Couture loses, but with class and style on a great night in the Rose Garden
Dana White, whose organization did a sensational job of promoting this event, marched into the interview room after the fights smiling. It was a good night Saturday in the Rose Garden for UFC.
“16,088 and a gate of $1.92 million,” White said. “It was great. Energy in there was great. One of the loudest crowds ever. . . . And nobody went to the hospital. Nobody got hurt. A good night.”
Indeed, you’ll find more people limping around or in a dream-street daze at your average college football game last week. (Speaking of which, you must go read my pal Bean’s great review of last night and UFC in general right here.)
Couture, who lost a unanimous decision to Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera, fought a terrific fight at the age of 46 — then announced he’d signed a fresh, 28-month, six-fight deal with UFC. “He can fight at heavyweight or light heavyweight,” said White. “His choice. He’s earned that. He’s proved he can hang with the best heavyweights but he’s earned the right to choose where he fights. I don’t care. He’s a Hall of Famer.”
Couture said he’d take a week or two to decide his future but this really was one of his classic fights, the best bout on the card by far – against a man who looked a lot like he did in his old dominant days of being the champion of Pride, when it was arguably the top MMA organization in the world.
“That was the loudest crowd I’ve ever been in front of,” Couture said. “I think it was a good fight. They just don’t always turn out the way you want them to.”
I think Couture would be wise to drop down to the light heavyweight division. At about 220 pounds, he’s been giving up a lot of weight to most heavyweights he’s fought. And I’m not sure he’s got many main-event bouts left as a heavyweight, but as a light heavy, he’s right in the thick of a title picture, at least for a few fights.
People ask me why I’m so interested in the UFC and I have to admit, a lot of it starts with Couture. I’ve been covering athletes and their sports for three decades. The UFC thing started for me years ago when I watched the early ones on pay per view and didn’t like them much. But I still talked and wrote about it some and when I was doing radio at KPAM, Matt Lindland, another great guy, called the show one day just as a listener to talk about something I said. Soon, we were talking about Team Qwest, Lindland and Couture’s joint venture in Gresham.
One thing led to another and we decided to put on a UFC-themed show at a local pub, featuring Couture, Lindland and Tim Sylvia, who was then in town training. It was an incredbly fun show and I was so impressed with the intelligence of these athletes and their dedication. We got calls, too, from all over the country as passionate MMA fans listened via the Internet.
I got to know Couture pretty well, saw him outside the cage and even went to Las Vegas for one of his championship fights. At that fight, he allowed us access to his dressing room within an hour of the start of his fight. It was amazing watching his calmness as he got ready to fight a man who would, in a few minutes, knock him out.
I’ve found him as charasmatic as just about any athlete I’ve been around. He’s professional, hard working and dedicated — all the things you’d expect. But more than that, he’s charming, self-deprecating and really, just down-to-earth nice in a quiet sort of I’m-there-for-you way. His attitude about his profession is so amazing — he’s all about trying his best, doing his best and whatever happens, happens. The idea is simply to push himself to be the very best he can be, for as long as he can do it.
Life is good for people like that. And it’s good for those around them. Sport would do well with a whole lot more Randy Coutures. After so many years in the newspaper business, in the days when people took being unbiased real seriously, I’m always pretty distanced from outcomes when I watch sports. But I found myself squirming in my seat Saturday night as Couture escaped (barely) from everything Nogueira threw at him.
I wanted him to win but more than that, I just wanted what I know he wanted — to stage a real Randy Couture Fight in what’s probably going to be his only appearance in what was his hometown for several years. He didn’t win, but it was a Randy Couture Fight for sure. He used every bit of intelligence and skill he could muster, relied on his conditioning and smarts – and did his best.
We were left wanting more — hey, come on, just two more rounds! Brock Lesnar, the monster of a heavyweight champ who was sitting with White and openly rooting for Randy, told White the same thing. “We both would have liked to see it be a five-round fight,” White said.
However, five rounds are for title fights, which this one wasn’t. But Randy Couture certainly makes every fight feel like a championship fight — because he’s a champion in just about every way.
