(Video courtesy YouTube/MMA30tv)
When the UFC announced a few weeks ago that Lyoto Machida will be facing Randy Couture at UFC 129 in Toronto on April 30, an intriguing hypothetical situation arose, prompting the obvious question: What happens if "The Natural" beats "The Dragon?"
On paper, Machida, who was robbed of a decision over Quinton Rampage Jackson at UFC 123 in November after losing the light heavyweight belt to Mauricio Shogun Rua in May at UFC 113, is probably the UFC’s number two light heavyweight contender at the moment behind Rashad Evans, making the announcement that he will be facing an odds defying game plan master like Couture in his next bout somewhat of a head scratcher.
The cost vs. reward ratio is skewed in Randy’s favor.
If he beats the 47-year-old nearly-retired former champion, he beat a 47-year-old former champion, which shouldn’t raise his stock much in the UFC’s light heavyweight class. If he loses to Couture, he’ll have lost three fights in a row and will likely be relegated to fighting mid-card against Krzysztof Soszynski in his next bout, while Couture will likely get a crack at winning the UFC 205-pound belt for a record fourth time in his career by facing Shogun.
Although he says that he isn’t specifically fighting to win a title shot, Couture is cognizant that a win over Machida would put him in line to face Rua (the other fighter besides Lyoto that he named as being the two opponents he would take a break from acting to face) for the title.
In the interview above with MMA30′s Dave Farra, Couture talks about how he plans to bring the fight to Machida and also touches on some topics near and dear to him, including why his protegee Gray Maynard was somewhat sluggish in his UFC 125 fight with Frankie Edgar and his former Team Quest stablemate Chael Sonnen‘s recent rash of bad decisions.
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commentsI said it then and I'll say it now, my friends had it for Rampage, I had it for Machida and so did Rampage....the look on Rampages face when the winner was announced was sincere, watch the fight again and tell me exactly where Rampage tried to finish the fight more than Machida at any given point?
Rampage got credit for stalking Machida, he did not outstrike him, for once agression was rewarded by the judges and Rampage won....Machida fought the formula that wins in MMA hotbeds 99% of the time, this was another example of what happens with Judges outside of Vegas, Montreal etc... with inexperienced comissions appointing inexperienced officials, just look at Dunham v. Sherk in Indiana...This decision was controversial and Rampage stealing the win from Machida would be a most appropriate assesment, but Machida was not robbed, he had that one coming, just like I hope if A.Silva tries to back pedal from Vitor all fight that Vitor can steal the win based on agression.
He definitely wasn't robbed, if you don't wanna take a chance, finish the fucking fight. Period. End of story. (Got that Nam Phan, you my friend got the biggest douche of all)
Something about a chic holding a gun just doesn't do it for me... now a big black dong on the other hand... (right purpledickmeat)
I do agree though that Lyoto has nothing to win and everything to lose here. Sorry Lyoto, but taking this fight with Randy, urine a bad spot.
And now all of a sudden anything Rampage says holds water and has any kind of weight behind it?
And, i dunno if this is how it is in Canada, but where I'm from technically stealing does not always = Robbery. Robbery is always stealing but not the other way around.
And the more I think about it, the less inclined I am to believe Lyoto puts The Natural out to pasture like I first thought. The Dragon hates pressure like MRuss hates Mounties and Randy's specialty is roughing people up on the inside. I can see him grinding Machida down. Downtown. Downtown to Chinatown. I'll stop now.
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