Randy Couture is more than qualified to assess the UFC heavyweight landscape. On Saturday night, Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou square off in a rematch three years in the making with MMA’s richest prize on the line, the UFC heavyweight title.
Their first meeting in 2018 saw Miocic take glory on the scorecards, but Ngannou enters this second meeting a much-improved fighter with four consecutive stoppage victories. Saturday’s UFC 260 from the Apex in Las Vegas promises to be an explosive show courtesy of the fireworks expected from the main event combatants, and Couture, a recent guest on The Ak and Barak Show, couldn’t hide his excitement.
“I think it’s going to be an amazing fight,” stated the former UFC light-heavyweight and heavyweight ruler. “I’m close to Ngannou. Francis trains here in my gym with my team. He's done an amazing job and he’s as diligent as any guy I’ve met.
“He has a pretty fair idea of what cost him the fight in the last engagement with Stipe and he’s worked his butt off to shore up those things. A rematch always puts the onus on the guy who won the first fight. What’s he going to change?”
Couture’s verdict on Ngannou’s preparations brought a swift reply from Barak who made reference to Miocic’s age — the American turns 39 this summer — and that he could’ve retired with his reputation and legacy secure.
“In my opinion, he’s [Miocic] got 10 more years,” joked Couture. “Stipe could’ve walked away into the sunset. He’s still a gamer, he’s still got some fight left in him, and he’s going to continue to solidify his legacy in the sport of mixed martial arts. This will certainly do it.
“I don’t think it changes the dynamic because of his age because I never put much emphasis on those numbers anyway. I think technically he’s still breaking down Francis. Trying to figure out what Francis is going to do different this time and what he needs to adjust to be able to get the same outcome, which is a victory.”
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