Couture's loss is a changing of the guard

LAS VEGAS – There was little fanfare about a milestone on Thursday. It was the 15th anniversary of the birth of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

There was a major lesson about fighting learned on that 1993 night: Size doesn't matter. Royce Gracie, at 175 pounds, beat one larger man after another en route to a tournament championship, showing technique and fighting knowledge beats massive size and strength.

Fast forward to Saturday night, on what was the biggest heavyweight fight in the history of the company, we learned another lesson about fighting: No lesson is absolute. And size can matter.

Randy Couture had a world of knowledge, technique and experience on his side going into his UFC heavyweight title defense at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. But at some point, if the big guy gets the technical ability and fighting knowledge, eventually the power can't be denied.

Brock Lesnar, going into the cage with about a 57-pound weight advantage and NCAA championship pedigree, simply hit too hard. He connected with hard punches, even as Couture had stayed competitive in battle that combined both wrestling and punching.

It was a right during the second round that put Couture down, and Lesnar dropped punch after punch on Couture, until finally referee Mario Yamasaki stopped the match in the second round, giving Lesnar the title in his fourth pro fight.

"I don't remember the punch [that knocked Couture down]," Lesnar said. "The only thing I remember is I hit him about 40 times [on the ground]. I was wondering when the ref would stop it, and wondering if he'd [Couture] do Superman and get up."

Even with the experience difference, many expected Lesnar to beat the 45-year-old five-time world champion, who fell to 16-9.

At the same time, the crowd appeared stunned, and recognized it as a historic moment in the sport. It was a passing of the torch from the great wrestler who had defied age, to the young, much larger wrestler who defied lack of experience through world-class physical gifts.

"Being inexperienced, if that's the right world, but it's getting in the gym and learning something new every day," said Lesnar, whose life has taken many twists and turns since his 2000 NCAA title.

At the time, he was burned out on amateur wrestling. After six years of becoming a celebrity as a pro wrestler, a curiosity piece in attempting to become an NFL football player, he returned to a life of isolation training, similar to his collegiate training.

Now as champion, Lesnar has become something the UFC has never had. He's a true athletic heavyweight, coming into the cage at roughly 277 pounds, but after the match, admitted what many had seen in the days leading to the fight.

"I was about to fight Randy Couture for the heavyweight championship, and I was nervous," he said. "But once the match started, I felt comfortable."

He got nervous a second time, after getting clipped in the right eye with a punch early in the second round, and blood started flowing.

"It made me a little nervous and it pissed me off. I wanted to get first blood. Something in my head said, 'We've got to pick this up.' "

Soon thereafter, Lesnar put Couture down in the exchange that ended the fight.

Lesnar won the first round, scoring takedowns, but the crowd exploded every time Couture would get back to his feet. Considering the massive size difference, Couture, a former Olympic alternate in wrestling, hung well with Lesnar. Even though Couture was listed at 6-2 and Lesnar at 6-3, Lesnar appeared to have four inches, and substantial reach, with what Couture joked were "Inspector Gadget arms."

Lesnar is not just an athletic heavyweight champion, he's a meal ticket.

The new champ is the guy people buy tickets to see if someone can beat him. Unlike 6-foot-8 former champ Tim Sylvia, a Goliath who was booed, but never drew, Lesnar has become the company's top drawing card, all the while being booed like the pro wrestling villain headliner he was five years back.

Lesnar came into the fight with numerous question marks, and answered most. His stamina wasn't tested, although at no point did he appear tired. But he was hit with solid punches by Couture, and was never rocked. When he was cut, he didn't fold.

He made it clear if he had his druthers his next fight would be with Frank Mir, who submitted him in 90 seconds in his UFC debut on Feb. 2. But Mir would have to get past another legend of the sport, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, to get the match.

Nogueira would be favored against Mir, and that fight, whether against Mir or Nogueira, would be yet another test for Lesnar, as to whether he's learned enough to defeat a true submission expert.

Couture wouldn't commit yet to what he would do next, but the word "retirement" never came out of his mouth. He considered moving back to light heavyweight, where he wouldn't face such a size disadvantage, just as he did five years ago when he was thought to be washed up, and it ended up leading to his most successful years as a fighter.

"I'm still improving as a fighter," Couture said, giving the impression he was looking to fight again.

There was at least talk about perhaps Couture vs. Chuck Liddell IV, given it will have been three years since their last meeting, with the possibility of doing the match in Germany.

A contingent of German press came for the show, as UFC is planning to debut there next year. Couture, who speaks German from his days in the Army, would be the natural to headline. The negative is that pay-per-view events from Europe usually do less business than those that come from the U.S., as Liddell and Couture are still two of the company's biggest draws.