Captain America Retires!
Randy Couture, probably the greatest fighter to grace the UFC retired tonight. A classy guy and great athlete.
“I’m retiring tonight,” said Couture. “This is it for me. I feel blessed to have been able to come in here and compete.”
"As for the fight itself, after a pair of unforgettable openings (Couture to AC/DC’s ‘Thunderstruck’ and Liddell to DMX’s ‘Intro’) that put the crowd on their feet and kept them there, the two future hall of famers circled each other warily, looking for openings as the crowd alternately cheered for their favorite fighter. Each brief exchange brought a roar, but neither was willing to commit to a sustained attack. Liddell was the more active of the two though as Couture looked to counter the strikes of ‘The Iceman’. Couture continued to stalk behind a high guard, and his sporadic strikes seemed to take Liddell out of his rhythm. Liddell quickly recovered though, rocking Couture briefly with a right to the head. But as Liddell moved in for the kill, Couture, his nose now bloodied, was able to recover and take the champion to the mat for the remainder of the round.
Couture refused to deviate from his fight plan in the second round, as he followed Liddell around the Octagon while throwing in the occasional counter to Liddell’s heavier shots. But soon, Couture’s luck ran out, and as he shot in with a left hand, Liddell landed the same short right hand that ended the pair’s second fight, and Couture again crashed limply to the mat. Liddell’s follow-up shots on the fallen Couture were exclamation marks on the victory, and referee John McCarthy called a stop to the bout at 1:28 of the second stanza."
“We knew Randy was gonna try to make me over commit,” said Liddell. “But you stand in front of me for that long, eventually one will get through.”
UFC results:
Match Winner Loser Method Round Time
1 Keith Jardine over Mike Whitehead Decision (Unanimous) 3 5:00
2 Jeff Monson over Branden Lee Hinkle KO (Unconscious from Choke) 1 4:35
3 Paul Buentello over Gilbert Aldana TKO (Strikes) 2 2:27
4 Alessio Sakara over Elvis Sinosic Decision (Unanimous) 3 5:00
5 Joe Riggs over Nick Diaz Decision (Unaminous) 3 5:00
6 Renato Sobral over Mike Van Arsdale Submission (Rear Naked Choke) 1 2:21
7 Marcio Cruz over Frank Mir TKO (Strikes) 1 4:10
8 Brandon Vera over Justin Eilers KO 1 1:25
9 Chuck Liddell over Randy Couture KO (Punch) 2 1:28
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