UFC 43: Another big night for Randy
This night might be where the legend of Randy Couture truly was spawned.
After losing to Ricco Rodriguez in a bout for the vacant heavyweight title at UFC 39, giving a verbal submission due to strikes, Couture opted to drop down to the light heavyweight division, where the fighters would be more his size.
His debut at 205 pounds on June 6, 2003, was no easy task, as he met heavy-handed striker Chuck Liddell at the Thomas & Mack Center on the University of Nevada-Las Vegas campus.
Couture inexplicably chose to stand with Liddell and survived. That threw Liddell, who had a leg injury, off balance and allowed Couture repeatedly to take down Liddell.
After a third-round takedown, Couture went for a vicious ground-and-pound and forced an end to the bout. He became the interim light heavyweight champion and the first fighter in UFC history to win a title in two weight classes.
After the bout was over, Couture grabbed the microphone and challenged Tito Ortiz, who still held the regular light heavyweight belt but had taken lots of time off, prompting UFC president Dana White to create the interim title.
Frank Mir won his bout over lanky Wes Sims by disqualification when Sims began to stomp a downed Mir on the head with his foot.
NOTEWORTHY
Vitor Belfort disposed of ex-UNLV football player Marvin Eastman in the first round, opening a gigantic cut on Eastman's head with a vicious knee from the Thai clinch.
Matt Lindland knocked himself out when he tried to slam Niko Vitale but wound up landing on his own head. Vitale got the win.
In the second fight of his three-bout contract, Tank Abbott got submitted quickly again, this time by Kimo Leopoldo. Leopoldo submitted Abbott with an arm triangle. One more fight, one more first-round loss, and Abbott would be done with the UFC for good.
RESULTS
Pedro Rizzo def. Tra Telligman, TKO, 4:24 R2
Falaniko Vitale def. Matt Lindland, TKO, 1:56 R1
Yves Edwards def. Eddie Ruiz, unanimous decision
Frank Mir def. Wes Sims, DQ (stomping downed opponent), 2:55 R1
Ian Freeman vs. Vernon White, split draw
Vitor Belfort def. Marvin Eastman, KO, 1:07 R1
Kimo Leopoldo def. Tank Abbott, submission (arm triangle), 1:59 R1
UFC interim light heavyweight championship: Randy Couture def. Chuck Liddell, TKO, 2:39 R3 (Couture wins title)
