Pointless Fights, Part II: Couture Wants Anderson; Rodriguez Rumored for Fedor
Jake Rossen Aug 14, 2009
BloodyElbow was first to catch wind of a Randy
Couture appearance on CBS Sports’ Lavar Arrington Show where
Couture -- after being teed up by the hosts -- expressed interest
in a fight with Anderson
Silva. (This will probably turn into “Couture Agrees to Silva
Fight” and, later, into “Couture, Silva to Fight in Yankee Stadium
on Thanksgiving” by the end of the business day.)
“They [Zuffa] certainly haven't approached me with it,” Couture said. “I think the idea's been kicked around, but I don't know if it's being kicked around by the executives at Zuffa.”
What it needs is to be kicked out. It’s great box office, but not worth much in the way of intrigue. Couture is 46 and gets by in the heavyweight division because the man-beasts there don’t move like they’re on amphetamines. Light-heavyweights -- where Couture was bumped from years ago -- change levels like Barry Allen in comparison. This fight only happens if Silva and the UFC insist on a 205-pound fight for the middleweight champion in the fall or winter: everyone else in that class is tied up with major bouts.
Far more barf-bag-worthy is MMAJunkie Radio’s idea that Strikeforce is contemplating muffin-topped Ricco Rodriguez as an opponent for Fedor Emelianenko’s fall debut. The promotion has had enough trouble convincing fans that quality opposition Brett Rogers and Alistair Overeem are still too many notches below Emelianenko to be worth bruising his knuckles on; good luck selling Rodriguez, who hasn’t won a meaningful fight since 2002, as anything but baby food for Emelianenko to gum in front of network audiences.
“They [Zuffa] certainly haven't approached me with it,” Couture said. “I think the idea's been kicked around, but I don't know if it's being kicked around by the executives at Zuffa.”
What it needs is to be kicked out. It’s great box office, but not worth much in the way of intrigue. Couture is 46 and gets by in the heavyweight division because the man-beasts there don’t move like they’re on amphetamines. Light-heavyweights -- where Couture was bumped from years ago -- change levels like Barry Allen in comparison. This fight only happens if Silva and the UFC insist on a 205-pound fight for the middleweight champion in the fall or winter: everyone else in that class is tied up with major bouts.
Far more barf-bag-worthy is MMAJunkie Radio’s idea that Strikeforce is contemplating muffin-topped Ricco Rodriguez as an opponent for Fedor Emelianenko’s fall debut. The promotion has had enough trouble convincing fans that quality opposition Brett Rogers and Alistair Overeem are still too many notches below Emelianenko to be worth bruising his knuckles on; good luck selling Rodriguez, who hasn’t won a meaningful fight since 2002, as anything but baby food for Emelianenko to gum in front of network audiences.
Related Articles
