MMA legend Randy Couture has named his toughest opponent.
The former two-weight UFC champion fought the cream of the crop during his MMA Hall of Fame stint before retiring from the sport in April 2011.
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Couture has beaten world champions Mark Coleman, Tim Sylvia, Vitor Belfort, Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell – he even submitted James Toney when he switched from boxing to MMA in 2008.
The 19-11 fighter suffered famous knockout defeats to Lyoto Machida and Brock Lesnar late in his career, but insists his toughest fight came years earlier.
In May 2001, Couture defended his UFC heavyweight title against Pedro Rizzo, nicknamed “The Rock” due to his granite chin and powerful strikes.
“The Natural” left his fight against Rizzo with a unanimous decision victory, but he still remembers the pain he felt during and after UFC 31.
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“The hardest fight was the first time I fought Pedro Rizzo,” Couture told talkSPORT’s MMA YouTube channel.
“It was a fight. A five-round back-and-forth battle. I won three of the five rounds, but I broke my nose and got kicked in the leg about 14 times during that fight.
“I didn’t walk well for six weeks after that fight, it was a very tough fight.”
Couture’s experience in the fight was compounded by the fact that he was severely gassed after inhaling fumes from the pyrotechnics that were part of his walkout.
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He added: “Certainly, that one hits home for me.
“That was the first fight my mom attended in person. That one still stands out to me as one of the toughest fights I’ve ever been a part of.
“They were still using the pyro, coming out of the tunnel and all that. I was unusually tired for me. This is the most tired fight I have ever experienced.
“I was happy to see them get rid of the pyro and not have all that smoke in the air. It was really blurry in this arena. I thought it was just me, but everyone was like, “It’s really smoky in here.” »
Couture’s first fight with Rizzo was so good that the UFC booked an immediate rematch.
Luckily for him, he found dealing with the Brazilian knockout artist much easier the second time around and scored a third-round stoppage victory at UFC 34 in November 2001.
Couture lost his next fight and the one after that before moving up to light heavyweight and becoming a two-division champion by knocking out Chuck Liddell.
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“The Iceman” gained revenge in subsequent fights to emerge from their trilogy with two victories and the hotly contested title of Couture’s strongest opponent.
“I’ve only been knocked out once,” he added when asked to name the biggest puncher he’s fought.
“Liddell was the only guy who really knocked me out. Chuck flashed me in the third fight, but in this second fight I lost a little time.
“I had a crush on Brock. Again, it’s one of those situations where you get hit, but as soon as your butt hits the canvas, you know exactly where you are and you’re back in the fight.
“The only time I really got knocked out was in that second fight with Chuck Liddell.”
