"He couldn't believe he was bleeding" - Randy Couture explains how he could have won his fight against Brock Lesnar
Randy Couture believes his heavyweight title fight against Brock Lesnar could have gone differently if the WWE superstar hadn't grabbed the fence in the first round to avoid a takedown.
According to Couture, Lesnar would have found it tough to deal with his ground and pound if he had secured a full mount position.
Couture and Lesnar collided in the main event of UFC 91. While 'The Natural' had successfully defended his title in his last fight against Gabriel Gonzaga, Lesnar was coming off a dominating decision win over Heath Herring. The win earned him a title shot:
"I definitely feel like I had him going. I hit him with a left hook, and cut him. I saw that look in his eye. He looked at the blood and he couldn't believe he was bleeding. I had him up and if he hadn't grabbed the fence in that first round, I think he might have hit his back and it would have been really interesting to see how he would respond to having a wrestler on top of him and punching him in the face. That fight might have gone differently from that point on," Randy Couture told Chris Van Vliet.
Watch Couture's comments on his fight against Brock Lesnar in the video below (35:30):
In the opening minutes of their much-hyped showdown, Couture held his own against Lesnar. However, he got outwrestled and outstruck on the feet as the fight progressed further.
In the second round, Lesnar landed a scathing shot to Couture's temple that sent him to the canvas. Making sure not to miss the opportunity to finish the fight, Lesnar unloaded lightning-quick hammer fists on Couture, forcing the referee to call a stop to the contest.
Brock Lesnar trained MMA for less than three years before making professional debut
After Brock Lesnar achieved superstar status at WWE, it took him less than three years of MMA training to enter the sport that was somewhat new to him. Thanks to his amateur wrestling background, Lesnar flourished in MMA and made his professional debut at a regional promotion in 2007.
It's 12 years to the day since Brock Lesnar stopped Randy Couture and became the UFC's Heavyweight Champion 💪
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Although he came up short in his first UFC outing, 'The Beast Incarnate' bounced back strongly and registered four back-to-back victories. Lesnar then lost his next two fights against much-experienced fighters in Cain Velasquez and Alistair Overeem.
His last UFC encounter was opposite Mark Hunt in 2016. Originally a decision win for Lesnar, the result was later ruled no contest after he tested positive for clomiphene.