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Randy Couture Gives Jon Jones Advice Ahead Of Heavyweight Move

Jon Jones is preparing to make his debut in the heavyweight division and there’s no shortage of opinions about how he will perform. If anyone knows a thing or two about winning titles in two separate UFC divisions, it’s Randy Couture. The former light heavyweight and heavyweight champion was the first fighter to win titles in two weight classes in the promotion’s history. Couture sat down with Damon Martin to talk about his career and his new documentary, The Randy Couture Story.

Couture talked about some challenges he faced during his fourteen year career, overcoming a heart attack and how fighters promote themselves. He also talked about the challenges of fighting in different divisions. (H/T MMA Fighting on SBN)

“I felt like I was stuck between weight classes. I’m certainly not by any stretch of the imagination a big heavyweight. But when I started the sport, 15 or 20 pounds was a lot to cut because lightweight was anything under 200 [pounds]. So now we have as many weight classes as we do, it’s a little easier for guys to transition up or down and make weight in another weight and still compete and still be healthy and still perform to their ability. I don’t think it takes away from it that more guys have done it, more guys and gals. I think it’s still cool.”

Couture went on to share his thoughts on the latest champion to try this feat, Jon Jones. About Jones, Couture shared, “I’ll be interested to see. He’s a big guy, he’s a tall guy. I think he’s taller than I am. I think he’s 6-foot-3, I’m only 6-foot-1. He certainly has the frame to put on the mass, and technically, he’s as good as anybody.”

Jones has been hard at work preparing for his heavyweight debut. The former lightweight champion and consensus GOAT has packed on 40 pounds as he prepares to return to the octagon later this year. He has been incredibly active on social media and has no doubt that he will be on top of the heavyweight division.

The current champion is 38, I’m only 33, Mark my words eventually I will have that belt around my waist. There’s no rush. I’ll just keep building my body, I’ll focus on doing all the right things outside of the octagon, and hopefully one day the company will see more value in me. https://t.co/zAZQV7fE5b

— BONY (@JonnyBones) March 10, 2021

Couture, citing Adesanya’s loss to Blachowicz, wonders if adding the weight and preparation will translate to success for Jones.

“It’s always going to be a challenge. You know Adesanya is a perfect example. I mean coming in at, what was he 196 [pounds]? You know probably as big as he’s ever been, but he’s still dealing with a guy that’s cutting down from 215 to 220, probably, to make 205. And you know sometimes that, especially when all skill sets across the board are fairly equal, that that size and power can make a difference.”

Over the course of his UFC career, Jones has only suffered one loss and dominated the light heavyweight division. However, he has not secured a finish since 2018 and won a questionable decision against Dominick Reyes in his final title defense. Still, Jones is favored to excel in his new weight class.

“It will be interesting to see how he works around bigger, stronger guys, cause that is a challenge. You’ve got to approach them differently. You don’t want to go head up with a guy that’s that big and that strong,” Couture added.

Do you think that Jon Jones will be the next two division champion?

Randy Couture Recalls Spoiling The UFC’s Plans For Chuck Liddell

MMA legend Randy Couture has been reminiscing about the time he played spoiler by beating Chuck Liddell. The comments come one week on from Dustin Poirier doing something similar. ‘The Diamond’ stopped Conor McGregor inside two rounds at UFC 257 to derail Dana White’s plans to set up a mega-money rematch between ‘Notorious’ and UFC […]

MMA legend Randy Couture has been reminiscing about the time he played spoiler by beating Chuck Liddell.

The comments come one week on from Dustin Poirier doing something similar. ‘The Diamond’ stopped Conor McGregor inside two rounds at UFC 257 to derail Dana White’s plans to set up a mega-money rematch between ‘Notorious’ and UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Couture held the heavyweight title in 2001. He believes the UFC wasn’t happy about him beating Pedro Rizzo twice, as he was 10 years Couture’s junior and a potential future superstar.

“I don’t think they were too keen on having a 39, 40-year-old heavyweight champion,” Couture said in a recent episode of “Legend 2 Legend” with Burt Watson. “I don’t think they thought I was very marketable.”

The 57-year-old later lost his heavyweight title to Josh Barnett. Couture was scheduled to face Andrei Arlovski in 2003 before an injury to the Belarus native derailed that fight three weeks out, prompting the UFC to contact ‘The Natural’ and suggest he moves down to fight Chuck Liddell for the interim light-heavyweight title.

Liddell was on the edge of becoming a true star for the UFC. ‘The Iceman’ was engaged in a bitter feud with undisputed light-heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz. A fight between Liddell and Ortiz was the biggest possible fight the company could make. Couture believed the UFC wanted Liddell to have an interim belt in order to force Ortiz into a fight with his biggest rival.

“Obviously I was the fly in the ointment for that whole scenario,” Couture said. (Transcribed by MMA Junkie)

Couture went on to beat up and stop Chuck Liddell inside three rounds to claim the interim belt. He later picked up a decision win over Tito Ortiz to become the undisputed light-heavyweight champion. Couture believes those wins put him in “a bit of an adversarial situation” with the UFC brass.

‘The Natural’ eventually surrendered his title to Vitor Belfort before winning it back in a rematch. Couture later lost twice to Liddell in one of the all-time great trilogies before stepping up to heavyweight to win UFC gold once again, cementing his place in the Hall of Fame and as one of the greatest ever MMA fighters.

Where does Randy Couture rank among the best ever UFC fighters?

Randy Couture: Jon Jones Ends GOAT Debate By Winning Heavyweight Title

UFC legend Randy Couture thinks Jon Jones is unquestionably the greatest MMA fighter of all time if he steps up to heavyweight and wins the title. The G.O.A.T debate has been raging recently. UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov choked out Justin Gaethje inside two rounds at UFC 254 this past weekend before retiring from the […]

UFC legend Randy Couture thinks Jon Jones is unquestionably the greatest MMA fighter of all time if he steps up to heavyweight and wins the title.

The G.O.A.T debate has been raging recently. UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov choked out Justin Gaethje inside two rounds at UFC 254 this past weekend before retiring from the sport with a perfect record of 29-0.

Many fans believe the undefeated Russian fighter is the best of all-time. Jones has been adamant that this isn’t the case. ‘Bones’ has been campaigning on social media for recognition as the greatest, after being dethroned as the pound-for-pound number one on the official UFC rankings.

Couture earned his place in the UFC Hall of Fame by securing championship status at light-heavyweight and heavyweight. The 57-year-old now tells TMZ Sports that Jones must do the same in order to cement his status as the greatest.

“I think Jon Jones is right there. I think if Jon really wants to solidify himself as pound-for-pound, he needs to go up to heavyweight and he needs to take a shot at winning that title,” Couture said. “And, then that erases any argument that anybody could have. He’s a two-division champ. He’s been dominant in the light heavyweight division for a long time now.”

“I think that’s something that Jones needs to look at, and really solidly his legacy in the sport by going up and winning the heavyweight division and showing just how technically proficient and athletic he is.”

Jones relinquished his 205lb belt earlier this year and announced his intention to compete at heavyweight moving forward. Feared knockout artist Francis Ngannous has had repeated assurances that he is next in line for a shot at current heavyweight king Stipe Miocic. Earlier this week it was revealed that match-up was being targeted for March 2021. So it looks like Jones may have a wait before he can claim a belt in a second UFC weight class and cement his GOAT status.

Do you agree with Randy Couture? Does Jon Jones cement his GOAT status by winning the UFC heavyweight title?

Randy Couture Hospitalized, Needs Surgery After ATV Accident

Randy ‘The Natural’ Couture and his girlfriend Mindy Robinson were injured in an ATV accident yesterday at his ranch near Flagstaff, Arizona. Couture’s attorney Sam Spira confirmed the news: “Randy Couture and his girlfriend Mindy (Robinson) were involved in a quad (four-wheeler) accident late last night on his ranch just outside Flagstaff, Arizona. As a […]

Randy ‘The Natural’ Couture and his girlfriend Mindy Robinson were injured in an ATV accident yesterday at his ranch near Flagstaff, Arizona. Couture’s attorney Sam Spira confirmed the news:

“Randy Couture and his girlfriend Mindy (Robinson) were involved in a quad (four-wheeler) accident late last night on his ranch just outside Flagstaff, Arizona. As a result of the accident, later today, Randy will be having some orthopedic surgery. He and Mindy are expected to make a full recovery.” – Spira

The former multiple-time UFC Heavyweight and Light-Heavyweight Champion had a heart attack almost a year ago as well. He was in the middle of practice and something didn’t feel right, so he walked himself to the ER and underwent surgery.

‘The Natural’ is 57-years-old at this point, hopefully his body reacts properly to the surgery and he makes a full recovery as expected. He had a really long and incredibly successful career in the sport of mixed martial arts, he’s no stranger to adversity.

Just a few of Couture’s accomplishments include a three-time Olympic team alternate in Greco-Roman wrestling (1988, 1992, 1996), a semi-finalist at the 2000 Olympic trials, a three-time NCAA Division I All-American, and a two-time NCAA Division I National Championships second place.

He also placed in sixth at the NCAA Division I National Championships the first year he competed.

Couture’s other wrestling credentials include a two-time World Cup bronze medalist, a Pan American Games champion, a bronze medalist at the Pan American Championships, as well as a three silver medals and one gold medal at the Pan American Championships.

That doesn’t even mention his resume in mixed martial arts, where though he has a 19-11 record, he’s the first two-weight world champion this sport ever had. He’s a three-time UFC Heavyweight Champion and a two-time UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion, as well as a one-time interim UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion.

Couture was also the oldest man to win a fight in the UFC, the oldest man to win a title in the UFC, and the oldest man to ever defend a title in UFC history. He also has the most championship fights in UFC history at 15, and he’s tied with Anderson Silva for the most main even bouts in UFC history.

MMAFighting has reached out to the PFL for a statement on Couture’s status and will provide an update as soon as possible.

Report: UFC Legend Randy Couture to Undergo Surgery After Injury in ATV Accident

UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture reportedly has to undergo surgery Tuesday after getting into an ATV accident with his girlfriend Mindy Robinson, according to TMZ Sports …

The Importance Of OSU Wrestling To Primitive & Modern MMA

Oklahoma State University has a rich history of producing elite-level mixed martial arts fighters and has been doing for several decades. The school’s wrestling team has long been one of the best in the country and for some reason, its athletes always seem to bet on MMA as their follow-on career. In the late 1980s […]

In the late 1980s before MMA or the UFC was even a thing Don Frye and Randy Couture were teammates on the OSU wrestling team. The pair would go on to become pioneers in the sport of MMA and legends of the game.

Frye entered the UFC in its very early days when the sport lacked many of the rules we see in place today – one such rule was no weight classes. Frye won the UFC 8 tournament and the UFC 1996 tournament too. Although in those days they didn’t have a belt system he was for all intents and purposes a UFC champion and remains a fight legend.

Couture left OSU with his place in the Hall of Fame secure and went to work on achieving the same feat inside the UFC. His list of accomplishments is staggering, to say the least. ‘The Natural’ held UFC titles on six occasions. He was the first fighter to become a champion in two different weight classes and he was also the oldest ever champion when winning the heavyweight strap at 45 years old – he was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2006.

In more recent times you have had guys like Johny Hendricks emerge from OSU to become UFC champions. ‘Big Rig’ won two NCAA Division I championships during his years at college where he finished with an overall wrestling record of 159 – 13. The now retired MMA fighter took to the sport like many from OSU – naturally. He had the elite level grappling base and ungodly power in his hands that made him the UFC welterweight champion.

Currently Daniel Cormier is the man flying the flag for OSU in the UFC. The 41-year-old was a standout wrestler at OSU and went on to represent the USA at the 2004 Olympics coming fourth. He was named captain for the 2008 games but was forced out due to kidney failure brought on by excessive weight cutting. Since transitioning to MMA in 2009 he has enjoyed great success and is arguably one of the greatest fighters ever. ‘DC’ won the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix just 10 fights into his professional career. He went on to join the UFC an become a dual weight champion at light-heavyweight and heavyweight, he was just the second fighter to do so.

While the OSU wrestling team has produced three UFC champions and a tournament winner it has also produced a lot of other high calibre fighters who still made a massive impact despite not reaching the lofty heights of UFC gold. Shane Roller, Jared Rosholt, Jake Rosholt Mark Munoz, Muhammed Lawal were all part of the OSU wrestling team and all went on to become world-class MMA fighters.