Randy “The Natural” Couture will step into the octagon again to defend his UFC heavyweight title against Brock Lesnar at UFC 91 scheduled for November 15.

The winner of this fight is supposed to face the winner of the Mir/Nogueira bout in order to determine the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion.

Undoubtedly, Lesnar/Couture has a potential to be one of the biggest draws in the UFC history.

Brock Lesnar, a former WWE star and the 2000 NCAA heavyweight champion, will have a chance of his life come November 15. Brock wants to prove he’s not a stepping stone for Randy who looks for a collision with a Russian powerhouse, “The Last Emperor” Fedor Emilianenko.

With all the Fedor/Randy talk, “The Natural” is expected to beat Lesnar and the winner of the Mir/Nogueira bout, but what is going to happen with all that hype should Couture lose one of these fights? If Brock beat Couture, who would want to see Fedor/Randy anymore?

All this puts a lot of pressure on “Captain America”, but the 45-year-old Hall of Famer is confident before arguably one of the toughest fights in his career.

Strengths and weaknesses:

Brock Lesnar

A unique combination of size and speed, Brock Lesnar is undoubtedly the future of the UFC heavyweight division, considering the fact that he’s got a lot of room for improvement and an incredible work ethic. He’s evolved so much from his loss to Frank Mir, especially in his striking department.

The way he manhandled Heath Herring was a warning to every top heavyweight. Against Randy, the biggest Lesnar’s advantage is his sheer power. He is much bigger and stronger than Couture, and although “The Natural” has faced big opponents before (Gonzaga, Sylvia), none of his foes had wrestling abilities at Lesnar’s level.

If he can put Randy on his back, and holds him there, peppering him with short punches and hammerfists, Lesnar could walk out of the octagon with a decision. His biggest disadvantage is his MMA record, with only three fights under his belt.

Randy Couture

Couture’s experience can save him from dangerous situations and at the end be the factor that will decide the winner.

Randy should definitely keep this standing. He’s got superior boxing skills, he’s learned how to bob and weave which is a great asset to his stand-up game. That is something Heath Herring has yet to learn. Just remember Brock’s straight right that dropped “Texas Crazy Horse” early in the first round. The punch was telegraphed and not so fast, but Herring hadn’t incorporated head movements into his stand-up game and the blow clearly connected and sent Heath for a loop.

Brock is prone to submissions, but Couture’s submission prowess is far from BJJ experts like Mir or Nogueira. Randy can outpoint Lesnar, if he keeps the fight standing.

On the ground, Lesnar’s size and power will pose problems for smaller Couture, but on the other hand, Lesnar has flaws in his ground game as well, just remember how easily Herring escaped Brock’s mount.

Brock’s game plan is to overpower and control Randy on the ground and keep Randy in the defensive mode with short punches and hammerfists. If Couture can get back to his feet and turn this into a kick-boxing match, he will have his hands raised at the end.

PREDICTION: Couture, split decision

Marko Ilic
marko@ifight365.com