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In his first fight outside the USA in nearly nine years, legendary five-time UFC champion Randy ‘The Natural’ Couture will headline UFC 105 at the MEN Arena, Manchester, in a fascinating light heavyweight collision with Brandon ‘The Truth’ Vera on November 14.
The most successful division-jumper in the history of mixed martial arts, Couture, 16-10 in MMA, has already reigned twice as light heavyweight champion of the world in addition to his three triumphs in the heavyweight category. Now the Hall of Famer will storm into Manchester to renew his quest for an unprecedented sixth world championship.
“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,” said the Natural. “That is my immediate goal. I am very intrigued by the current light heavyweight division, there are some great matchups for me here, and I believe I have to tools to win back the 205lbs title.”
In his first bout in the light heavyweight class since the climax of his iconic trilogy with Chuck Liddell in February 2006, Couture meets the formidable challenge of Brandon ‘The Truth’ Vera.
Couture said: “Brandon Vera is the first of these challenges at 205lbs. It would have been very nice to be the big guy in the Octagon(TM) 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.
“He’s looked very sharp, very dangerous, in his last few fights. His stand up is very good, he is very fast and accurate with his kicks and he can hurt you to the legs with those weapons. He also proved he has the power to hurt big heavyweights, and that he can be patient and take advantage if you make a mistake.
“He is known for his stand-up in the UFC, but I know from experience that his wrestling is outstanding. He represents some interesting tactical problems, but I feel physically as good as ever and am ready to throw my name into the 205lbs title picture with a great performance.”
Fighting out of San Diego, California, Filipino-American Vera, 11-3 in his mixed martial arts career, is in the form of his life. Fighting just two weeks ago on the same card where Couture waged his instant classic war with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Vera snapped the six-fight winning streak of the highly-rated Krzysztof Soszynski. Before that, Vera had dismantled Michael Patt with some of the most vicious leg-strikes seen in the Octagon.
Now Vera says he is ready to take on a living legend and continue his ascent towards the light heavyweight title. He said: "It will be an honour 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
Battling to prove that the hype is for real, Brandon "The Truth" Vera made a statement on Saturday night that he could compete with a very tough 205lb opponent as he defeated former "Ultimate Fighter" Krzyzstof Soszynski by unanimous decision at UFC 102 on Saturday night.
Vera established his striking early on with a powerful kick to Soszynski's body that seem to set the tone in the first seconds of the fight. The kick seemed to give Soszynski notice that Vera was ready to use his speed and accuracy to gain the upper hand.
The Team Quest fighter worked hard to get the better of his opponent in the clinch, but Vera did a good job of circling away and peppering Soszynski with kicks and punches.
Soszynski did manage a partial takedown in the 2nd round, but he wasn't able to keep Vera on the mat for very long. There wasn't much action in the second 5 minutes, but Vera landed the more accurate shots when the two did engage.
With time ticking away in the third round, Vera actually hit a takedown of his own as he started to reign down shots on Soszynski, until they worked back up to the feet against the cage. As the round wore on it was Vera who consistently placed his kicks and combinations on the feet that Soszynski struggled to get away from.
In the end, Vera used a crisp display of striking without getting into too much danger to pull out the unanimous decision.
"It was a good fight, Krzyzstof is a tough dude," Vera said after getting the win. "I tried to stay in south paw just to mess with him. It was a good fight, I had to switch from my south paw stance, I wish I could have knocked him guys. Next time. Krzyzstof's a tough dude."
Winning his last two fights at light heavyweight, Vera feels like he has finally turned the corner, and is ready to turn up the heat on the best 205lbers in the world.
"Cutting weight is pretty easy now," Vera commented. "I've got great training partners, great coaches to keep me focused so it's going to be some good times here at 205."
Upset Fever in the Vegas Air:Dominick "Dominator" Cruz Upends Benavidez
Indeed, it was an evening of upsets, with the underdog Cruz knocking Benavidez from the ranks of the unbeaten with a fast and furious assault that saw both men scrapping and scrambling and banging non-stop for 15 minutes. Both men stormed at each other from the opening horn. Cruz, riding a significant height and reach advantage, danced about the cage and fired off crisp punching combinations; Benavidez answered with low kicks and his own fistic assault. Cruz scored a takedown and Benavidez fished for a guillotine choke in vain, then scrambled back to his feet. Benavidez landed a knee to the face and Cruz followed up with another takedown and mounted his opponent, before Benavidez fought back to his feet once more.
By round two, a sizable contingent of fans who had made the trek from Sacramento were chanting “Let’s go Joe! Let’s go Joe!”
Benavidez emerged as the aggressor, but Cruz caught the unbeaten fighter with a solid right as he was coming forward. Sensing Benavidez might be stunned, Cruz unleashed a hail of punches that forced his foe to retreat. Benavidez answered with a solid left hook and then a combination but Cruz was unfazed. Cruz then tagged Benavidez with a hard right. Cruz repeatedly rebuffed Benavidez’ takedown attempts and scored another takedown.
In round three, with Benavidez bleeding behind his left ear, Cruz claimed the round with two takedowns and good top control, even taking Benavidez’ back and getting both hooks in as the final seconds counted down.
The judges awarded Cruz a unanimous decision by scores of 30-27, 29-28, and 29-28.
“I just look for his strengths, stay away from them and put him where he’s uncomfortable,” he said of how he game plans for opponents. “That’s what I’ve been doing with everybody I’ve been fighting.
Ed Ratcliff vs. Phil Cardella
This fight started exactly as knowledgeable fight fans might expect, with Cardella looking to close the distance and Ratcliff seeking space to fire away with kicks and punches. In the first-half of round one, Cardella was able to secure the clinch and pull guard, but Ratcliff soon got to his feet. Cardella repeatedly achieved the clinch, but Ratcliff stubbornly fought off the takedown attempts. When Ratcliff couldn’t free himself from Cardella’s clutches, referee Steve Mazzagatti did it for him. On at least six different occasions – five times standing in the clinch and once with Ratcliff in Cardella’s guard – the referee saw it as insufficient activity and forced a restart.
For periods of the fight Ratcliff danced about the cage, occasionally landing crisp head shots on Cardella, who stands up very tall and stiff and has a habit of stalking his opponents. In the third round, Cardella’s golden moment arrived: As Ratcliff readied to strike, Cardella timed it and whipped around to take the San Diegan’s back in the standing position. Cardella wrapped a choke around Ratcliff’s neck, then tried to lock it in. Ratcliff peeled off Cardella’s top hand and escaped.
Incessant guard-pulling usually hurts fighters in the eyes of the judges. And this fight was no exception, as judges awarded Ratcliff a unanimous decision by scores of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.
