In relation to other sports, frequency of competition is MMA’s biggest deficit. If you’re a Yankees fan, you can see them play over a hundred times in a year. If you happen to enjoy the WWE, you’ll typically see major stars wrestle at least a couple times a month. But in prizefighting, unless you’re working the ladder as a near-amateur, you’re going to be trotted out for only two or three fights a year.
He won’t get that wish, but there’s something to be said for Randy Couture sewing up his remaining time in the sport by accepting a pile of fights after a layoff. He fought Antonio Nogueira in August and Brandon Vera in November: a little under three months later, he’ll be facing Mark Coleman at UFC 109 on Feb. 6 in Las Vegas.
Couture prefers Greco-Roman tie-ups in the clinch, set up by his boxing; Coleman dives for legs. Both have been among the most successful modified wrestlers in the sport. It’s a match that doesn’t need to make any allowances for age, size or ring wear. Whether it has title implications probably depends on how good the winner looks, but that’s beside the point. Not every fight needs to be about a trophy. Watching two hall of fame competitors test themselves on equal footing is a celebration of two impressive careers. That’s enough.