UFC 105 Main Event Pick - Randy Couture (-120) vs. Brandon Vera (-110)

UFC 105  Preview – Randy Couture vs. Brandon Vera

Randy Couture is left with nothing left to prove. Nothing he does at this point in his career will damage the legend he has already established, and a large part of what he’s doing is simply standing as one of UFC’s greatest champions going down in a blaze of glory. For Brandon Vera, however, a win over Couture will be life changing.

Vera is coming off a great win by decision over Krzysztof “The Polish Experiment” Soszynski at UFC 102 and will look to carry his two-win momentum against one of the greatest of all time in the UFC. Vera’s length and his stand-up ability make him a dangerous opponent, but this is also a prodigy that has failed to live up to expectations in the past. Questioning whether he has the mental and physical maturity to stand toe-to-toe with a guy like Couture has been what’s kept Vera out of the championship loop. What is so different about this fight?

The track record for 32-year old Vera speaks for itself. At every important turn in his career, he has failed to live up to the hype that he generates as a 6-foot-3 striking specialist. A win over Frank Mir in 2006 essentially put Vera on the map, but losses to Tim Sylvia, Fabricio Werdum and Keith Jardine have completely discredit his record.

This fight is meant to be a proving ground of sorts for Vera, but truthfully I believe Dana White is leading him out to slaughter against a ground-and-pound veteran who is looking to add some more credibility to the twilight part of his resume.

Look for Couture to stay off his feet in this one and attack the longer Vera relentlessly to get him on the ground. Couture’s dirty boxing won’t hold up in this fight, and he knows that, so getting this fight to the matt early and often will keep Couture in line to take the win.

Vera is an incredible talent, but he’s never ever shown that that talent can actually produce wins over better fighters. Natural ability only takes you so far in the UFC. Eventually you have to knuckle up and prove you have the mental tenacity and maturity to turn talent in to a championship. For Couture, that’s been the backbone of his career.

Furious Free Pick: Couture (-120) OVER Brandon Vera (-110)