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2008-07-22 09:01:52
Does Randy Couture Really Want a Fight Against Fedor Emelianenko?
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Randy Couture is a proud man. He cares deeply about protecting his legacy, and has shown that he values his pride and his morals more than he does money.
You have to wonder though, after watching Fedor completely destroy Tim Sylvia on Saturday night, if Randy Couture is still as eager to take on the "greatest heavyweight in the world".
As of right now, Randy Couture is a near-mythical figure in the eyes of many casual MMA fans. He walked out on the biggest mixed martial arts promotion in the world, (the UFC) in large part because he was frustrated that the UFC wasn't able to sign Fedor to a contract. Couture is still the current UFC heavyweight champion (Dana White refuses to strip the belt from Randy because it would hurt their court case against Couture) and has held a myriad of different titles. When you ask most fans to list their top three heavyweight fighters in the world, Couture is almost surely included on nearly every list. What is my point? If Couture never fought again then he would be held in extremely high regard by most MMA fans. I'm sure that most people would regard him as one of the best ever.
However, if he somehow manages to hook up with Fedor for one last fight, Couture runs the real risk of permanently damaging his legacy. Fight fans can be reminded of how Muhammad Ali hung on for a bit too long, and ended his career with disappointing losses against Larry Holmes and Trevor Berbick. Does Randy Couture want his last fight to be a first-round knockout loss against Fedor? Cause there is a very real chance that this might happen.
Let's look at the facts here:
1. Let's say, best case scenario, that Fedor signs with the UFC and Couture makes amends with Dana White. Absolute best case scenario is that this fight goes down sometime in mid-2009. Fedor's management team already has two more fights lined up for Fedor in 2008, so conceivably Fedor would be fighting three more times before any Couture-Emelianenko "superfight".
2. Couture's last fight was in August of 2007. So if Fedor and Couture managed to fight in the summer of 2009, then this would likely be a full two years between fights for Couture. Not only that, but Randy has only fought four times in the past three years. I don't doubt that Couture is keeping himself in phenomenal shape and that he could step into the Octagon on extremely short notice, but still - there is a difference between training and taking on world-class opponents for real.
3. Randy Couture is 45 years old and not getting any younger. By the time that Fedor and Couture fight (if they do fight), Randy would likely be 46 years old. "The Natural" is a complete machine, there is no doubt about that - but seriously, nearing the age of 50, how competitive could a person be against one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world?
4. Tim Sylvia. Fedor crushed Sylvia in just 36 seconds on Saturday night. It wasn't a fluke victory - Sylvia had his face caved in and was completely dominated. When Sylvia and Couture fought at UFC 68, Couture won a unanimous 5-round decision.
Does Randy Couture really want this fight? I'd hate to ever bet against Couture, but with each passing day, his chances of beating Fedor are evaporating. I just can't see a 46 year old Randy Couture beating a much-younger Fedor Emelianenko who seems to be in the prime of his career.
Randy Couture has had a great career, but I'd hate to see him go out with a one-sided loss against Emelianenko. Now might be the time to hang up the boots and call it a career.
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