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The combined age of the competitors is 91-years-old and the fight itself was delayed more than a decade and one hundred events. One of the fighters has even joked that an apt named for the show might be "Geezers at Caesars."
Indeed, Randy Couture and Mark Coleman will both be in the twilight of their legendary MMA careers when they finally meet in the Octagon this weekend at UFC 109. No belt will be on the line, but the company has hinted that top-contender status very well may be. The question, however, is whether the fight is still relevant. Has it just taken too long to get these two hall of famers in the cage together?
Not for some.
"This might be the first UFC I buy and actually watch in about 10 years, you know?" Don Frye, another MMA legend, told me last month when I interviewed him for The Rumble. "These two guys, it's going to be one hell of a barnburner. They’re going to show these new guys how to fight."
Couture and Coleman were originally supposed to go at it at UFC 17 in May of 1998, before an injury to Couture forced the bout's cancelation. Instead, Coleman suffered a highlight reel knockout by Pete Williams at that event and, after one more UFC loss, spent the next 10 years fighting in Japan.
Meanwhile, Couture – along with Chuck Liddell – dragged mixed martial arts kicking and screaming into the mainstream. As much as anyone else, he became the face of the UFC and, by extension, the sport in America.
Together, their resumes dwarf nearly any other pairing of fighters who could be matched in the Octagon. But with each guy at nearly 50 years old, critics argue that the action in the ring can't possibly live up to the history attached to the names.
So the question is: Why now? Why after 10 years and 40 combined fights does it make sense to have Couture and Coleman finally fight?
The answer: Need. They both need this.
Couture has lost two of his last three fights and in the wake of his most recent bout – a win over Brandon Vera in Nov. of '09 – some pundits began to wonder aloud if the once ageless warrior was finally starting to slow down. After dropping back-to-back fights to Brock Lesnar and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Couture looked content to try to out-point Vera, to push him up against the cage and work his clinch-game and dirty-boxing skills. In other words, Couture looked every bit the cagey veteran trying to stave off Father Time with sound strategy and – forgive me for saying it – stalling tactics.
Coleman, on the other hand, has been left for dead by MMA fans more times than he can probably count. Considered washed up after getting drummed out of the UFC on the heels of three straight losses in the late '90s, he revitalized his career by winning the Pride open-weight grand prix tournament in 2000. Since then, his career has had a variety of ups and downs, but he thrust himself back into relevance last July by defeating Stephan Bonnar via unanimous decision.
So, Couture needs this. He needs to prove that he's still got what it takes to finish fights and that he's still got enough tread left on the tires to make one final run at UFC gold.
Coleman needs this. He needs to prove his win over Bonnar wasn't a fluke. He needs to prove that after nearly 15 years in the game, he's figured out the right way to train and that his new partnership with coach Shawn Tompkins has given him new life.
A loss for either could be disastrous, though both guys contend they're planning beyond Saturday night. Neither seems on the verge of retirement … yet.
Frye retired last month. He'll be on the couch at his home in Arizona watching this one live on PPV. If Couture and Coleman aren't quite ready to join him, a win would be advisable.
Chad Dundas is the Lead MMA Editor for The Sporting News. He writes a weekly column for CraveOnline and lives in Missoula, MT.
