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Morning Call: Good sport Randy Couture parties at Studio 54 after UFC 91 loss to Brock Lesnar
Despite being bloodied and beaten, UFC fighter Randy Couture was still the beloved hero this morning as he fulfilled his obligation to host at Studio 54 nightclub in the MGM Grand.
Randy Couture at Studio 54.
Maybe it was because he was 45 and his giant opponent, Brock Lesnar, was so much younger at 31.
Maybe it was because Randy was just 220 pounds and Brock weighed 265 pounds.
Maybe it was because Randy was rusty after a 15-month layoff.
Whatever the reasons -- click HERE for our story on Friday of Randy’s legal wars -- he was gracious in defeat and proved he’s a real champion. I’d asked our contributing celebrity photographer Erik Kabik to specifically ask for permission to shoot these candid close-ups -- and Randy agreed, even coming out of Studio 54 to get the separate shots with his wife Kim and fellow boxer Uriah Faber.
Randy Couture and his wife, Kim.
Randy Couture.
It was billed as “the biggest fight in UFC history” -- and, for a while after the opening bell and before Round 1 ended, it looked as if Randy might just overcome all the incredible odds and pull off a win. But in the end, the scheduled five-rounder only went as far as 3 minutes and 7seconds into the second round. Click HERE for fight coverage in the Las Vegas Sun.
Also, the Canadian Press reported this morning that:
* Lesnar threw more than 20 punches at the prone champion until the mixed martial arts bout was stopped. Lesnar was treated at the Arena for five stitches over his cut eye.
* Lesnar, a former NCAA wrestling champion and WWE star who was the 7-5 favorite with the bookies, came out first to the booming sound of Metallica's "Enter Sandman" -- and a chorus of boos from the near-sellout of 14,272 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. The cheers started before Couture, a former four-time alternate on the U.S. Olympic Greco-Roman team, made his entrance to Aerosmith's "Back in the Saddle" -- with his shiny championship belt held up high by one of his trailing crew.
* According to the Nevada State Athletic Commission, Lesnar made $450,000 -- including a $200,000 bonus for winning the bout. Couture was guaranteed $250,000, missing out on a matching win bonus. Couture is also likely to collect a cut of the lucrative pay-per-view take from the night -- the UFC predicted a record 1.2 million buys for a take of more than $50 million, not counting the arena gate of $4.8 million.
* Lesnar will next meet the winner of the December fight between Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Frank Mir. He wins the title in only his fourth MMA bout, just as Couture did in 1997 when he beat Maurice Smith in Japan for the first of three heavyweight crowns.
*In the co-main event, lightweight Kenny Florian choked out Joe "Daddy" Stevenson in the first round. The win earned Florian a title shot against 155-pound champion B.J. Penn. But the Hawaiian fighter is focused on a 170-pound showdown with welterweight title-holder Georges St. Pierre of Montreal on Jan. 31 at UFC 94, so the lightweight crown will be on ice for a while.
* Rap star 50 Cent was spotted in the crowd wearing a Toronto Blue Jays cap. He recently produced a UFC-themed video for his new single, "Get Up."
Randy Couture's nicked ear.
Randy got in two solid punches at the opening of Round 2 but got clobbered in a return punch. However, Randy gave Brock a cut over the right eye, but then fell backwards when Lesnar’s right hand knocked him behind the ear. Once on the floor and weight-dominated, Randy was pinned under a series of head hammer fists that ensured referee Mario Yamasaki would halt the fight.
Randy Couture.
“I can’t believe I won,” Brock said. Randy commented: “Those were some big ham hocks coming at me. He’s a big guy, and he caught me with a big shot.”
Randy Couture and fellow UFC combatant Uriah Fabar.
It remains unclear now what career future faces Randy, but for Lesnar and the UFC, it signals that a new era in champion fighters has dawned.
It was a busy midnight hour for our Vegas DeLuxe team, and our special Alanis Morissette photo album of her appearance at the Hard Rock will be posted later today. Tomorrow we’ll have the full wrap-up of all the UFC after-fight parties and the celebrity sightings at the nightclubs up and down the Strip.
Randy Couture.
For the new UFC heavyweight title winner, it was an elaborate Japanese dinner celebration. He took his pregnant wife and some 60 friends in his entourage to a midnight snack of sashimi and sushi in a private, exclusive dining room hurriedly arranged at Shibuya in MGM Grand. He also took the new championship belt with him! With newfound, sudden fame, Brock signed autographs and posed with fans in the restaurant -- even holding the new belt with them!
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