Watch UFC 113 Live Stream Online!Watch UFC 113 Free|(Watch UFC 113 Online)Saturday night, Lyoto Machida and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua will meet in a rematch for the UFC light heavyweight championship. Much speculation has fallen on who will be the next challenger for the winner of Saturday's match.
Earlier this week, in an interview with MMA Weekly Radio, Randy Couture stated, "I think within the next six months I'd like to be in line to fight the winner of the Machida/Shogun fight." He continued, "I'm going to be in Montreal to watch that fight very attentively. I think it's going to be great."
While basically any fight involving Couture will sell tickets, one has to question how realistic his statement is.
Never should a win be assumed by any fighter, but in the case of Couture's next fight, it would take a dash of naivety and hopeless optimism to believe James Toney has a solid chance of winning. Despite his impressive boxing record, Toney is 41 years old and has never fought a single MMA fight.
If Couture does get through Toney, as most anyone would predict, would that win be enough to earn him a title shot?
In the last four years, "The Natural" has fought only twice at light heavyweight. Most recently a second-round submission over a half-dead Mark Coleman, and prior to that a controversial decision over Brandon Vera. With Vera's recent first-round destruction at the hands of Jon Jones, Couture's decision win is far from elite-level stuff.
Three weeks after this weekend's fight, another light heavyweight main event will headline UFC 114, as Quinton Jackson and Rashad Evans square off in a much-hyped clash of former champions. The UFC is hoping for big numbers from this event, and this fight will likely be billed as a title eliminator to add more meaning to the match.
The winner of Jackson/Evans will be a much more deserving contender, not to mention a much more dangerous opponent. There would be a good chance for a rematch since Rua stopped Jackson back in 2005, and Machida stopped Evans last year.
There is no doubt that Couture is a legend and a special fighter, but he has received more undeserved title shots than anyone in the history of the organization.
In 2003, after being stopped in back-to-back fights at heavyweight, Couture was immediately offered a shot at the light heavyweight title against Chuck Liddell.
In 2007, Couture was given a shot at the heavyweight title following a second-round knockout to Liddell at light heavyweight and a year-long layoff.
I don't think Couture will get a shot at the Machida/Rua winner, but I would not be surprised to see him next in line after the Jackson/Evans winner. After all, who else would get the shot?
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira is likely the next best light heavyweight, but he needs another win over a big-name opponent before they would hope to sell a big fight involving him. His upcoming match against Jason Brilz isn't going to cut it.
After beating Toney, I'd prefer Couture to be matched against Nogueira to determine the No. 1 contender. That fight would have plenty of obvious narratives; for instance, Couture's loss to Rogerio's older brother, Antonio Rodrigo, last year at heavyweight. Not to mention they are both legends of the sport.
Couture is a special fighter and is used to getting special opportunities, but I just don't see this one happening after wins over Coleman and Toney.Watch UFC 113 Free|(Watch UFC 113 Online)
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