A main event of Randy Couture vs. Brandon Vera is reportedly in the works for UFC 105 on November 14 in Manchester, England, signaling that one of the best and most popular fighters in MMA history is prepared for a move down in weight class -- and a step down in quality of opposition.The Couture vs. Vera fight, which has been reported by Bloody Elbow, Sherdog and others, has not been officially announced by the UFC. But with the card now less than nine weeks away, it would provide the UFC with a main event that can get fans to buy tickets, which go on sale Monday -- and it would provide the UFC fans who watch fights on Spike but can't afford to purchase pay-per-views a rare chance to see Couture. UFC 105 is expected to be shown on Spike on tape delay.
The fight would also signal that Couture, one of the smallest heavyweights in the UFC, thinks it's time to move back down to 205 pounds and fight opponents closer to his own size. And it would be a tacit acknowledgement that the 46-year-old Couture can't realistically expect to beat the best MMA fighters in the world anymore, at either heavyweight or light heavyweight.
Vera is a talented fighter, but he's not in the same league as the kinds of opponents Couture has usually fought in his MMA career. After tough losses to Brock Lesnar and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Couture hasn't won a fight in more than two years. He may view Vera as his best chance of changing that.
Here's how the UFC 105 fight card is shaping up:
Randy Couture vs. Brandon Vera
Michael Bisping vs. Denis Kang
Dan Hardy vs. Dong Hyun Kim
Aaron Riley vs. Ross Pearson
Paul Taylor vs. John Hathaway
Matt Riddle vs. Nick Osipczak
Alexander Gustafsson vs. Jared Hamman
Terry Etim vs. Shannon Gugerty
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