We have brought back the popular MMATorch Roundtable feature. Most days we will publish a question followed by several staff members' answers. We will run several batches of staff responses to the following question over the next several days, and then introduce a new topic after that.
TODAY'S NEW TOPIC:
Predict the winner of the Randy Couture-Mark Coleman fight on Saturday night.
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BJORN HANSEN, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
I hope to god I’m wrong, because he’s one of my MMA heroes, and is the epitome of work ethic, class and strategy, but I think Randy Couture’s chin has been irreversibly cracked by Chuck Liddell, and that will be the difference in UFC 109’s main event. Mark Coleman’s brute strength and size is capable of negating Randy’s usual forte. We’ve seen Randy have problems fighting off his back with Josh Barnett, Ricco Rodriguez, and the current Heavyweight Champ, Brock Lesnar.
Don’t get me wrong, though; I consider Randy’s boxing and head movement above Mark’s (hell, he’s just an overall better fighter), but Randy has been dropped multiple times in his last three bouts (kick by Vera, punches by Nogueira, punch by Lesnar) and consequently I’ve lost all faith in Captain America.
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SHAWN ENNIS, MMATORCH SENIOR COLUMNIST
As much as I love Mark Coleman, and as much as I remember thinking he was unbeatable before Pete Williams came along, this one is all Couture. Coleman is extremely strong and is a good freestyle wrestler, and if he gets on top of you it's still trouble. But his game hasn't evolved a whole lot since his first early UFC events, while Couture has developed into a well-rounded MMA fighter who can do pretty much everything while using his specialties to grind his opponents into dust. I think Couture will stuff Coleman's takedown attempts (which will be telegraphed and slow compared to his former self) and will wear him down in the ensuing clinch war. I've got Couture by TKO in round two.
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AIDAN LEAHY, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
I am going with Randy here due to his more all rounded game compared to Mark Coleman’s one-dimensional game and his notoriously poor gas tank. Coleman might have some early success, but his lungs will fail him midway through the second and Randy will get a third round TKO.
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GREG ROWLAND, MMATORCH AUDIO HOST
My pick is Randy over Coleman by decision. Both are great wrestlers, but Randy is far more well-rounded and should be able to score standing up and maybe even work some jiu jitsu on his back.
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BRIAN SWEET, MMATORCH SPECIALIST
I think Couture takes this fight convincingly. There is no denying that Coleman has great determination and a willingness to engage with anyone, but Couture is an animal. I see Randy controlling the clinch well and being able to avoid Coleman's relentless takedowns. A big factor for Coleman is his conditioning. I see him shooting in and getting stuffed and eating several short elbows in the process. The Hammer will gas after one round and be picked apart by Couture early in the 2nd. Couture via TKO 2 mins of round 2.
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FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
I think Couture wins this one. I'm not really looking forward to Age in the Cage, but Randy's shown that he can still get it done. I think about all Coleman has shown is that he can take an ass-whipping. I think the fight will be really boring, and it'll probably go to a decision. I have low expectations for this, so hopefully I'll be pleasantly surprised. I think Couture wins a 3 round borefest.
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MORE PREDICTIONS COMING IN A FEW HOURS. CHECK BACK WITH MMATORCH FOR THE NEXT BATCH.
Our next batch of Roundtable Topics to be addressed over the next week or two are as follows (so keep coming back to MMATorch every day for this and more exclusive features):
-If Randy Couture beats Mark Coleman convincingly, what's your pick for Couture's next opponents? And Coleman?
-If Mark Coleman beats Randy Couture convincing, what's your pick for Coleman's next fight? And Couture?
-Who are the two or three current Strikeforce fighters (other than Fedor) you'd be most intrigued to see acquired by UFC. What match-ups would you make from those acquisitions?
-Who are the two or three current UFC fighters you'd be most intrigued to see leave UFC for whatever reason (perhaps not being given a fair shake, already fought everyone, hit a ceiling, etc.) and be acquired by Strikeforce. What match-ups would you make from those acquisitions?
-Would you prefer Strikeforce in two years was out of business, close to UFC's equal (in revenue, ratings, buyrates, talent roster), or had surpassed UFC (assuming UFC stays static in the mean time)? Why?
-Should UFC add a women's fighting division?
-What would you do to try to make WEC successful on PPV, even if in general you disagree with WEC going on PPV? In other words, what advice would you give to Zuffa assuming they were open to some outside-the-box or aggressive marketing ideas?
[Randy Couture photo by Mike Lano (c) MMATorch]
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