The event set to take place just under four months from now, August 25th, is already shaping up to be an explosive one. According to a reporter who cited Diego "The Nightmare" Sanchez as his source, UFC 74 will be taking place in his hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The main event will be Randy "The Natural" Couture defending his UFC Heavyweight Championship versus the man who sent shockwaves throughout the MMA world with his knockout defeat over Mirko Cro Cop, Gabriel Gonzaga. If that was not enough, Dana White recently confirmed that George "Rush" St. Pierre will be taking on Josh Koscheck. George St. Pierre, coming off his title loss to Matt Serra, will be looking to get a win over the man who defeated Diego Sanchez, both of which occurred at UFC 69. The winner of this fight will probably take on the winner of Matt Serra vs Matt Hughes for the UFC Welterweight Championship. However, the winner of both these fights will probably not face each other until late 2007 or early 2008 as Matt Serra and Matt Hughes have been confirmed to be the upcoming coaches for the Ultimate Fighter 6, which is set to premiere this fall. Since it is tradition for rival coaches to face each other at the end of a season, it is safe to go with the assumption. Also, though it has not be confirmed, what would an event in Albuquerque, New Mexico be without their hometown hero, Diego Sanchez? Sanchez is coming off a disappointing loss and fight against Josh Koscheck adding a tint to his record, which puts him at 17-1. No opponent has yet been named for him, but it's a bet that Dana White would want to capitalize on the draw that is Diego Sanchez especially in his hometown. Stay tuned as UFC 74 is shaping up to be an exciting event!
Showing posts with label Randy Couture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Randy Couture. Show all posts
April 26, 2007
Couture undeterred by Gonzaga
During an interview on Sherdog's Beatdown radio show, Randy "The Natural" Couture talks about taking on Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 74 and whether a fighter as big as Gonzaga reminiscent of Josh Barnett and Ricco Rodriguez would be problematic for Captain America:
"Those were big guys that gave me problems. And I said then that yeah those styles at that time in my career were issues for me. I did well against strikers and more pure strikers, and both those guys were very very good grapplers and I found myself underneath a much bigger opponent with a good grappling base and that's gonna be a long night for a lot of people, myself included. I think I have technique and ability now that I didn't possess then to survive and not be stuck underneath, even a guy with Gonzaga's grappling ability and I'm gonna fight tooth and nail not to end up there first and foremost. That's really the last place I wanna be underneath a 245 pound Gonzaga with a good ground and pound skill and a good grappling base. And I'm sure that he'll go back and look at those tapes and think that's where he wants to put me. I have to use my mobility again against a bigger fighter and find angles and vary my attack so he's not sure whether I'm throwing striking or throwing a shot cause I know he's gonna be worried about me putting him on the ground as well which he didn't have to worry about with Mirko."
"Those were big guys that gave me problems. And I said then that yeah those styles at that time in my career were issues for me. I did well against strikers and more pure strikers, and both those guys were very very good grapplers and I found myself underneath a much bigger opponent with a good grappling base and that's gonna be a long night for a lot of people, myself included. I think I have technique and ability now that I didn't possess then to survive and not be stuck underneath, even a guy with Gonzaga's grappling ability and I'm gonna fight tooth and nail not to end up there first and foremost. That's really the last place I wanna be underneath a 245 pound Gonzaga with a good ground and pound skill and a good grappling base. And I'm sure that he'll go back and look at those tapes and think that's where he wants to put me. I have to use my mobility again against a bigger fighter and find angles and vary my attack so he's not sure whether I'm throwing striking or throwing a shot cause I know he's gonna be worried about me putting him on the ground as well which he didn't have to worry about with Mirko."
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