UFC 109’s Randy Couture v Mark Coleman: A sign UFC might be in Trouble?

I don’t know about you, but this was one very hard fight to watch: Randy Couture v Mark Coleman fight this Saturday in Las Vegas looked like one very old man (elder statesman) beating the s**t out of another old man. (Sorry, elder statesman)

Coleman’s only real success in the contest before being submitted in the second round was catching Couture with a right hook, which reminded ‘The Natural’, of the power of ‘The Hammer’, the first heavyweight champion of the UFC.

I wrote in my article; UFC 109’s Randy Couture v Mark Coleman: two guys to Old to Fight: Had this fight taken place when originally scheduled, it would have been one of the most storied bouts in MMA history. Now, its 12 years later, both are Hall of Fame members and while there is still a certain level of interest and intrigue, a pairing of fighters with a combined age of 91 doesn’t pique the interest of many of the young whippersnappers who make up the core demographic of the UFC. (Click here to read more)

I don’t know what the numbers for the PPV where but I can promise you it wouldn’t be impressive.

Am down in Miami for the Super Bowl and I saw this fight in a very crowded bar with a patronage of mostly young people (21 – 35) who were into every fight with bets running through the room, but when the main event started less than 20% of people in the bar were still watching.

Seriously, who wants to see two old men throwing punches at each other? These guys hand so many moving body parts that I was just waiting for one of them to just completely break into pieces. I was actually impressed the fight went to a second round.

The UFC really need to get their act together and get some exciting heavy weight fighters, no hand to hand combat sport can survive by showcasing skinny light athletes. Just ask boxing!

Dana White is hoping the return of Brock Lesnar can rekindle the excitement that seem to have been missing from the more recent UFC events.

This meeting of two of mixed martial arts Hall of Famers did show some promise for Randy Couture who never allowed Mark Coleman out of the blocks. He may be 46, but he remains a testament to an impregnable work ethic and erudite physical skills.

More might have been expected of Coleman, who looked in excellent form in victory against Stephan Bonnar at UFC 100 in July last year, and teak-tough in a gasping contest on the wrong end of a defeat to Shogun Rua in Dublin in February 2009.

But the canny Couture – who has now fought three times in seven months – simply made this untenable for Coleman.

Yet Coleman was rocked by Couture with punches and knees. It was haute Couture in the first three minutes, Coleman caught with two big uppercuts in the clinch. Coleman was worn out up against the wall of the combat arena after round one – and in the second, Couture took his man down and choked him out.

The question now is: what’s next for 46 years old Randy Couture?

Dana White sees Randy Couture as a contender in the light heavyweight division, following two straight wins. He now awaits the outcomes of Machida-Rua and Jackson-Evans, and probably the outcome of the fight between the two winners of those fights, in order to get himself in the title picture.

For his part, Couture doesn’t think age is a factor for him.”I feel like I’m improving each and every time I get out here,” Couture said. “This is my third fight in seven months, and it feels good to be so active. 46 years young.”

After all I’ve said above, I wouldn’t get into the Octagon with him. So, I’ll say he’s probably right.

With regards Mark Coleman Dana White told reporters:

“I think tonight was probably Coleman’s last fight in the UFC…I have nothing but respect for him, and I’ll say this now, too: Mark Coleman has always been a stand-up guy to me. He’ll always be a part of this organization. I just think he’ll have a hard time competing with the guys at the top level. Age is a factor with him…It’s tough to say, ‘It’s over, and I’ve got to hang it up.’…It’s the toughest thing in the world, and I hate dealing with it. It sucks.”

Highlights of the Night

Fight of the Night: Chael Sonnen and Nate Marquardt, for their bloody 15-minute grind, in which Sonnen survived a nasty choke attempt in the third round to secure the decision victory and earn a middleweight title shot.

Knockout of the Night: Matt Serra, for beating down Frank Trigg and proving that his hands are always dangerous, even if they’re on the end of very short arms.

Submission of the Night: Paulo Thiago, for putting Mike Swick to sleep with a D’Arce choke after knocking him to the mat in the second round of their fight. Thiago: 2, AKA: 1.

————————————————————————

Click here for more on the UFC and the UFC’s Ring Girls

Popularity: 1%