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11:03 PM EST
THE LAS VEGAS
REVIEW-JOURNAL has continued its coverage of All Things Brock Lesnar with a new story on former
UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture and Couture's comments on Brock Lesnar's
behavior at UFC 100.
Adam Hill reported:
Randy Couture was just as stunned by Brock Lesnar's
actions Saturday night as most people watching UFC 100 on
television.
"I haven't seen him act that way personally when I've
been around him. He's a very personable guy. I don't know if he lost his mind or
what happened," said Couture, who lost the Ultimate Fighting Championship
heavyweight title to Lesnar at the MGM Grand in
November.
Lesnar behaved much more
gentlemanly after that win than after knocking out Frank Mir on Saturday at
Mandalay Bay, when he flipped off the crowd, made an off-color remark about his
bedroom plans with his wife, insulted a sponsor and taunted a bloody
Mir.
Couture said there is no
place in the sport for that type of behavior.
"I don't really know what he
was thinking. I don't know if he's been paying attention to our sport in the
last couple of years, but on the whole, the athletes in our sport don't act that
way. We've spent a long time building a reputation of sportsmanship and
camaraderie.
"It was disappointing to see
Lesnar go out there, both prefight and postfight, and kind of ham up the WWE
antics and display this negative persona. It's not something a lot of us want to
be associated with. That's kind of how I felt about it. I was
disgusted."
Couture was not at the event.
He watched on television while spending time with his son in
Oregon.
Despite Lesnar's tirade,
Couture said he enjoyed seeing the UFC reach a milestone.
"Having been in UFC 13 and
now having a UFC 100, it was pretty cool," the 46-year-old Couture said. "We are
definitely hitting the mainstream of sports in America, and it's a pretty cool
place to be."
Couture will be back in
Oregon for his next fight, meeting Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in Portland on Aug.
29.
"I grew up in Seattle and
lived in Oregon for almost 13 years," Couture said. "I still consider that my
home and my roots and where I came from. To be able to be the main event and
bring a big show like the UFC there is very special."
The winner of the bout has an
outside shot at being Lesnar's next opponent.
"I would love a rematch with
him. I think I was doing a lot of things right in that fight," Couture said. "I
got caught with a good shot. He's a long, strong guy, and you've got to be
diligent."
First, Couture must deal with
Nogueira. He is back in Las Vegas training for the fight, but Couture will take
time out to participate in the ESPN Radio AM-1100 24-hour broadcast to benefit
The Caring Place on July 24.
It is one of several
charities Couture supports. He said MMA's increased popularity has opened more
avenues to give back to the community.
"You get the opportunity to
be a positive influence on people and show that you're a real person," he said,
before adding a final quip about Lesnar. "It's those types of things that we're
going to have to do more of if Brock's going to continue to act the way he's
been acting."
BREAKING NEWS
ON
UFC UNDISPUTED WORLD
CHAMPION BROCK LESNAR!
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