Weights (and money) for Randy Couture and Brock Lesnar
Part of the reason Brock Lesnar is a slight favorite to take Randy Couture's Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight belt is his size advantage, and that point was strengthened at Friday's weigh-in in Las Vegas.
Lesnar, 31, stepped on the scale at the heavyweight maximum 265 pounds, while Couture, 45, weighed 220.
Couture is as skilled and savvy a mixed martial arts fighter as can be found, but confronting this disparity after a near 15-month layoff will be more daunting than his weight difference with the bigger Brazilian Gabriel Gonzaga in his last fight, in August 2007.
Also Friday, the Nevada State Athletic Commission released financial figures showing that both Couture and Lesnar are guaranteed $250,000. Lesnar gets an extra $200,000 if victorious, while Couture would double his guaranteed money to $500,000 if he wins.
The fight, at MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, will be televised on pay-per-view. If you can't get to the arena, here's the warm-up song you'll be missing.
-- Lance Pugmire
Photo: Brock Lesnar is shown here in February after losing a UFC bout against Frank Mir. Credit: Ronda Churchill / Las Vegas Review-Journal / Associated Press
brock should win on size and strenth, but randy will ground and pound i think and grab a leg or arm and it will be over ..paul k
Posted by: paul Keefe | November 15, 2008 at 01:23 AM
Why don't we see sepia-toned photos of brutes like this? Could chemical engineering be the culprit?
Posted by: Deebo | November 16, 2008 at 09:44 AM
Lesnar is joke...hes just big. Randy is fun to watch because he had skill. Brock is the poster boy for a super heavyweight division...honestly a guy who fights at 275 shouldn't be fighting guys at 220, it's just lame. But that's the UFC for you.
Posted by: Borckisajoke | November 18, 2008 at 09:53 PM
If the trend is to bring these neanderthal curiosities over from the wrestling circus to eventually compete with skill instead of schoolyard bullying; then not only is a heavier weight class needed; it's required for the safety of the fighters and the continued credibility of the sport itself.
Posted by: Iron Door | July 12, 2009 at 05:37 PM