Randy Couture: What’s Next For The Fallen Champion?

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Randy Couture has had his storied MMA career.  No matter what happens from here on out, he is still a hall-of-famer and one of the most beloved fighters to ever step into the octagon.

This time though, his underdog status couldn’t overcome its biggest test to date.  The bigger, stronger, younger fighter won and Couture will likely never wear the heavyweight belt again.

While Randy lost, he looked good against Lesnar prior to the punch that dropped him.  He clinched, got Brock against the cage, and landed some clean shots.  His wrestling looked sharp and he escaped Brock’s guard.  Couture was crisp and game to fight.  And he will fight again.

Lesnar is a different kind of animal though.  Nothing fazed him en route to grounding and seriously pounding out the living legend.  While everyone said Brock didn’t deserve the title shot, that is a moot point now.  He now awaits the winner of Nog vs. Mir, who fight at UFC 92.

But this article isn’t about Brock Lesnar; there will be a plethora of those to come.  This is about what Randy Couture will do with the rest of his MMA career.  More specifically, what he should do with the two fights remaining on his UFC contract.  Perhaps history will provide an answer.

The last time Couture lost a heavyweight title was March 22, 2002 at UFC 36.  Couture lost his title to Josh Barnett.  Barnett was later disqualified and stripped of the belt after testing positive for steroids in the post-fight test.

Couture got a shot to reclaim his title at UFC 39, against Ricco Rodriguez.  Randy was dominating the fight, but Rodriguez surged in the final two rounds, and grounded and pounded his way to victory.  Randy had fought two bigger heavyweights and came out on the losing end both times.

He decided to cut weight and drop down to the light heavyweight division.  After back-to-back wins over Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz, Couture was once again champion.  By winning the LHW title, he became the first UFC fighter to hold titles in two different divisions.

So which division will Couture fight in during 2009?  You could make the argument that he looks better then ever.  But there doesn’t seem to be anything left for Couture in the heavyweight division, or does there?

He could fight the loser of Nog/Mir in the early spring.  He also could fight Gonzaga again.  With Gonzaga’s win at UFC 91, a rematch between the two could determine who the winner of Lesnar vs. Nog/Mir will fight in their first defense of the unified heavyweight title.

But perhaps Couture should take the lighter path – one toward the LHW title.  While that path may seem more perilous, or at least more crowded, it may be his only chance to capture a title one last time.

Potential fights against Anderson Silva, Rich Franklin, Dan Henderson, Lyoto Machida, Rampage Jackson, and Rashad Evans may be more intriguing then staying at Heavyweight. He could also end up fighting Forrest Griffin and Wanderlei Silva, both of whom train with Randy at Xtreme Couture.

And then there is Chuck Liddell.  How appropriate would it be for these two men to fight each other in their last fight?  The possibilities are endless in the light heavyweight division.

If Randy can make a run in the LHW division the UFC can always extend his contract.  Couture, with his strong clinch, superior wrestling, crisp striking, and old man strength would certainly pose problems for anyone fighting at 205.

So a fork in the road will emerge for Randy Couture.  Does he stay in the heavyweight division, which is increasingly outweighing him with each passing day?  Does he really hope to get another shot at Brock and attempt to reclaim his HW belt?

Or does he cut the extra 15 lbs, make a run at a LHW title, and attempt to make history one last time.  Only time will tell how “The Natural” decides to write the final chapter of his storied career.

Brian has been an avid fan of MMA ever since he saw Randy Couture beat Vitor Belfort back at UFC 15. In 2008, he decided to embark on a new career by combining his love of MMA and writing. Brian received his M.B.A. from Texas Tech University and currently resides in New York City.