COUTURE VS. COLEMAN: RELENTLESS AND TIMELESS

With the ever evolving world off MMA and the rapid improvement in young fighters, it’s hard to believe we will see two UFC Hall of Famers headlining a Major Main Event.

Both Couture and Coleman have extensive wrestling back grounds, both have had single handily changed the game.  Coleman’s footprint or fist print in the MMA is the ground and pound.  No other fighter in MMA perfected and used GnP more effectively than Mark Coleman.  Early in his career combined with world class wrestling Coleman was an unstoppable monster starting off his career 6-0 beating the likes of Gary Goodridge, Dan Severn and Don Frye.  On top of the world and a little over confident Coleman lacked the effort and focus and dropped off the UFC and MMA map with 4 straight defeats.  Finding his way back to the top came at a time when his longtime friend and training partner Mark Kerr was spinning down rapidly with battles of drugs, depression and money.  I have to believe at this time finding a light in the Japan circuit was a blessing that Coleman relished knowing he had a beautiful family to support.  Seeing his dear friend struggle and lose gave him the strength to pull off a massive tournament win and secure his place in the MMA world to this day.

Randy Couture’s influence in the earlier MMA days is paramount to all North American or non BJJ fighters.  At the time there was a little unknown man named Royce Gracie displaying a style that locked fighters in and up to uncontested victories.  It seemed highly unlikely and other form of style could prevail consistently. It was Randy and his Greco Roman wrestling that showed that MMA could and ultimately was more than the ancient art of submission offence.  Randy’s interior toughness and dirty boxing gave a separation of the classic cliché Grappler VS. Striker, Randy was the first to introduce a controlling and suffocating clinch and takedown that would open the scene to all fighters that had a top game offence to make BJJ artists now defensive.  This new found approach allowed Couture to rattle off an impressive seven straight UFC wins.  Indeed Randy had found the perfect wrestling to MMA balance.  As the UFC opened the world and gave the platform to all fighters many new aged fighters walked right in combining Couture’s ring control and clinch with Coleman’s takedowns and ground flurries.  One fighter that comes to mind is Tito Ortiz.  Tito was the perfect hybrid.  A very raw wrestler that was able to understand that the world and cage success of a fighter is no longer the BJJ man, or the lighting quick striker or one punch power house puncher.  Tito learned that the wrestler was and would be the future of the sport.

Many years have pasted, and many fighters have evolved to what we now call “well rounded” fighters and champions a like have used wrestling as there base to accomplish there goals.  One fighter that tells this tale would be GSP.  GSP is a perfect combination of every MMA generation.  He has a solid foundation of wrestling, striking, BJJ and intelligence.  Going into this UFC PPV many has wondered if Dana White and crew are using two legendry names to sell this event, many have questioned if these two old guys should be fighting at all.  I have come into this UFC PPV proud to say that two pioneers that have done so much for this sport and its future have the opportunity to show they are more important at this day and age because after all these years despite what they have accomplished and experienced have to re invent themselves and prove that this sport has unlimited potential and boundaries for all athletes that push to be excellent, to be champions and to be Hall of Famers.

No one can ever predict a timeless classic,  on Saturday I have to believe that regardless of the outcome or the hype these two relentless warriors have given us all a bit of the sport we love today second push for the future.