Randy Couture vs. Brandon Vera set for UFC 105 main event
For a few weeks, the UFC was searching for a main event for UFC 105 in Manchester, England. After discussing options such as Nate Marquardt vs. Dan Henderson, B.J. Penn vs. Diego Sanchez, and various fights involving Anderson Silva, they finally settled on Randy Couture vs. Brandon Vera in a light heavyweight fight.
Both fighters fought at UFC 102, with Couture losing a unanimous decision against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in a heavyweight main event, and Vera winning a unanimous decision over Krzysztof Soszynski. Now, Couture moves down in weight to the light heavyweight division, the division that Vera himself dropped down to 15 months ago. Couture is a former light heavyweight champion, winning the interim title over Chuck Liddell at UFC 43, winning the unified title over Tito Ortiz at UFC 44, and winning back the title from Vitor Belfort at UFC 49. Overall, Couture is 4-3 in the UFC’s light heavyweight division.
Couture signed a contract extension with the UFC prior to the Nogueira fight at UFC 102, and has made it known that he would like to make a run at the light heavyweight championship before that contract expires. A few reports indicate that Couture has been promised a shot at UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida if he is victorious over Vera in November. Couture says that Vera will be a good test for him:
I would love to be a six-time UFC champion, to set the bar very high in that regard, and that’s what I want to accomplish at 205lbs … I believe I have to tools to win back the (title). Brandon Vera is the first of these challenges at 205lbs. It would have been very nice to be the big guy in the Octagon for the first time in years but, having trained with Brandon and competed against him in wrestling many years ago, I know that he is as big and as powerful as I am.
Since dropping down from heavyweight to face Reese Andy at UFC Fight Night 14, Vera has gone 3-1, though he still doesn’t look like the fighter that appeared to be on the fast track to stardom in late 2006 and early 2007. This is his chance to get his career back on track against a big name fighter in front of a huge TV audience. He’s excited for the opportunity:
It will be an honor and a privilege to fight a living legend like Randy Couture. He has been someone that I have looked up to and I can’t wait to get in there in November. Even after my first UFC win back in 2005, I was begging the UFC to put me in with a legend like a Chuck Liddell or a Randy Couture. I always knew those are the sorts of guys who would bring the best out of me and, finally, I have my chance to prove myself against a true legend in the sport
Couture adds huge star power to the free UFC 105 card that airs on Spike TV on November 14th. The event goes head to head with the Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto boxing event that night, and serves as an important promotional tool for UFC 106, which takes place the following week on pay-per-view. UFC officials expect a huge rating for Couture, and hopes that translates into monster pay-per-view numbers for UFC 106, which features a main event between Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin.
UFC 105 also features a co-main event between local favorite Michael Bisping against Denis Kang, Dan Hardy vs. Dong Hyun Kim, and the winners of the last season of The Ultimate Fighter, James Wilks and Ross Pearson.
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- Randy Couture signs six-fight extension with UFC
- Franklin vs. Henderson II set for UFC 103 Main Event
- Hamill out of UFC 102 fight with Vera, Soszynski in
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