UFC 102 featured a battle between two legends.
Written by Maz Seyf
Former heavyweight champions Randy Couture and “Minotauro” Nogueira made it all worthwhile, capping off a night of spectacular knockouts and short explosive bouts, where the two headlining elder statesmen were in irresistible form.
Couture was rocked out of the blocks in a balls-to-the-wall opening period that would have left Rocky Balboa wincing. But he showed the resilience and tenacity on which his formidable reputation is rightly forged by hanging in there time and time again. While for Nogueira, whose punch resistance and ring mileage had been called into question leading into the bout, the fight proved an opportunity to silence any doubters, who in the wake of a UFC 92 defeat that had been ready to write the Brazilian’s MMA obituary.
Nogueira transitioned with the slick reptilian fluidity of old, showing as Couture has time and time again that ‘age ain’t nothing but a number’. And in a startling role reversal few would have dared predict, Couture escaped certain defeat over and over again, rallying back from the brink in true Minotauro tradition.
The mutual respect between these seasoned warriors was apparent in the build up. And from the very first exchange of leather to the last. Nogueira even relinquished a deep D’arce choke midway through the second, maybe out of respect for his older opponent’s well documented testicular fortitude or fear of blowing his load on one submission attempt.
For two such vastly experienced mixed martial artists, this showdown did at times descend into the sort of out and out chaos few would have expected. Several exchanges in particular recalled a level of macho, reckless abandon not seen since Yoshihiro Takayama and Don Frye from PRIDE 21.
Couture was hassled and manhandled rather than comprehensively outclassed. And in defeat the veteran wrestler put in a performance as epic and gutsy as any of his storied victories. Nogueira, for his part, won through by demonstrating a mixed bag of striking and submission tricks built on the back of an iron-chin — traits that some predicted were gone for good.
Rarely have two fighters gone to war with some much on the line and both left the octagon basking in shared glory. Sure, Couture is now a drift of title contention at heavyweight and will be sure to seek out fresh challenges at 205lbs. His UFC 102 showing suggests that he has more than enough left to fulfil the commitments of a recently confirmed six-fight deal that will see ‘The Natural’ retire from MMA a Zuffa fighter.
Meanwhile, Nogueira is elevated right in amongst the heavyweight contenders once again. With his ability to take a punch and mat mobility apparently as good as ever once again, the Brazilian is among the few heavyweights with a skillset that’s matches favourably against the emerging wrestling juggernauts of the heavyweight division — like Shane Carwin, Cain Velasquez and champion Brock Lesnar.
What the future holds will be answered in time, but that a significant future of sorts lies ahead for both Couture and Nogueira is a fact for which MMA fans everywhere can rejoice.
Maz Seyf is a writer for MMAMadness.com and has previously covered MMA for SetanaSports in the UK. He can be reached at maz@mmamadness.com.
