Feb 3, 2010 - 
Every time the hourglass seems to be running out of sand, Randy Couture flips it over and starts fresh.
At 46, Couture is one of the world's oldest active mixed martial artists, and aside from the recently debuting Herschel Walker, the oldest to fight for a major organization. Without question, he is the most decorated MMA fighter in his age group, but that's not a distinction he particularly cares for. To him, it's simple: either he's capable of competing with the very best in the world, or he's not.
Want evidence? Just ask the man who's preparing to face Mark Coleman at Saturday's UFC 109 about his interest level in fighting the winner of the upcoming Lyoto Machida vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua light-heavyweight title fight.
"That'd be cool, I'd love to fight either one of those guys," he said in a recent teleconference. "Mark [Coleman] has already fought Shogun. Those are the top guys in the weight class, and Machida's walking around with the belt. But if something presents itself in the heavyweight division, I'll entertain that, too."
During a time in which fighters half his age often compete only once or twice a year, Couture is on the verge of doing something rather extraordinary. When he steps into the octagon on Saturday, the five-time UFC champion will be competing for the third time in the last seven months.
Couture says the frequent fights have actually been a blessing for him, allowing him to stay sharp while giving him time to seek out new techniques and explore new ideas.
For example, he said he's spent quite a bit of time lately working on his ground fighting with grappling coach Neil Melanson. Couture said that because that aspect of the fight game has always been a comfort zone for him, he tended to ignore it at times, but Melanson has reignited his interest in it with a focus on catch wrestling.
"I've actually enjoyed the back-to-back-to-back camps and think one has rallied on the next," he said. "Technically, it's allowed me to really kind of learn some new things and develop some new things over the course of the last three camps. I've had no injuries coming out of the fights and that's kind of allowed me to turn around and I've had a lot of fun doing it."
In his last bout during November's UFC 105, Couture dropped down to light-heavyweight for the first time since 2006 and won a controversial but unanimous decision against Brandon Vera, a man 14 years his junior who was once considered the next Couture in his ability to move between the 205-pound and heavyweight classes.
While his critics have begun to grow based on his UFC 102 loss to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and the controversial win over Vera, the budding Hollywood actor understands that his time in the cage is slipping away, and because of it, every fight seems to mean more than it might otherwise.
"It doesn't feel like work," he said. "I'm fortunate I get to do this for a living. There's some truth in the statement I do appreciate it more at this stage of my career."
Even at 46, he's hard on himself in terms of self-criticism. He spends time watching his recent fights and evaluating performances. He looks for holes and works to address them. He says he tightened up his striking between the Nogueira and Vera fights.
"I'm pretty rational," he said. "I evaluate things and set benchmarks for myself. I listen to my body and I'm pretty honest with myself. I look at those things I did wrong and made adjustments."
As long as he wants to fight, there will be a promoter willing to give him a stage on which to compete; Couture's name, after all, is one of the most valuable names in MMA history. Even a fellow Hall of Famer in Coleman feels a sense of gratitude that he gets to share a stage with him (""I do feel lucky to be facing Randy," Coleman said. "He's in my opinion one of the greatest in the sport so you cant top this for me.")
But having accomplished so much, the question is, What exactly is he fighting for now?
Is it for a title? For his children? For legacy?
"I don't have a specific thing," he said. "I'll be taking it one fight at a time and enjoying the competition and enjoying the intrigue of the matchups that they keep throwing at me. Mark is certainly one of those intriguing matchups."
In some ways, this Coleman bout is one that was always meant to happen. They squared off once in amateur wrestling (Coleman won by a point). They were supposed to fight in the UFC in the '90s, until Couture had to pull out with an injury. But whether they're in their 20s or 40s, one thing remains the same for both Coleman and Couture: their competitive spirits.
"Come fight night, it's about staying calm and relaxed and going out there and doing what you trained to do, and both fighters going out and attempting to do that," Couture said. "And then it kind of becomes who imposes their will, who gets momentum swinging their way and gets things rolling and has their night. And that's what makes it a fight. So, I don't know if there's any other components or factors out there."
Not even age.
0 comments
