Q & A with UFC champ Randy Couture

BY JOE FERNANDEZ | joe.fernandez@newsday.com

2:58 PM EDT, May 9, 2007

Randy Couture gets his hand raised after defeating Tim Sylvia for the UFC heavyweight belt at UFC 68. (Photo by UFC's Josh Hedges)

Gabriel Gonzaga's knockout win over Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic at UFC 70 was shocking to many in the world of mixed martial arts -- except for the UFC heavyweight champion.

Randy Couture took time recently to chat with Newsday's Joe Fernandez -- here's what the champ had to say.

Joe Fernandez: You had this fight picked from the beginning, right?

Randy Couture: I do a thing for the Fight Network called 'The Natural Picks'. I pick the main card for all the pay-per views and I went 5-0 that night. I've only done that one other time. That took me to 40-15 out of all the pay-per views I've done.

JF: Gonzaga is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and a very strong fighter, but Cro Cop is one of the best strikers in the world. What was your reasoning behind the pick?

RC: I just had the feeling that Mirko wasn't training in a cage. He was still new to the Octagon. The fights that I saw him where he had trouble, the guy wasn't intimidated by him, didn't allow him to control the tempo of the fight -- And that's what I saw with Gonzaga. [I said] he's not going to run away and see how long he can last, he's going to go out and punch this guy in the face.

JF: Cro Cop fell down very awkwardly on his leg when he was knocked out. Is he ok?

RC: His knee was fine. He did catch his toe in the mat and his body weight came down and twisted his ankle. I heard that he tore a ligament in his ankle but it wasn't terribly serious.

JF: You're defending your title next against Gonzaga. I think you both surprised people with your striking in both of your last fights. Will your wrestling come back into play for this next fight or will it be a stand-up battle?

RC: Absolutely my wrestling will come into play. I think my wrestling comes into play in every fight. I think my boxing works as well as it does because everybody is worried about being taken down. They're worried about that other dimension. A little head fake or a little level change and they assume right away I'm shooting to take them down and put them on the ground. And that allows me then to throw a combination, throw a punch, throw a kick. Mix things up to a point where they don't know what's coming, and I think that's why my striking has been effective. I think that I can't allow Gonzaga to think I'm just going to go out there and try to bang with him. That's the closest I've ever come to a one-punch knockout was with Tim [Sylvia]. I've never been known as a knockout puncher. I'm more of a battle of attrition, take you down beat you up till you really don't want to fight anymore type of fighter...Both of us are probably going to be looking to set up and find a way to knock the other one down and control that dominant position on the ground.

JF: I interviewed you before your last fight, and you had me speak to your wife, Kim, about a prediction for the fight. Besides you, Kim and me, not too many other people had you picked to win that fight.

RC: (Laughs) Yeah, that makes it all the more special. I had that situation a couple of times in my career where no one gave me a chance. And especially at 43, coming back out after a year out it just made for a pretty special night.

JF: Is the Gonzaga fight set yet?

RC: August 25th in Vegas. I don't think they have a venue yet.

JF: With UFC 70 in England and UFC 72 taking place in Ireland, the UFC is making a move to expand its fan base. How do you feel about that?

RC: I think it's good. I think we need to become more global. It's going to grow this sport and solidify this foundation that we've built.

JF: During your retirement you decided to compete in a Professional Submission League event in California, where you grappled Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza Dos Santos to a draw. What was that experience like?

RC: Rico Chiapparelli organizes the event. I went and watched the first one, loved the feel of it. I thought it was awesome, reminded me of a USA vs. Russia dual meet...Four, five months later, he asked if I would be interested in competing in the next one and I was like 'absolutely, just match me up with someone I don't care'. He comes back three days later with couple-time world champion Jacare. I said: 'My first submission event, I might as well jump in with both feet'. Everyone again picking me to get submitted in a minute. It can happen, and if it does so what. I'm pretty comfortable with my ability to wrestle and use my wrestling base, it's never failed me. Jacare was very smart, he did not want to engage in a standing position, he stayed away from me and didn't allow me to tie him up at all and find a way to try to take him down. I was absolutely shocked at how good he was at flopping to his butt and pulling me in with his legs, and instantly from that weird position, attacking. It was a fun match, I had a blast, I think the crowd liked it. [It went to] double overtime and in the last 30 seconds I had his back. It was really the impetus for me saying 'you know what, I really miss this competition. I really want to fight again'. I started harassing Dana [White] on a regular basis and they found a place for me.