Couture and Belfort Ready for Rubber Match
Josh Gross Aug 21, 2004
LAS VEGAS, Aug. 20 -- Half a world away from the shadow of the 2004
Athens Olympic games, Brazilian Vitor Belfort, who fell short of
making his country’s Olympic squad in 2000, and American Randy Couture, a multiple-time
Olympic Trials bridesmaid, face each other Saturday night in a
sport whose roots -- Pankration -- are as ancient and Greek as the
games themselves.
Twenty-four hours before the top-five light-heavyweights square off inside the Octagon -- a venue that would have fit quite nicely in millenia long gone -- Belfort, who stunned Couture to take his 205-pound UFC title in January after a glancing glove split the veteran’s lower and upper left eyelid, and his challenger stepped on the scales in front of over 1,000 eager fans.
Sporting the ripped frame he carried into the ring versus Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz, Couture came in at a
solid 204 pounds. Belfort, meanwhile, looked much softer than he
has in the past, despite word out of his Big Bear training camp
that the Brazilian is in excellent shape. Nevada State Athletic
Commission Chairman Marc Ratner announced his weight at the
division limit of 205 pounds.
“I feel strong,” said Belfort after he stepped off the scale. “I feel ready, confident and at the same time very humble. I'm taking very serious this fight. Randy is a great fighter. I give him all the respect, but I'm going to put my heart in this fight.”
In their match earlier this year, Belfort came to the ring with a heavy heart, unsure of the whereabouts of his kid sister, Priscilla. The Brazilian “Phenom” could not enter into conversation without being reminded that, days away from facing one of the most difficult challenges of his career, there were no "hows" or "whys" -- just questions and doubts.
He looked to his faith for guidance and comfort. And he found both.
As he enters Saturday's showdown, however, there’s still no word about Priscilla. Yet the distractions and unsettling truth have appeared to numb with the turning of the calendar.
Dedicating himself to seclusion, Belfort spent nearly two months in the altitude of Big Bear, Calif. Those long days, with little else to do but train, eat and sleep, proved cathartic. Whether that translates to victory is another question.
“I'm just trying to keep the focus,” Belfort said. “I don't want to lose my focus. Keep on track. Everybody has problems, so we gotta deal with that.”
Fully recovered from the damaged eyelid, Couture is in position to reclaim the light-heavyweight title, which would make him the only four-time champion in UFC history.
In Belfort, Couture squares off against one of the youngest, most dynamic opponents at light heavyweight. Aware of the challenge -- and damage that a Belfort’ straight left can deliver -- Couture says he simply cannot let the 26-year-old get comfortable.
"I've got to hunt him down,” Couture said between gulps of an electrolyte-packed drink. “I've got to find range and get off before he gets off, not unlike it was with Chuck Liddell. I can't let him control the tempo and stay away from me and take his chance to explode. I've got to chase him down and get off before he does, make him work really hard. I think if I can make him work really hard, get my hands on him and frustrate him, I can finish this fight early in the third or fourth round.
“I've fought a lot of complete fighters. Chuck is a great striker and got great wrestling skills. Tito's, you know, a good fighter. Everybody I've fought has been tough. Vitor's no exception. He's got a lot of great skills. You stand around in front of him, he's going to explode.”
In his favor, insists Belfort, are speed and endurance. Coupled with the pratfalls of age, which to this point have avoided Couture like his name was Lazarus, the light-heavyweight champ’s sheer athleticism could be the deciding factor.
“You cannot predict what's going to happen," said Belfort, "but I'm going to fight hard and hopefully God can bless me with a win.”
“He's got great potential,” Couture said of Belfort. "He's very explosive and it's going to be a good fight.”
The Making of The Card
So you think it's easy to build a fight card? Don't let UFC matchmaker Joe Silva hear you say that.
"Most of the prelims I have should never be prelims," said Silva, who came under fire when the UFC announced welterweights Nick Diaz and Karo Parisyan, and lightweights Josh Thomson and Yves Edwards would fight off television in place of bouts featuring three UFC rookies. “They all have to go somewhere, and that’s the problem I have.”
The Diaz-Parisyan and Thomson-Edwards bouts are, without question, two of the finest on Saturday's card. Yet with the UFC showcasing middleweights Matt Lindland, Dave Terrell, Joe Riggs and Joe Doerksen, as well as a noticeable cutback in the promotion of lightweights, those fighters smaller than 170 pounds will need dynamic personalities in and out of the Octagon to get Prime Time exposure.
As the UFC 49 card developed, there was discussion between Silva, UFC president Dana White and UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta regarding the "swing bout," and, more importantly, whether it should include Diaz and Parisyan in a showdown between potential title contenders, or a contest between UFC newcomers Riggs and Doerksen.
"They would like to crown a title soon [at 185 pounds]," said Silva. "[The UFC] wants to build some exciting contenders, so Joe Riggs versus Joe Doerksen got the 'swing bout' position instead because they’re just looking to really shine a spotlight on 185.”
Thomson-Edwards -- more than worthy of a slot on the live portion of the pay-per-view -- never factored into the discussion, despite the fact most, including Silva, agree it features the UFC's top two lightweights. However, with no title on the line, combined with small, technical fighters and a strategy to bring in fresh talent in heavier divisions, little is left for fans of any fighter south of 155.
The UFC is hardly apologizing.
For Silva, it's a numbers game: Five weight divisions multiplied by the number of UFC cards per year divided by how many fights are featured on each card. What's the answer? According to Silva: too many fighters, not enough fights.
So the UFC scaled back its lightweight division, starting with the departure two years ago of unquestioned 155-pound king Jens Pulver. Then BJ Penn gave away a victory against Coal Uno in the finals of last year's lightweight tournament.
But the draw between Penn and Caol Uno wasn't all bad for Silva.
Lightweights are, relatively speaking, inexpensive fighters to promote, even less without a champion to pay. In the end, the equation worked out nicely for the UFC. But for fans of smaller -- typically more technical -- fighters, the UFC is hardly an answer for their fix.
Penn, who in two attempts couldn't win a title at 155, bulked up 15 pounds to choke out the UFC's most dominant fighter, Matt Hughes. After a contract squabble, there is little left in Penn's wake except a welterweight division in flux. With Hughes fighting Canadian Georges St. Pierre -- a solid fighter who's never been showcased on the live UFC pay-per-view -- in October, Silva hopes to gain some semblance of control.
But then contenders like Diaz and Parisyan were relegated to the undercard, depriving each an opportunity to appear on the big stage only one or two fights removed from a possible title fight.
“In general I think most people consider (Renato) Verissimo No. 2 after the amazingly tough fight he gave Hughes," said Silva. "I don’t know anybody they would put above him right now, so the winner of that between (Frank) Trigg and, I think, is right back at the top again. Certainly Nick Diaz is another one who’s rising up -- and he has been on TV, and the results of this one will be shown on TV. So it won’t be like he’s an unknown commodity.”
The UFC has turned its attention to three divisions, starting with a depleted heavyweight corps, made more dysfunctional by a duo of champions who, over the past two years, couldn't hold their titles for wont of "performance enhancers."
“Heavyweights are in short supply," said Silva, "so you’d like to have one on TV.”
Saturday's answer: hard-hitting newcomer Justin Eilers faces Mike Kyle, whose previous UFC experience came against punching bag Wes Simms. Eilers and Kyle, two close friends who played college football together, should make for one of the more exciting fights on the card, with the loser, unfortunately, falling prey to Silva's Matchmaking Equation.
Charles Darwin would approve.
“It’s funny to me," said Silva, who was hardly laughing, "if you look at the people Art Davie brought in, the people that even John Peretti brought in ... well, how about them giving John Alessio a title shot against Pat Miletich when he just lost to Egan Inoue, had never beaten anybody and was just a kid. Macaco coming in his first UFC fight getting a title shot having lost three of his last four fights. I mean, we’re not doing stuff like that. It’s not always perfect; there’s a lot of times you’d want it to be better, but a lot of times we’re stuck working in this imperfect situations and trying to make the best of it.”
Two months from now, Tito Ortiz faces Guy Mezger for the third time in his career. Pending the results of Belfort-Couture, there's little to look forward to at 205 for the UFC matchmaker. Couture's already dominated everyone he's fought, while a Belfort showdown against Ortiz has lost much of the luster it held in September 2001.
And the middleweights? Well, they get a big push Saturday.
If you're lucky, you'll get to see Diaz-Parisyan and Thomson-Edwards as well.
Twenty-four hours before the top-five light-heavyweights square off inside the Octagon -- a venue that would have fit quite nicely in millenia long gone -- Belfort, who stunned Couture to take his 205-pound UFC title in January after a glancing glove split the veteran’s lower and upper left eyelid, and his challenger stepped on the scales in front of over 1,000 eager fans.
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“I feel strong,” said Belfort after he stepped off the scale. “I feel ready, confident and at the same time very humble. I'm taking very serious this fight. Randy is a great fighter. I give him all the respect, but I'm going to put my heart in this fight.”
Couture, now 41, says he feels as good as ever. “My training camp
went just as I wanted it to. My conditioning is spectacular right
now. I just want to go out and get after him.”
In their match earlier this year, Belfort came to the ring with a heavy heart, unsure of the whereabouts of his kid sister, Priscilla. The Brazilian “Phenom” could not enter into conversation without being reminded that, days away from facing one of the most difficult challenges of his career, there were no "hows" or "whys" -- just questions and doubts.
He looked to his faith for guidance and comfort. And he found both.
As he enters Saturday's showdown, however, there’s still no word about Priscilla. Yet the distractions and unsettling truth have appeared to numb with the turning of the calendar.
Dedicating himself to seclusion, Belfort spent nearly two months in the altitude of Big Bear, Calif. Those long days, with little else to do but train, eat and sleep, proved cathartic. Whether that translates to victory is another question.
“I'm just trying to keep the focus,” Belfort said. “I don't want to lose my focus. Keep on track. Everybody has problems, so we gotta deal with that.”
Fully recovered from the damaged eyelid, Couture is in position to reclaim the light-heavyweight title, which would make him the only four-time champion in UFC history.
In Belfort, Couture squares off against one of the youngest, most dynamic opponents at light heavyweight. Aware of the challenge -- and damage that a Belfort’ straight left can deliver -- Couture says he simply cannot let the 26-year-old get comfortable.
"I've got to hunt him down,” Couture said between gulps of an electrolyte-packed drink. “I've got to find range and get off before he gets off, not unlike it was with Chuck Liddell. I can't let him control the tempo and stay away from me and take his chance to explode. I've got to chase him down and get off before he does, make him work really hard. I think if I can make him work really hard, get my hands on him and frustrate him, I can finish this fight early in the third or fourth round.
“I've fought a lot of complete fighters. Chuck is a great striker and got great wrestling skills. Tito's, you know, a good fighter. Everybody I've fought has been tough. Vitor's no exception. He's got a lot of great skills. You stand around in front of him, he's going to explode.”
In his favor, insists Belfort, are speed and endurance. Coupled with the pratfalls of age, which to this point have avoided Couture like his name was Lazarus, the light-heavyweight champ’s sheer athleticism could be the deciding factor.
“You cannot predict what's going to happen," said Belfort, "but I'm going to fight hard and hopefully God can bless me with a win.”
“He's got great potential,” Couture said of Belfort. "He's very explosive and it's going to be a good fight.”
The Making of The Card
So you think it's easy to build a fight card? Don't let UFC matchmaker Joe Silva hear you say that.
"Most of the prelims I have should never be prelims," said Silva, who came under fire when the UFC announced welterweights Nick Diaz and Karo Parisyan, and lightweights Josh Thomson and Yves Edwards would fight off television in place of bouts featuring three UFC rookies. “They all have to go somewhere, and that’s the problem I have.”
The Diaz-Parisyan and Thomson-Edwards bouts are, without question, two of the finest on Saturday's card. Yet with the UFC showcasing middleweights Matt Lindland, Dave Terrell, Joe Riggs and Joe Doerksen, as well as a noticeable cutback in the promotion of lightweights, those fighters smaller than 170 pounds will need dynamic personalities in and out of the Octagon to get Prime Time exposure.
As the UFC 49 card developed, there was discussion between Silva, UFC president Dana White and UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta regarding the "swing bout," and, more importantly, whether it should include Diaz and Parisyan in a showdown between potential title contenders, or a contest between UFC newcomers Riggs and Doerksen.
"They would like to crown a title soon [at 185 pounds]," said Silva. "[The UFC] wants to build some exciting contenders, so Joe Riggs versus Joe Doerksen got the 'swing bout' position instead because they’re just looking to really shine a spotlight on 185.”
Thomson-Edwards -- more than worthy of a slot on the live portion of the pay-per-view -- never factored into the discussion, despite the fact most, including Silva, agree it features the UFC's top two lightweights. However, with no title on the line, combined with small, technical fighters and a strategy to bring in fresh talent in heavier divisions, little is left for fans of any fighter south of 155.
The UFC is hardly apologizing.
For Silva, it's a numbers game: Five weight divisions multiplied by the number of UFC cards per year divided by how many fights are featured on each card. What's the answer? According to Silva: too many fighters, not enough fights.
So the UFC scaled back its lightweight division, starting with the departure two years ago of unquestioned 155-pound king Jens Pulver. Then BJ Penn gave away a victory against Coal Uno in the finals of last year's lightweight tournament.
But the draw between Penn and Caol Uno wasn't all bad for Silva.
Lightweights are, relatively speaking, inexpensive fighters to promote, even less without a champion to pay. In the end, the equation worked out nicely for the UFC. But for fans of smaller -- typically more technical -- fighters, the UFC is hardly an answer for their fix.
Penn, who in two attempts couldn't win a title at 155, bulked up 15 pounds to choke out the UFC's most dominant fighter, Matt Hughes. After a contract squabble, there is little left in Penn's wake except a welterweight division in flux. With Hughes fighting Canadian Georges St. Pierre -- a solid fighter who's never been showcased on the live UFC pay-per-view -- in October, Silva hopes to gain some semblance of control.
But then contenders like Diaz and Parisyan were relegated to the undercard, depriving each an opportunity to appear on the big stage only one or two fights removed from a possible title fight.
“In general I think most people consider (Renato) Verissimo No. 2 after the amazingly tough fight he gave Hughes," said Silva. "I don’t know anybody they would put above him right now, so the winner of that between (Frank) Trigg and, I think, is right back at the top again. Certainly Nick Diaz is another one who’s rising up -- and he has been on TV, and the results of this one will be shown on TV. So it won’t be like he’s an unknown commodity.”
The UFC has turned its attention to three divisions, starting with a depleted heavyweight corps, made more dysfunctional by a duo of champions who, over the past two years, couldn't hold their titles for wont of "performance enhancers."
“Heavyweights are in short supply," said Silva, "so you’d like to have one on TV.”
Saturday's answer: hard-hitting newcomer Justin Eilers faces Mike Kyle, whose previous UFC experience came against punching bag Wes Simms. Eilers and Kyle, two close friends who played college football together, should make for one of the more exciting fights on the card, with the loser, unfortunately, falling prey to Silva's Matchmaking Equation.
Charles Darwin would approve.
“It’s funny to me," said Silva, who was hardly laughing, "if you look at the people Art Davie brought in, the people that even John Peretti brought in ... well, how about them giving John Alessio a title shot against Pat Miletich when he just lost to Egan Inoue, had never beaten anybody and was just a kid. Macaco coming in his first UFC fight getting a title shot having lost three of his last four fights. I mean, we’re not doing stuff like that. It’s not always perfect; there’s a lot of times you’d want it to be better, but a lot of times we’re stuck working in this imperfect situations and trying to make the best of it.”
Two months from now, Tito Ortiz faces Guy Mezger for the third time in his career. Pending the results of Belfort-Couture, there's little to look forward to at 205 for the UFC matchmaker. Couture's already dominated everyone he's fought, while a Belfort showdown against Ortiz has lost much of the luster it held in September 2001.
And the middleweights? Well, they get a big push Saturday.
If you're lucky, you'll get to see Diaz-Parisyan and Thomson-Edwards as well.
