Nov-10-2009

Randy Couture – Fighting like it’s The First Time

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By Thomas Gerbasi

When New York Yankees great Joe DiMaggio was asked why he played so hard, even in meaningless late-summer games or those in which his team had a seemingly insurmountable lead, he simply said, “Because there is always some kid who may be seeing me for the first time. I owe him my best.”

This Saturday night in Manchester, England, the MEN Arena will be filled with fans who will be seeing UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture fight on British shores for the first time, and like DiMaggio, you can expect ‘The Natural’ will be giving each and every one of them his best.

“I just always try to go out the same way,” said Couture. “I fight the way I fight, I train hard, this is the way I compete, and I don’t adjust it for anybody.”

That fighting philosophy has brought Couture three UFC heavyweight and two UFC light heavyweight titles, and it has not only made him a revered figure to fans, but also to his fellow competitors, many of whom are seemingly more excited about fighting on the same card as Couture than their own fights.

“I never really looked at it that way and I don’t plug into a lot of that stuff,” said Couture humbly. “I am who I am and I just go with the flow. It’s gonna be cool to be in Manchester, and obviously the reception I got there for UFC 70 was huge. I haven’t competed in Europe in nine or ten years, and I’ve never fought there, so it’s gonna be a lot of fun to go back over and be in front of a crowd that’s as jazzed as those folks are about fighting. It’s gonna be a lot of fun and I have a lot of respect for all the fighters and anybody who’s willing to make the sacrifices we make and step up and get in that cage.”

At the age of 46, Couture has sacrificed longer than most of his peers, whether it was during a stellar wrestling career, or in a mixed martial arts world that he has been competing in since 1997. It’s been a long journey to say the least, yet his competitive effort against Brock Lesnar last November and his three round war with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in August have shown that he still has gas in the tank to compete with the relative youngsters in the game, like his opponent this Saturday night, 32-year old Brandon Vera.

“I am still focused on getting better, becoming a better fighter and a better athlete, and physically I’m holding up very well,” said Couture, referring to the 800-pound gorilla in the room – his age. “I get asked about my age all the time and I’ve kinda gotten used to that, and because of that, people are kinda waiting for that other shoe to drop. ‘When’s he gonna slow down, when’s Father Time gonna catch up to him’, and all those things have become the norm for me. I don’t really compare myself to anybody else. I’m sure there will be guys who compete well into their 40’s as well and do very, very well. We’ve seen it in a lot of other sports, and again, I try not to think of it too much. I just kinda enjoy what I do and just go out and do it.”

And if you saw Couture and Nogueira – two of the greatest heavyweights of all-time – going at it for 15 minutes at UFC 102, you couldn’t possibly say ‘oh well, Couture should retire.’ In fact, fights like that make you want to see what the Las Vegan can possibly come up with next. He’s not surprised with how the bout with ‘Minotauro’ went.

“I knew it was gonna be a brawl,” said Couture. “He (Nogueira) is a tough guy, very durable, he poses some interesting problems and he’s a big threat in a lot of situations. I had done my homework, I had prepared, and I knew it was gonna be a battle and it wasn’t gonna be easy. I didn’t care what anybody else was saying, or any other questions that anybody else was asking of him because of previous performances. I knew it was gonna be a battle, and I’ve come to expect that. It seems like every single time I’m in there with somebody, they’re bringing their ‘A’ game and it’s an opportunity for them to put a notch up. I know that going in.”

He’s right. The opportunity to fight one of the sport’s greats, and more importantly, to try and beat him, is too enticing a prospect for most fighters to pass up. Some would hate to be that type of target though. Couture loves it.

“I like a challenge and that’s why these fights are interesting and why I still do it,” he smiles. “It’s a lot of fun and it’s what makes me tick.”

And as far as he’s concerned, the chance to drop back down to the light heavyweight division and headline UFC 105 against Vera was too enticing to pass up.

“The opportunity arose to go to 205 and I’m intrigued by the interesting style Brandon has as a strategic striker,” said Couture, who has been doing his homework on his opponent. “I see a guy who likes to find his range and rhythm. He likes to change leads and kinda draw you in and strategically land punches and kicks. He’s not a guy, with the exception of the Tim Sylvia fight, that’s been forced to use his wrestling background or his wrestling abilities. But he certainly has those, and I’m sure since he’s facing me and I’m probably gonna get my hands on him, he’s dusting those off and getting ready to use them for this fight. It makes for a very interesting fight.”

What makes it even more interesting is seeing how Couture deals with his first 205-pound fight since 2006. A lot has happened to him since then, both good and bad, and in and out of the Octagon, yet despite traveling a sometimes rocky road, Couture was always able to keep some semblance of order in his competitive life when the bell rang.

“Its part of being an athlete, and certainly a professional athlete,” he said. “You’ve hopefully got to find a way to achieve some balance, so that things aren’t out of whack and you don’t end up in divorces and stuff like that. But it is part of life and it does happen, and learning how to compartmentalize and put some of that stuff in a box to the side until you’re in a better place or getting through the competition so you can deal with it appropriately is something I’ve learned to do over the years.”

But the most important thing Couture has learned may be that when the lights go down and the Octagon door closes, the outside world doesn’t matter. It’s him and a fellow fighter trying to see who the better man is in 15 or 25 minutes or less. It’s simple, it’s to the point, and for him, there’s nothing better. So when the fans at the MEN Arena marvel at Couture and wonder how he’s doing what he’s doing at 46, just remember that this is as fun for him as it is for them.

“I’m doing this because it’s fun, it’s what I love to do, and I definitely have a deep-seated passion for the training and the competition,” he said. “That doesn’t make it feel like work. It makes it feel very, very good.”