UFC 109 will feature the first time ever that two active UFC Hall of Famer's, Randy Couture (17-10-0) and Mark Coleman (16-9-0), as they meet inside the Octagon at The Mandalay Bay Events Center next Saturday evening and do battle.
Mark "The Hammer" Coleman was the first ever UFC Heavyweight Champion, Pride Heavyweight Grand Prix Champion, and the Grandfather of the style we call "Ground and Pound". Mark Coleman has accomplished as much as you possibly can in MMA, he's won world titles and fought some of the best in the world, so why keep fighting at the age of 45 with all of these accolades? No one was watching. Mark Coleman had obtained success for himself in a Sport that was still trying to find its place amongst other Mainstream Media. Wether the current fans of MMA know him or not, Mark Coleman just wants to compete, he wants to fight, and at age 45, the first ever Heavyweight Champ still has that fire burning inside for the love of the sport. His return fight in the UFC against "Shogun" may not have been his best performance, but showed just the kind of heart Coleman has, when clearly he had no cardio the entire fight. His absolute destruction of Stephan Bonnar leaves no doubt that Coleman still has what it takes to compete in the upper echelon's of the UFC's dynamic 205lb Division. Coleman's opponent for the scheduled Main Event, "The Natural" is clearly his toughest test in his MMA Career, and he needs the Win for the sake of his future in MMA.
Randy Couture first entered the Octagon back in 1997 at UFC 13, a year after Coleman's UFC 10 Tournament Win. Couture entered the Octagon and won his first 7 bouts with the UFC, his 4th being Maurice Smith (who bested Coleman in their Heavyweight Championship fight) for the Heavyweight Championship, until talented striker Josh Barnett (tested positive and was stripped of his title win over Couture) ended Couture's winning streak by TKO in the second round at UFC 36. Another loss the same year (2002) by tapout due to strikes under the name of Ricco Rodriguez for the vacant title, forced Couture to test the waters at 205lbs, where he eventually became Champ once again, and had some legendary battles with Tito Ortiz, Vitor Belfort, and Chuck Liddell. After 2 losses to Liddell, Couture decided he had enough and that possibly Father Time had caught up with the Greco Wrestler, and retired. Not a year later, Couture had made his return back into the Heavyweight Division where he became Heavyweight Champion once again by dismantling the giant in Tim Sylvia, destroying Gabriel Gonzaga, and now after two more Heavyweight losses to Lesnar and Nogueira, Couture is once again on a quest for the Light-Heavy Weight Belt after a technical win over young prospect Brandon Vera.
Both men will step into the Octagon with Legendary status next Saturday evening and will gaurentee to be a fight for the ages. In their previous fights, both men have bested younger competition and still look to have plenty of gas left in their tanks. The winner of this match-up will move one giant step closer to a claim at the 205lb Throne currently owned by Lyoto Machida, the loser however, one step backwards.
Wether one man makes a clear statement in next weeks Main Event or not, these two Legends will be fighting with all their Heart and Honour for the Sport they have both helped build to be what it is, and will be a classic match-up between two true Modern Gladiators.
Check Back Soon for Fight Predictions and Analysis for UFC 109: Couture v Coleman, Marquardt v Sonnen, Serra v Trigg, Nover v Emerson, and Guillard v Torres
