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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
A bout between two UFC Hall of Famers (at a combined age of 90) is coming to UFC 109, according to a report from Sherdog.com, as Randy Couture and Mark Coleman have verbally agreed to a bout on the February 6th card in Las Vegas, NV.
Couture will fight for the third time in less than six months, something that he hasn't done since 2001, after a heavyweight loss to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira necessitated a drop to light heavyweight, where he defeated Brandon Vera last Saturday in Manchester, England at UFC 105.
Coleman will return to action for the first time since his UFC 100 victory over Stephan Bonnar. He was set to return this Saturday to face Tito Ortiz, but pulled out of the bout due to a knee injury.
Not only will the bout be the first time two UFC Hall of Famers have faced off against one another, it will be a fight nearly twelve years in the making. The two were originally scheduled to face off at UFC 17 in 1998 before Couture pulled out due to injury. The two share remarkably similar records, though Couture's career has been the much more highly acclaimed and celebrated throughout the last decade.
UFC 109 is expected to be headlined by a UFC Middleweight Title bout between Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort.
Penick's Analysis: This is literally a "battle for the aged." Couture didn't look great against Brandon Vera on Saturday; not that he looked terrible either, he simply wasn't highly impressive, and this bout actually makes a lot of sense for a lot of reasons. Couture definitely needs a couple of victories in a row at this point to come anywhere near getting a title shot against Lyoto Machida, and Mark Coleman wants to prove that he still has what it takes to compete in the light heavyweight division. He made great strides in that respect by beating Stephan Bonnar in July in an impressive performance, and a victory over "The Natural" would definitely keep him around for a while longer. This won't be the prettiest fight and it may not be the most exciting, but it will be important for both fighters in the big picture of whether they can continue their career with both well into their forties.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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