Randy Couture | UFC Betting Sites - The Best MMA Online Bookies

Randy Couture Says Extended Layoff Has Helped Brock Lesnar Improve His Skills

Brock Lesnar will make his anticipated return at UFC 141 to face Alistair Overeem after enduring a long layoff with diverticulitis. The extended break has left some fans skeptical about Lesnar’s return and are doubting he will become as dominant a…

Brock Lesnar will make his anticipated return at UFC 141 to face Alistair Overeem after enduring a long layoff with diverticulitis.

The extended break has left some fans skeptical about Lesnar’s return and are doubting he will become as dominant as he was before. But according to UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture, the best has to yet to come from the 265-pound South Dakota native.

“I don’t think his difficulties will affect his ability to fight,” Couture told ESPN.co.uk. “I think he’s going to be better having had, for the first time, the time to change and realise his potential.”

Couture defended the UFC heavyweight title against Lesnar at UFC 91, which saw the former WWE star pummel the 47-year-old to capture the heavyweight crown. There was an enormous size disadvantage between the two heavyweights as Lesnar used his size and strength to wear down the smaller Couture.

Since then, Lesnar has trained with “The Natural” and Couture believes the former UFC champion is more credible than people might think.

“Something about being stood in front of a guy who is that size, but can still move as fluidly as he moves is a very unique thing. You don’t find guys like that, he’s an anomaly,” he said.

But having shared experience with both Lesnar and Overeem, Couture said the bout will come down to which competitor can implement their strength first.

“If Brock closes the distance and gets his hands on Overeem, you’re going to see Overeem on the bottom a lot. That’s not a great place to be,” he said. “If Brock’s timid and allows Overeem to establish his range and throws those big knees, we’ve established that Brock hasn’t made friends with being hit in the face yet.”

“Either way, it’s a great fight and an exciting match-up, no doubt,” he added.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC: The Top 25 Most Awesome Champions in MMA History

Who is the best champion ever? That question sparks a never-ending debate of course. Some champions are better than others. A select few had careers that shone like a beacon above all others. In its short existence, Mixed Martial Arts has gen…

Who is the best champion ever? That question sparks a never-ending debate of course.

Some champions are better than others. A select few had careers that shone like a beacon above all others.

In its short existence, Mixed Martial Arts has generated more than its share of legends. Not all legends are champions. To truly be the man, you gotta beat the man. You have to become champion to put a stamp on your legacy and silence all doubters.

Some of the greatest champions ever, would go for years without ever losing and have fought all comers. Some were always coming back and reclaiming the title.

Here are the 25 champions that inspired greater awe, fear and wonder in those who watched them. As well as those who fought them. They dominated the sport of mixed martial arts.

Begin Slideshow

Randy Couture: Bisping Probably Deserves a UFC Title Shot

UFC middleweight Michael Bisping believes that he was deserving of a title shot after his one-sided dominant win over fellow Ultimate Fighter coach Jason “Mayhem” Miller back on December 3rd. However, UFC President Dana White felt that the Brit was sti…

UFC middleweight Michael Bisping believes that he was deserving of a title shot after his one-sided dominant win over fellow Ultimate Fighter coach Jason “Mayhem” Miller back on December 3rd.

However, UFC President Dana White felt that the Brit was still one win away from a shot at Anderson Silva and booked a fight between Bisping and former No. 1 contender Demian Maia for the UFC on Fox 2 card in late January.

If Bisping is victorious, he will then be set to take on the winner of Anderson Silva and the winner of the fight between Chael Sonnen and Mark Munoz, which is also set for the UFC on Fox 2 card.

Now that the 32-year-old will have to patiently wait for his turn in line, there is one UFC legend that agrees with the Brit that he is already deserving of a title shot, Randy Couture.

Couture is currently overseas in the United Kingdom promoting his new book “The Last Round” and ESPN.com caught up with him to ask about Bisping,

“I think he probably does. He’s right up there in the top four or five guys in that weight class,” Couture said

“You can split hairs on deciding who the No. 1 contender is. He’s coming off a great outing against Jason Miller, weathered a storm and had the conditioning and great technique to finish the fight well.

“He’s one of the top guys so why not?”

Couture has been around for Bisping’s entire career so far since winning the Ultimate Fighter season three as a light heavyweight back in 2006.

Bisping is currently on a four-fight winning streak and is one of the few top middleweights that has yet to face Silva.

Many believe that the Brit lacks the punching power to match up with Silva on the feet, but Bisping makes up for it with his quick accurate strikes.

If Bisping can get past Maia and earn his first career title shot, he’ll finally be able to prove it inside the octagon.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 140: Machida "I Would Be Happy to Have the Fans on My Side This Time"

The UFC 140 open workouts were held this afternoon at Extreme Couture in Etobicoke with headline fighters Jon Jones, Lyoto Machida, Tito Ortiz, Frank Mir and The Nogueria brothers. The workouts were open to the media and the public and a couple hundred…

Lyoto Machida was the first to enter the gym and take the mat where he hit the pads, did a light shadow box and performed a short kata for the fans (Please see the video for up-close footage of Machida’s kata and comments).

This is Machida’s second consecutive fight in Toronto after he fought and knocked out legend Randy Couture at UFC 129 in April. Couture was clearly the fan favorite in that matchup and Machida is hoping things are different this time around.

“That victory and that fight was very important for me because I have a lot of respect for Randy Couture and to come up here to a place where Randy Couture has a lot of fans it was much different because I’m not used to having most of the fans on my opponent’s side,” Machida stated through his interpreter.

“But I want the fans to understand I am a professional, I respect Randy a lot and hopefully this time around I would be glad to accept the fans on my side,” he laughed.

It is tough to be the man to send a beloved legend so violently into retirement, but the perfectly executed crane kick brought on a karate revival in the minds and hearts of many, bringing up memories of the 80s classic flick The Karate Kid.

That revival must have had something to do with Machida getting a title shot in his next fight—something he was not really expecting.

“To be honest with you it was a big surprise because of the way that things were working out with the contenders and the fighters and also Jon Jones having the title and will be fighting now four times and that’s a lot for a guy to be fighting in a year so it’s definitely a big surprise.”It’s also pretty clear that Machida did feel a bit worried after he turned down the Rashad Evans fight.

“Also with me not taking that fight and all those different things that were going around so I’m very happy. I feel I am in a much more mature stage in my life, I am more experienced now.

I’ve experienced what it’s like to be a champion, I’ve experienced what it’s like to lose, I’ve experienced what it’s like to be knocked out, and I’ve experienced what it’s like to come back and have a big win. I just feel as a fighter and a man I’m more mature and more prepared than I was last year.”

I can’t wait to see if he is prepared enough to handle Jon Jones.

Dwight Wakabayashi is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA and correspondent for MMACanada.net.

Catch him on Facebook and Twitter at wakafightermma.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

MMA Video Tribute: Jim Norton’s Nine Most Painful Interviews

As co-host of the Opie & Anthony radio show on SiriusXM, comedian Jim Norton has become the designated punching bag for visiting MMA stars. He’s been choked, he’s been kicked, he’s had his foot twisted 180 degrees by Brock Lesnar. And considering what a sick, depraved bastard Norton is, you have to wonder if he enjoys it on some level. Here’s everything we could collect from Jim Norton’s MMA-related body of work. All videos courtesy of opieradio.

Guest: BJ Penn, 4/14/10
Technique: Armbar
In Jim’s words: “That is fuckin’ horrible…Besides the fact that your arm is ready to be ripped out, it puts pressure on your fuckin’ — it stretches you both ways, I didn’t realize it did that.”

Guest: Randy Couture, 7/19/10
Technique: The rear-naked choke
In Jim’s words: “Wow, that’s effective…There’s nothing you’re gonna do to get out of that, if you’re me.”

Guest: Cain Velasquez, 11/10/10
Technique: Guillotine choke
In Jim’s words: “All you think is, ‘Please! Please stop this!’”

Guests: Fedor Emelianenko and Frank Shamrock, 2/8/11. Special appearance by Tanya.
Techniques: Armlock, guillotine choke, rear-naked choke, arm-triangle choke
Jim to Tanya after being armlocked: “What’s his favorite hold to put on somebody?”
Fedor to Jim, via Tanya: ”Was this one not enough?

Guest: Brock Lesnar, 3/30/11
Techniques: Achilles lock, heel hook
In Jim’s words: “AH, I don’t like the heel hook at all! Do you know how you knew that was gonna suck? Because as he’s explaining it, there’s no pressure being applied, I’m like ‘I don’t like this already’.”

6 Reasons Bellator Won’t Come Close to Filling the UFC’s Shoes on Spike TV

When the UFC chose to sign a new deal with FOX, it left a huge void in Spike TV. The TV station whose main target audience is males will try to fill that void with Bellator Fighting.Bellator, perhaps the third largest MMA company in America, is kn…

When the UFC chose to sign a new deal with FOX, it left a huge void in Spike TV.

The TV station whose main target audience is males will try to fill that void with Bellator Fighting.

Bellator, perhaps the third largest MMA company in America, is known for its tournaments where the winner often faces a Bellator champion.

Although the company has been on the rise it will not be able to come close to what the UFC was for Spike.

Keep reading to find out why.

Begin Slideshow