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Randy Couture: I’d Like A Rematch With Brock

Brock Lesnar versus Randy Couture was definitely a little disappointing.  Brock said all the wrong things going in to the match – disrespecting his legendary opponent by calling him old, etcetera – but in the end, he simply overpowered the wrestling machine.  Do we want to see this rematch considering the first was so one-sided?  When looking at the lack of depth in the UFC heavyweight division and taking in to account Couture’s track record, this rematch would definitely be one of the more desirable bouts.  First though, Couture is facing off with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira on August 29th in the main event of UFC 102, and there’s the talk Brock will finally line up with Fedor Emelianenko.  Couture joined 95.5 The Game in Portland to discuss how his match against Nogueira has been a long time coming, why Lesnar’s latest antics ‘pissed him off,’ and how he was happy with where their first fight was headed until the tables were turned.

How do you feel about your match against Nogueira?  It seems like he has a lot of respect for you.

“It goes both ways; I’ve watched him fight for years.  He’s been one of the top guys in our sport for a long time, especially great at jiu jitsu.  He’s submitted a lot of guys and a lot of guys have studied his style of fighting and the things he’s done on the ground.”

Has this match been in the makings for a while now?

“I think for a long time he was the number one guy in the heavyweight decision for Pride when Pride was still banging.  I was the champ for the UFC for a long time, so it was kind of one of those dream matchups, everybody wanted to see those crossover fights between those two organizations.  Obviously, Pride’s kinda gone by the waste side, the UFC bought them out, but he’s still been one of the guys.  So, now we get to see the fight.”

Do you think Brock Lesnar’s antics after his fight in UFC 100 were good or bad for the sport?

“Bad, in my opinion.  I think those antics are better left in the WWE where they belong.  Mixed martial arts, in general, exude a certain camaraderie and sportsmanship that we’ve come to expect from martial arts.  We’re not just a bunch of thugs and brawlers, and that was kind of disappointing in his approach, before and after the fight.  It frankly kind of pissed me off.”

Do you want to get after Brock?  A rematch, perhaps?

“Well, I would like a rematch; I think I had that fight going the way I wanted it to go.  He’s getting better all the time, I think he did a great job with Mir technically in that fight on Saturday: showed a lot of improvement, played position, was much more diligent in his punching and combinations, actually threw a couple kicks which was surprising.  He’s a big, athletic guy, and he’s just gonna continue to get better, so I would definitely like another crack at him.”

Listen to Randy Couture on 95.5 The Game in Portland

Tags: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Brock Lesnar, MMA, Randy Couture, UFC