Weights (and money) for Randy Couture and Brock Lesnar

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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