Don't believe the hype. After Couture's UFC 109 sparring session win over Mark Coleman, Dana White said that Randy Couture is a top 5 light heavyweight. I know Dana has to throw some hype bytes out there for his promoter schtik, but calling Couture a top 5 light heavyweight is almost laughable. Yes, Couture has won two fights in a row since he has moved back to the UFC light heavyweight division. However, winning a questionable decision over Brandon Vera and then stopping Mark Coleman doesn't equate to being a top 5 light heavyweight. Especially considering that neither Vera or Coleman are even close to being top 5 much less top ten at the moment. I mean shouldn't a fighter have to beat someone that's ranked before you can rank them that highly?
Dana White likes to justify his statement by saying that you can never doubt Randy Couture and that he's the only fighter that has put up a decent fight against Brock Lesnar. However, you can't really count what Couture did as a heavyweight here. That's like saying a dude that was a pretty good NASCAR driver should be rated as one of the best Indy car drivers as he's making his Indy car debut. We are talking about two different things here. It's a totally different division with totally different fighters that bring totally different dynamics to the fight. In fact the very dynamics that will be Couture's kryptonite, which is speed and power striking.
Now, there is one top 5 light heavyweight that Randy Couture has the potential to beat and that's Forrest Griffin. The only reason being is because it's a perfect style match up for Couture. Griffin lacks the big power that all the other strikers have in the division, and he's always been vulnerable to the take down. I could see Couture grinding out a decision against him, but that's about it. In fact, that's the next fight that the UFC should book for Couture if Antonio Rogerio Nogueira beats Griffin later this year. However, until Couture beats someone of note in the light heavyweight division. Just continue to take what Dana White says with a grain of salt. Couture isn't a top 5 light heavyweight.
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