205 lbs: Randy Couture vs. Mark Coleman
The main event of the evening provides a rare opportunity to see two UFC Hall of Famers fight each other, as Mark Coleman and Randy Couture will meet in a fight over a decade in the making. Coleman and Couture were the wrestling-based pioneers of the UFC Heavyweight Division, and now they will finally meet at Light Heavyweight to settle 12 years’ worth of questions.
Randy Couture is the only man in UFC history to hold titles in two weight classes. A dominant Greco-Roman wrestler who has defied the odds for over a decade, Couture’s bread and butter is getting the clinch, punishing opponents with dirty boxing, dragging them down, and punishing them on the mat. He also has pretty solid boxing which, though sometimes unorthodox and looping, has shown an ability to drop opponents with big power punches. Lately, Couture’s age has appeared to catch up with him at last, which is why Coleman, an opponent just as old and grizzled as he is.
Mark Coleman was the UFC’s original dominant heavyweight. The innovator of wrestling and ground and pound in Mixed Martial Arts, Coleman has been a mainstay in the sport almost since its inception. While both Coleman and Couture are known for their wrestling, they are actually very different fighters. Couture likes to use his looping punches to set up the clinch, whereas Coleman relies on more traditional and technical, but less powerful, boxing and driving double leg takedowns.
This is an interesting matchup for a lot of reasons. They have some stylistic differences, but their career trajectories have been very similar. They have similar records and have fought similar levels of competition. Most notably, neither fighter has lost to anything but top 3 competition in over a decade. A lot of people are writing Coleman off in this fight, but he did not earn his reputation without the skills to back it up, and he is custom made to neutralize Couture’s advantages.
What I think it will come down to, as many of Coleman’s fights have, is his gas tank. I think that, technically, Coleman is the superior fighter, and will surprise a lot of people by winning the boxing exchanges and by having superior wrestling. It is just a matter of whether Coleman’s gas tank holds out long enough for him to win 2 rounds. Unfortunately, against someone with a pace as grinding as Couture’s, I don’t think Coleman’s gas tank will last it out. Expect Couture to squeeze by with a decision by winning rounds 2 and 3.
Fight Prediction: Randy Couture via decision.
- It is worth noting, though, that Coleman is a huge underdog in the betting lines, and it is entirely possibly that he can do enough to earn 2 rounds and the win, so a small bet on Coleman might not be a bad idea considering how disproportionate the odds are.
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