Is Randy Couture In the Title Hunt?

Talk about a funny question.  When the name Randy Couture is mentioned, champion is one of the first things that comes to mind.  Randy is MMA tradition defined, constantly evolving his game in ways that the likes of Matt Hughes and Jeremy Horn could not.  We all know that he is yet again a 205'er, but is this living legend in the title hunt?

Quick Title Picture

If you look at the 205-pound title picture you will see a hand-full of usual suspects.  Shogun is the champ.  He dethroned The Dragon and will now have the daunting task of holding the belt.

Next in line for a chance at the champ is the winner of Rampage vs. Rashad .  Predictions-a-plenty will be coming in the future about that one soon...  So that at least puts Randy out of the top two in this stacked division.

After that you have to place Machida.  He has only lost one fight in his UFC career and is a few months out of being considered one of the best in the world.

Throw in Rich Franklin, Jon Jones, Forrest Griffin and the others atop this division and you have a web of talent. Speaking of Web, Anderson Silva could jump everyone on this list at some point (if he hasn't already).

The Best Case Scenario

Lets be honest, a win over James Toney does not get Randy a title shot.  I for one do not think it should anyway.

If Randy is to ever have his hand raised and wear UFC gold once again, he is going to need help.  Just like your typical Stanfords , Florida States, and ODUs in March, Randy is on the bubble.

First off, Randy needs to destroy boxer James Toney .  In the first TRUE top level boxer vs. MMA fighter event, Randy will need to do his favorite Koscheck impersonation and get it to the floor.

Since we are talking about best case scenario, Randy almost needs Rampage to KO Rashad fast!  This gets Rampage a shot at Rua relatively quick.  I say Jackson, because Rampage would be the tougher fight between the two.  Randy is just as good of wrestler as Rashad , and could control the fight.  When Machida controlled the fight against Rashad , Evans had no answer. 

Randy defeats Rashad and gets a shot at the Rampage vs. Rua winner.

To be honest this puts Randy at getting a title shot in the spring of 2011.  Although that is not far off, for a 156 year old MMA fighter it is a life time.

Worst Case Scenario

The worst case scenario for Randy is also the worst for every MMA fan in the world.  A Couture loss to Toney could spark a new empire of boxing fans, and rejuvenate the current ones.  A loss all but puts a nail in the proverbial coffin of Randy's illustrious career.

All in all, Randy is simply Rich Franklin, in a sense.  Not many MMA enthusiasts believe that Randy has enough in the tank to make another "serious" title run.  At some point his age will begin to catch up if it is not already.

As hard as it is to say, Randy is suddenly turning into one of the most popular gate keepers in the UFC.  He is a money man that can continue to help the UFC grow to new heights by fighting the best of the best at 205.  If he could put together a string of wins he could earn a shot, but do you really think a 50-year-old is going to beat Rashad Evans/ Rampage Jackson, Shogun Rua and possibly Lyoto Machida ?