Betting on UFC and MMA – Brock Lesnar vs. Randy ”The Natural” Couture
When UFC three-time heavyweight champion Randy ”The Natural” Couture returns to the Octagon at UFC 91 on Saturday, November 15th in Sin City, he will be facing a bigger, stronger, faster, and younger opponent in Brock Lesnar.
But Couture would have been fitting as the man to have coined the phrase “the bigger they are the harder they fall.” I’m sure Tim Sylvia and Gabriel Gonzaga would agree based on the ass whooping both endured from the much undersized Couture.
For the many sports betting history buffs out there, it was actually boxer Joe ”The Barbados Demon” Walcott, who was the welterweight champion of the world from 1901-1904, who coined the phrase “the bigger they are the harder they fall.”
On March 3, 2007 Couture entered the Octagon at 6′ 2″, 220 pounds and the +110 MMA betting underdog at UFC 68 in hopes of reclaiming his title against a mammoth 6′ 8” and 268-pound Maine-iac named Silva who wore the belt, priced at -135 by BetUS UFC odds experts.
For 25 minutes the two went to war in what was one of the best fights in UFC history. What the 45-year-old Couture lacked in size, he made up for with heart, determination and raw fighting skills in warrior like fashion. Couture initiated the striking as the aggressor versus Sylvia, taking him to the ground in the first round clearly frustrating the Maine-iac. In the best fight of his Hall of Fame career, Couture dominated throughout much of the bout to score an unanimous decision victory for his third championship.
In his first title defense at UFC 74 on August 25, 2007, the 220-pound heavyweight champion again entered the Octagon undersized and the +115 online MMA wagering underdog versus 6′ 1” and 242-pound Gonzaga. Having the ground game as a powerful Jiu-Jitsu ace, which Silva lacked, and coming off a devastating head kick that knocked out and nearly decapitated heavily favored Mirko Cro Cop, many believed Gonzaga would be the author to write the final chapter of Couture’s storybook run at the top of the heavyweight division.
Instead, the champion came out and broke Gonzaga’s nose, and controlled the bout until 1:37 of the third round, when Couture posted a technical knock out, which he claimed with an arm broken by one of Gonzaga’s deadly kicks.
Following two successful title defenses, being atop the heavyweight division and with two fights remaining on his UFC contract, Couture walked away from the world’s top MMA series in October of 2007, because of contentious relations between himself and the organization. But in August, the heavyweight champion and the organization worked on a renegotiation of his contract that will enable Couture to finish his career with the UFC.
Shortly after the agreement was reached, UFC President Dana White announced the return to the Octagon of heavyweight champion Couture to face Lesnar in the main event of UFC 91 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
When the champion faces Lesnar, not only will he once again be the smaller fighter, Couture will also again be the slight online UFC betting underdog at even money, with the challenger priced at -130. Despite being able to look the former WWE star in the eye, Couture will likely give away more than 45 pounds. Lesnar, a former NCAA Division I National Wrestling Champion, is an imposing 6′ 3” and 265-pound muscle blown structured figure.
Lesnar’s departure from pro wrestling to compete in the UFC earlier this year rocked the MMA world. His record is just 2-1 but his spectacular victory over Heath Herring at UFC 87 in August, has made this a highly-anticipated heavyweight title fight. Despite his size, Lesnar is quick and athletic and has wrestling skills equal of Couture’s who owns a 16-8-0 MMA record.
If you bet on UFC action, this is a very intriguing matchup, as Couture puts his heavyweight title on the line against the biggest opponent of his career, powerhouse Lesnar. Can the legend prevail for the third consecutive time as the underdog versus a larger fighter? Or will the faster and bigger Lesnar out muscle the champion, who hasn’t fought in over a year? Experience and cage savvy? Or youth and strength? Find out Saturday, November 15 when these two enter the Octagon to get it on.
Also on the card, Kenny Florian vs. Joe Stevenson; Amir Sadollah vs. Nick Catone; Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Josh Hendricks and Nate Quarry vs. Demian Maia.
