ranndy will bring it home tko 4th round that all i got to say

couture will lose to the younger gonzaga.

I think Gonzagas last fight against Crocop dosnt realy show how good he is,the more I think about it the more it seems Crocop beat himself in that fight,Gonzaga has a loss to Werdum so I think Couture has a good chance of winning this.
I am picking Couture to win by desicion.

Gonzaga looks like that police officer of the simpsons.

Two words…CLASS ACT.

I got Randy taking this one via split decision 48-47, 47-48, 48-47.

Good luck to both fighters, and we as UFC fans, are in for one definate fight of the year nominee.

How many different people has Randy talked to about his fight with Gonzaga? Poor guy is gonna get mauled by the media after the fight too.

I think that Randy will do well against Gonzaga.

Couture is a mosdef class act. The dude’s my hero

This fight is a hard one to call. But I agree with mcanena that Gonzaga’s fight with Cro Cop was good, but not a real demonstration of his fighting. After the GnP session that Gonzaga gave Cro Cop, Mirko could no longer see clearly and he was also dizzy, and Gonzaga capitalized on it. Great strategy for Gonzaga, especially against Cro Cop. But that strategy won’t work against Randy, and Randy is already wise to Gonzaga’s high kicks. So, it will be a very interesting match and very difficult to call. At this juncture, I’m giving it to Randy by decision.

I think Gonzaga has a good chance of winning by stoppage. I like Couture but Gonzaga is no Sylvia.

One LHK ago nobody would’ve gave Gonzaga a shot. Now people are calling him unstoppable (CALM DOWN ROGAN!). But really, he is gonna get a proper MMA education on the 25th, when Randy GNP’s the shit out of him and stops him in the fourth. Randy will not be taken down, and he will not eat a wild kick or punch without putting Gonzaga down and stuffing him through the cage. Look for a replay of Sylvia vs. Couture here, though when GG is brought into deep water he will falter and get TKO’d.

I don’t see any of these fighters finishing the other one. Randy has not finished anybody in I don’t konw how long, that’s just not how he does it. But I agree with HARDCASE above, that Gonzaga was nothin before he did that to CC, one fight should not give him all that credit, now he is gonna fight a top notch contedar who is consistant, Randy dosnt have a “bad night” so GG better be ready.

Man, I would love to see Randy win this one and eventually retire with the belt. It will be tough. I thought Gonzaga was pretty impressive the last fight. He came out strong.

it’s a toss up…I’ma give to GG because randy never did good in defending his belts he would het them then lose thim

Either way its gonna be one hell of a fight.

This is a tough one to call. I don’t think we really know how good GG is. I do believe that the longer this fight goes, the advantage goes to the man, RC.

See, this is how everyone should be training, specifically for your next opponent. Everyone always says how they just train, not for anything in particular, but just to continually improve. That’s a bit of laziness IMO, as watching film and dissecting you opponent is as important as actually training. Randy is going to be ready. Will he win? Who knows, but it’s going to be a hell of a fight either way.

[quote comment="124907"]One LHK ago nobody would’ve gave Gonzaga a shot. Now people are calling him unstoppable (CALM DOWN ROGAN!). But really, he is gonna get a proper MMA education on the 25th, when Randy GNP’s the shit out of him and stops him in the fourth. Randy will not be taken down, and he will not eat a wild kick or punch without putting Gonzaga down and stuffing him through the cage. Look for a replay of Sylvia vs. Couture here, though when GG is brought into deep water he will falter and get TKO’d.[/quote]

GG rains elbows on a CC who never trained in a cage or prepared for elbows. This was the deciding factor in the fight. How does GG gain such momentum by winning a fight against an opponent who was completely unprepared? He shouldnt at all. It’s the name Cro Cop thats suddenly propelled GG to where he is today. I’m not hatin on GG, just stating facts. Had that exact fight happened against any lesser opponent, the band wagon committee would not have adopted GG so quickly.

RC is not the MMA end-all be-all but GG has NEVER faced a fighter of RC’s caliber. I dont wanna hear about the Werdum fight either. That was how long ago? And the fight was not all that impressive. Werdum is a great BJJ guy & one tough cookie but nowhere near as well rounded as RC or the competition that RC has faced in his career. This is the fight that will make or break GG. RC actually has nothing to lose. He’s already made his point soundly.

RC is not the MMA end-all be-all but GG has NEVER faced a fighter of RC’s caliber. I dont wanna hear about the Werdum fight either. That was how long ago? And the fight was not all that impressive. Werdum is a great BJJ guy & one tough cookie but nowhere near as well rounded as RC or the competition that RC has faced in his career. This is the fight that will make or break GG. RC actually has nothing to lose. He’s already made his point soundly.[/quote]

Ia agree 100% This should be smart. Im excited to see what kind of game plan Randy has or a certain move he has practised for this fight. I hope it starts off like the Tim Syliva fight. Randy imposing his will on GG and keep him backing up. IMO Randy is going to out class the young gun. WAR RANDY!!!

When are people going to stop bringing up Werdum as a reason Gonzaga isn’t that good? They were both inexperienced nobodies back then.

[quote post="3007"]Either way its gonna be one hell of a fight. [/quote]

Part of me agrees with you and part doesn’t. I could see this being a war, but I could also see it being a very slow-paced fight.

The more I think of their styles though, I see the fight ending with someone totally dominating the other.

If it goes five rounds; there is no way Gonzaga is getting the decision. Gonzaga has never fought anyone with the wealth of experience that Randy brings and Gonzaga is going to be in the fight of his life; Couture will retain his belt!

[quote post="3007"]It’s the name Cro Cop thats suddenly propelled GG to where he is today. [/quote]
I think the fact that GG finished all 8 of his wins by (T)KO or Submission says a little all by it self. He wasn’t exactly a can before he beat CC. He earned his shot at CC.

[quote post="3007"]When are people going to stop bringing up Werdum as a reason Gonzaga isn’t that good? They were both inexperienced nobodies back then. [/quote]
When GG kicks his ass. The thing is I don’t see them fighting, because Werdum won’t make it through the top guys to get to GG.

[quote post="3007"]Part of me agrees with you and part doesn’t. I could see this being a war, but I could also see it being a very slow-paced fight.[/quote]
Randy Couture in a slow paced fight , one word: Oxymoron.

[quote comment="124926"]I don’t see any of these fighters finishing the other one. Randy has not finished anybody in I don’t konw how long, that’s just not how he does it. But I agree with HARDCASE above, that Gonzaga was nothin before he did that to CC, one fight should not give him all that credit, now he is gonna fight a top notch contedar who is consistant, Randy dosnt have a “bad night” so GG better be ready.[/quote]Uhh try his last 2 wins before Sylvia and 3 of his last 4 before Syliva that Coutoure finished. Actully only 4 of his 12 wins in the UFC are by decision.

[quote comment="125297"][quote comment="124926"]I don’t see any of these fighters finishing the other one. Randy has not finished anybody in I don’t konw how long, that’s just not how he does it. But I agree with HARDCASE above, that Gonzaga was nothin before he did that to CC, one fight should not give him all that credit, now he is gonna fight a top notch contedar who is consistant, Randy dosnt have a “bad night” so GG better be ready.[/quote]Uhh try his last 2 wins before Sylvia and 3 of his last 4 before Syliva that Coutoure finished. Actully only 4 of his 12 wins in the UFC are by decision.[/quote]
Dang, alright alright, but I still don’t see him finishing Gonzaga by TKO.

I think there’s a severe double standard going on here.
Everyone’s saying that Gonzaga was a nobody before he beat Crocop. Why does no one consider that Randy was a has-been, over-the-hill and past-his-prime fighter before his fight with Sylvia? How many of you people actually gave the man a chance at beating Sylvia, honestly?

Also, you can say that Crocop didn’t train properly, or whatever you want to say. But the same thing goes for Sylvia… Despite the Sylvia hatred by like, everyone, the guy was injured. Plain and simple, he couldn’t train as hard as he could have. I mean, I don’t care how much Randy’s standup had improved, but seriously, it’s unlikely that if Tim Sylvia (who is primarily a striker) trained properly that he’d be outstruck by Randy, a wrestler, so badly. You can’t make excuses for one guy and not the other.

Also, for the record, I don’t even like Tim Sylvia, but I think he’d beat Gonzaga in a fight and would maul Randy in a rematch.

In theory, I think Randy has this one, but I have 2 concerns. 1. Randy’s may have too much going on right now and be distracted (new gym, movies, media, etc.)
2. As much as he dominated Sylvia, he was unable to finish him (Granted, I think Sylvia gets a REAL bad rap for toughness). I don’t see GG allowing that kind of match.

Every time I find myself thinking “Randy’s probably got too much to handle on this one…” he proves me very wrong. Should be a classic!

[quote comment="124878"]
After the GnP session that Gonzaga gave Cro Cop, Mirko could no longer see clearly and he was also dizzy, and Gonzaga capitalized on it. [/quote]
Crocop has successfully defended in the guard against the likes of Emelianenko. I still think Crocop took Gonzaga for granted and wasn’t ready for a real fight. I’m sure he would welcome a rematch anytime. I don’t mean to chop down Gonzaga’s acheivement. I think he’s got a pretty good shot at TKO’ing Couture. Just if there is ever a Crocop-Gonzaga II, my money will be on Crocop.

[quote comment="125184"][quote post="3007"]When are people going to stop bringing up Werdum as a reason Gonzaga isn’t that good? They were both inexperienced nobodies back then. [/quote]
When GG kicks his ass. The thing is I don’t see them fighting, because Werdum won’t make it through the top guys to get to GG.[/quote]
In strict lawyer-ese, I’ll have to agree they were “inexperienced nobodies” as of 2003 but only because they were each just starting out. Werdum has been Gonzaga’s only loss to date and- Werdum’s only losses have come against world class competition. You don’t get to be that good overnight so backtracking they necessarily had to be pretty darn good in 2003. I read Werdum won a world title in Jujitsu in 2005 but I can’t find anything to back that up.

I saw their 2003 fight- one of those Jungle fights (JF1 actually). Gonzaga was leading but he gassed in the third and got TKO’d.

[quote comment="124966"]This is a tough one to call. I don’t think we really know how good GG is. I do believe that the longer this fight goes, the advantage goes to the man, RC.[/quote]
‘zactly! RC needs to keep Gonzaga working hard and drag the fight out. The 90th percentile outcomes are either Gonzaga (T)KO/submission within the first three rounds or Couture decision/(T)KO in the fourth or fifth.

Couture beat the much bigger Sylvia by laying on him for 5 rounds. This time though Gonzaga is a ground guy so maybe RC tries to keep it standing?

~The force is strong with this one~

Props to all of you who have realized that Gonzaga fought a self destructive cro cop. GG cardio has always looked suspect. Personally I have never seen him in good condition after the 1st round. This will be a 5 rd war, and I truly believe Gonzaga isnt ready for that at this stage in his career. I guarentee that every time GG throws a high kick, RC will catch it and take him down. Randy submission defense is amazing. Rc will also destroy GG in the Greco Roman clinch. Randy will either stop this fight in the 4th or 5th rd, or win by decision.

I am not knocking GG, the kid is only 28 years old, and has a world of skill and potential. He is very skilled and has all the potential in the world. GG will not win this fight, however he will gain experience and he will learn a lot from this fight.
GG will not win, but he will learn very valuable lessons and gain priceless experience that will help him win the title in years to come. Now it is too early.

If GG’s conditioning is good, then it will be a great fight. If he shoots his conditioning load all in the 1st rd like he has done in the past, then it will be an easy win for Randy.

GG u arent ready now, because of this fight I expect to see a huge improvement in his next fight.

All in all, Randy will walk away as the champ, which will set up a dream title match in his next fight. His next possible opponants would be Big Nog, Cro cop, Arlovski, who knows matbe FEDOR!!!!!

[quote comment="125043"]When are people going to stop bringing up Werdum as a reason Gonzaga isn’t that good? They were both inexperienced nobodies back then.[/quote]

The reason I brought it up is to point out that you cannot measure how good or bad (depending on what point you’re trying to make) GG or Werdum are because they were both too “green” at that point.

[quote comment="125176"][quote post="3007"]It’s the name Cro Cop thats suddenly propelled GG to where he is today. [/quote]
I think the fact that GG finished all 8 of his wins by (T)KO or Submission says a little all by it self. He wasn’t exactly a can before he beat CC. He earned his shot at CC.[/quote]

Gord, it’s always impressive for any fighter to finish most or all of his opponents. Kudo’s to GG there. I’m just saying that had he lost to CC as everyone expected, I doubt he’d be on most people’s HW contender list. He’s faced no one of consequence prior to his match against Cro Cop.

Randy know he has alot to deal with in this fight. This guy brings a strong arsenal of talent and skill, but RC will prove that he’s the best yet again

gonzaga shouldnt have octagon jitters….but this is a title shot….and i dont think he can handle that pressure….nearly every fight randy has been in other than his first few fights….and the van arsdale fight….randy has been in main event fights in the ufc….he’s used to it….randy in 5

This one is f****** hard to predict. If Gonzaga wins, I think it will be by decision, after all, Randy is a world class Greco wrestler, who recently has been training with alot of bigger stronger guys, and he is very difficult to take down. If Gonzaga wants to play the clinch game with Randy, hes gonna be in for a world of hurt, so his best chance would be to set up with strikes (or a LHK lol) and shoot. Once it hits the ground, I don’t think Gonzaga will be able to submit Randy, because Randy has fantastic sub defense (he held his own and fought to a draw with Jacare in a grappling match fairly recently), and Randy has recently said in his interviews that his guard is greatly improving, and that he has really been working hard on being able to stand back up after being taken down. And this is Randy Couture folks, so when he says he is working and improving on something, he is REALLY WORKING and IMPROVING on something. Mix that with a great chin to boot, and you make a fighter who is VERY VERY hard to finish. If Gonzaga wants to win this one, he has to use his size and reach advantage, keep the distance a bit, try and bait Randy to run towards him and clinch, strike him when he does so, and use this opportunity to shoot a double to take him to the ground, use his size and excellent ground control to try and hold Randy down, and wear him out with strikes. Otherwise RANDY ALL THE WAY!!!!!!!

[quote post="3007"]This one is f****** hard to predict. If Gonzaga wins, I think it will be by decision, after all, Randy is a world class Greco wrestler, who recently has been training with alot of bigger stronger guys, and he is very difficult to take down.[/quote]

Really? You are the first person that I have heard pick Gonzaga by decision. I have to agree that if the fight ends in the first two rounds, it will be Gonzaga by submission or TKO. However, once the fight enters round 3, we are nearing Randy Time. Rounds 4 and 5 are the championship rounds, and Randy Couture is a champion in every sense of the word. He has to have the best cardio of any 44 year old on earth. And if some other 44 year old would like to argue, Randy will pick him up and slam him on his head.