Father Time Strikes Again

Captain America, The Natural, Randy Couture. A name often synonymous with the UFC. A legendary hall of famer with an extremely impressive list of wins and accomplishments returns once again to the light heavyweight division. After losing his past two bouts at heavyweight, Randy decided that he was too small to hang with the top tier heavyweights. He recently accepted a bout against muay thai specialist Brandon Vera that will headline the UFC 105 card in England. There are many ramifications that will affect not only Couture, but the light heavyweight division as a whole. For Randy himself, the speed advantage he enjoyed at heavyweight will be gone. However, he will be one of the physically stronger fighters in the 205 lb. weight class.

What this means for the division is that another superstar will be competing in the already jam packed UFC light heavyweight division. Even at age 46, Couture still has the skill and game planning necessary to beat everyone in the division. In fact, he may even be the best hope to take out elusive light heavyweight champ Lyoto Machida. By taking on Vera at UFC 105, Randy hopes to take his first step towards Machida's belt. Vera, who came down from heavyweight himself, should have the advantage striking. However, Vera has looked sluggish and somewhat gunshy since his move to the smaller weight class, but he is still in theory the more technical striker with his muay thai background. He will also probably be the quicker of the two. However, Randy is Randy, and he'll look to use his "dirty boxing" in the clinch to ware down Vera and then take him down and pound him out. This would be a good strategy, as it will most likely keep Vera off his feet, where he is most comfortable. Still, this is MMA, so Vera could very easily land a good punch or kick that could floor Couture if he's not careful, especially since his chin isn't as good as it used to be.

This fight could either bring two results. The first would be a signal that Randy Couture is back and primed for another title run. The second scenario would result in Vera finally getting a win against a huge name to finally put him in the upper echelon of fighters. Either way, it will no doubt be a fun tussle to watch this November, especially since it will be free on Spike TV. The world will see if The Natural can turn back the clock one more time.