in the company's history. His notable career wins include tallies over Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, Tim Sylvia, Kevin Randleman and Vitor Belfort. Notable losses include Liddell (twice), Josh Barnett, Belfort and Ricco Rodriguez.
Even though he hasn't fought since August 2007, he's won two of his last three fights including his Heavyweight title victory over Sylvia in in March 2007. He stands 6'1", 220 pounds and has been in more major events than most on the current roster. Couture isn't just involved in the big moment...he IS the big moment.
On Lesnar
Pretty straight-forward here as Lesnar doesn't have much of an MMA past. However, it's how quickly he's improved, his heel character and his potential that has got people buzzing about Lesnar.
The fact he's 6'3" and 265 pounds probably doesn't hurt either: the dude is a beast and on Saturday, he'll be gunning for the UFC Heavyweight title in just his fourth professional fight.
"The Next Big Thing" was a former standout collegiate wrestler at the University of Minnesota and won a 2000 national title as a heavyweight after placing second the year before. In four year, Lesnar became a two-time NJCAA All-American, two-time NCAA All-American, two-time Big Ten Conference Champion and racked up a 106-5 record. So yeah, he's got wrestling credentials.
Then, there was his WWE run. Lesnar was a major attraction in McMahonLand, becoming the youngest WWE Champion they ever had at the time at just 25 years of age. He was a major draw, feuding with the likes of Hulk Hogan, Goldberg, The Rock, Undertaker, John Cena and Kurt Angle in his three years with the company. After attempting to make the Minnesota Vikings as a walk-on, he eventually found his way to MMA even though there were legal hoops with WWE that needed to be cleared before it happened.
Lesnar debuted for K-1 in June 2007, defeating Min Soo Kim by TKO (strikes) just over a minute into the first round. He signed a deal with the UFC and debuted against former Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir in February 2008, losing a well-documented match via kneebar submission in the first round. He rebounded with a well-received unanimous decision win over Heath Herring in August and now, here we are.
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