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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LARAMEY LEET, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
In the words of Joe Rogan, "Couture is my hero!" I am predicting Couture to take this with ease! I think that Couture and Coleman will not try to bring the fight to the ground and it will be out of who has the most superior stand up. I see the fight going to the judges, but I see Randy winning every round. Couture's conditioning will outlast Coleman's. I do not see any aspect of MMA that Coleman tops Couture.
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ROBERT TEAL, MMATORCH SPECIALIST
Both fighters are UFC legends and hall of famers. Both are great athletes and wrestlers. But there is where the comparisons end. Randy during his career has shown the ability to adapt and improve after every fight he is in. He has become not only proficient at striking but very good in that area. He does not have explosive power or lightning quick speed but he understands how to put combinations together and he transitions well form the feet to the ground. He has become an all-around mixed martial artist. Mark Coleman is very strong and can definitely hurt you with his hands, but he is not a technical striker and you will never see him in a stand up war voluntarily.
When I pick a winner of a fight, I look to see the areas where a fighter is better than another. I think Couture presents more problems for Coleman than Coleman presents to Couture. Randy has the superior stand up game definitely superior cardio. The only Danger I see for Randy is if Coleman is able to take him down and put him on his back. Coleman is definitely a good enough wrestler to take Randy down, but after all is said and done I think Randy’s conditioning will be the x factor in this fight. I see Randy getting the win via TKO in round three.
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MATT PELKEY, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
I'll take the easy, safe pick and say Couture wins a slightly dull decision. He's taken his craft seriously for far longer than Coleman, and he's been willing to adapt and evolve as the sport has changed.
Coleman hasn't been relevant in seven or eight years and I find it hard to believe that a year of being "dedicated" will be enough to best an opponent that's everything Coleman could have been if he had realized in 2002 that double legs and ground-n-pound aren't the be all and end all to MMA.
Couture may have lost a step or two, but his game was never based around being the most explosive athlete or dynamic striker. He can still do what he does best: avoid damage, fight smart, and grind his opponents into mush. This one should be academic.
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WADE KELLER, SUPERVISING EDITOR
I'd love to see a classic between these two that surpasses everyone's expectations, but I don't expect it. I actually think this will end in the first round with a TKO for Couture. However, if it goes past the first, I think it'll go to a decision, because it'll be a sign that Coleman's cardio and general prep is better than anticipated, so given how Couture fights, I think Coleman can create a stalemate. He might even eek out a split decision if it goes the distance as he might land more shots and come across as more aggressive.
As usual, with UFC events that look relatively weak on paper, just knowing the fight is hours away makes me more excited to see it than I expected. I'd still rather see these two fighting younger stars because at least something would be learned from that. In this case, whoever wins will face the criticism that they beat an over-the-hill fighter who's last good fight was, well, his last good fight. Whereas if they were to beat a younger fighter, it'd show "they still have it" (plus give a younger fighter the chance to fight a Hall of Fame legend in their career, win or lose).
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 art credit Cory Gould (c) MMATorch]
