UFC 109 Aftermath: Will Randy Couture Fight Again before a Title Shot?

The burning question in the light heavyweight division after last night: Did Randy Couture lock in one last title shot with his victory over Mark Coleman?  

Dana White did not go as far as to say he did, but did confirm Couture was in the mix. 

"There's some unfinished business in the light heavyweight division," White said. "We've got to do Rashad and Rampage. We've got to do the Machida and 'Shogun' fight, and Randy falls in the middle of that whole mess somewhere."

"We'll see what happens. I've got to see what happens with the next couple fights."

The next logical question becomes, will Couture sit on the sidelines while those fights play out, or will he be back in action? For what it's worth, White added that “The Natural” could be back be back in the octagon soon.

With “Machida-Shogun” taking place May 8 at UFC 113 and “Rashad-Rampage” taking place three weeks later at UFC 114, it would make sense to timetable Couture to fight on a card as close to those matchups as possible.

In theory, Couture could fight on the same Memorial Day fight card as Rashad Evans vs. “Rampage” Jackson. UFC 114 is still sixteen weeks away, plenty of time for Couture to turnaround given the assiduous pace he has been keeping since UFC 102.

Other options include having him fight at UFC 115 in Vancouver, along side Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz , or at UFC 116, set for Fourth of July Weekend in Las Vegas. If all goes according to plan, Brock Lesnar will make his return on that card.

If the UFC does have Couture fight once more before they determine the next number one contender at 205, the question of who he fights next requires the right answer.  

The only fighter in the top ten currently without an opponent is Thiago Silva. With his knockout power, Silva could thump Couture right out of any title talk. It would be another fight where Couture would need to utilize a masterful gameplan to neutralize the acerbic striking of Silva.

The UFC could also pair Couture up with Keith Jardine, if the “Dean of Mean” is able to snuff out light heavyweight prospect Ryan Bader at UFC 110. Jardine is a tricky opponent though, and he could easily disrupt Couture, much like he derailed Chuck Liddell back at UFC 76.

Lastly, the UFC could put together what would be the most marketable match up of the three.

A fight between Couture and Rich Franklin would catch the attention of both hardcore and mainstream fans alike. A win for either fighter would be huge for their respective careers, and the damage done from a close decision loss would likely be neutralized by the marketability of the fight as a whole.

With his win last night, Randy Couture confirmed that he remains a tour de force in the light heavyweight division. Whether or not he earned one last title shot, or will have to take one more fight, remains to be seen.