(Props: XCMMA)

As he prepares for his July 3rd showdown with Shane Carwin, Brock Lesnar has joined forces with a somewhat unlikely ally — Randy Couture, who Lesnar wrecked in his first UFC title fight back in November 2008. The two heavyweight stars stayed friendly after their meeting in the Octagon, and Couture recently decided to head up to Alexandria, Minnesota, to train at Lesnar’s private Death Clutch training facility; you know, the one with all the badass tigers and jacked gladiators on the walls and shit.


Since Lesnar’s a natural grudge-holder, he’s impressed by the fact that Couture can train with the guy who stole his belt without getting an attitude about it. It’s clear that Lesnar has a ton of respect for Randy, who "paved the highway for the wrestler in the UFC" — and he recognizes that getting insight from a fighter with as much experience as the Natural is a huge asset. (Plus, beating the crap out of Chris Tuchscherer and Cole Konrad must get old after a while.) For Couture’s part, breaking out of his routine and training in new environments is just as helpful. Don’t forget, the guy’s got a match against the son of an original death fighter coming up in August.

This video’s also worth watching just to prove to fans that Brock’s gastrointestinal illness and the abuses he suffered at the hands of the Canadian health care system haven’t left him an emaciated shell of his former self. He can still press 80-pound dumb-bells like they’re soup cans. He still moves as nimbly as a man half his size. And he can still whip around heavy ropes like a schoolgirl playing double-dutch.