Written by Joey G
Sunday, February 7th, 2010
I just witnessed 2 of the oldest, I mean “seasoned,” fighters in MMA fight in the UFC tonight. Mark “The Hammer” Coleman took on Randy “The Natural” Couture in the main event of UFC 109. This fight was actually supposed to happen 11 years ago before Couture hurt his rib and had to pull out of the fight.
Maybe the fight would’ve been more competitive if it had happened then because Randy Couture dominated the fight with his dirty boxing, clinches and ground and pound before submitting Coleman with a choke early in round 2.
Whats more intriguing than the actual fight is the fact that both of these guys are in their mid 40′s (Coleman 45, Couture 46). Even though most guys lose some of their speed and resilience after years of competing, they both claimed that they feel better than they ever have. I find some truth in that because even though they may not be what they once were physically, they have more knowledge than they did when they were in their primes, and knowledge is power.
What is it that makes guys like Robert Parish and Brett Favre compete professionally for so long? Money? In some cases yes, but usually its more for the love of the sport and the glory that comes with it. Guys like Gordie Howe and Randy Couture play and fight for so long because they like to defy the odds and prove to themselves as well as others that they still got it.
Tonight Randy Couture made Mark Coleman respect his elders- A lesson we could all use.
