The latest installment of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) pits Randy Couture (16-9) against Rodrigo Nogueira (31-5-1) and it will be a battle of aging warriors.
The heavyweight title bout will be a tough one for the punters with Couture and Nogueira both fighting back from losses to reclaim a glory they consider they both deserve
Couture lost his heavyweight title to Brock Lesnar back in UFC 91 while Nogueira lost it to Frank Mir at UFC 92.
But if you ask Nogueira – also known as Minotauro – his loss to Mir was more down to the fact he had a dickey knee.
At the time the Brazilian said he was also nursing a knee injury, which required surgery to repair after the lopsided beating.
But the 109kg, 191cm behemoth has declared himself fit and ready to take down the one known as The Natural – 100kg, 188cm, Couture.
The bout will be a classic wrestling versus jiu jitsu five-rounder.
Couture, at the ripe old age of 46, may be beyond this fight and although he has the experience, the 33-year-old Nogueira also has been around the traps for a while.
betED.com MMA Betting Odds have Couture as a -170 favorite and Nogueira a +140 underdog.
And although many are talking about the fight being won through brute force of punches, the real fight will be won on the deck and this is where Nogueira will quickly show his opponent the door to the Octagon.
Nogueira is well known and respected as a grappler and if he pins Couture, no amount of experience is going to be able to recover from a submission hold.
Unfortunately it appears that Couture’s days are numbered in the UFC, his age will ultimately do what many fighters have failed to do – bring The Natural to submission.
While some would consider Couture as a heart bet, the smart bettor will lay a packet down on Nogueira as a head bet.
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