by Ron Merrill

I had the opportunity to speak with Randy Couture as he was traveling to Seattle Washington to train with world-class kickboxer, Maurice Smith.

InsideFighting: What was it like to get the initial call from the UFC to come in and take care of business with Chuck Liddell?
Randy Couture: I was scheduled to fight on April 25th against Andre Arlovski and as it turned out, that was the day my son was born so I probably would have missed the festivities of the birth had I fought on that card. Instead, I got pushed back to the June card and obviously stepping right into a title fight with Chuck in the light heavyweight division was good professionally for me as well. So I was pretty excited about it.

IF: What do you think of Chucks chances in the Pride FC Middleweight Grand Prix?
RC: I think his chances are real good. I think his biggest obstacle is going to be in this next round with him and Quentin Jackson getting paired up. You know, obviously I think they dont want two Americans in the final and this kind of guarantees that only one American will pass through and Quentin has been pretty hot, so it will be a good fight.

IF: Would you like to compete in the Pride FC yourself?
RC: It doesnt really matter to me. Im pretty happy where Im at. I like fighting in the market in the U.S. and the UFC has taken care of me pretty well so I dont really see any need to go over to Japan and fight over there. Theres some fighters over there that are fighting for Pride that Id like to fight. But as long as things stay the way they are, I dont see that happening.

IF: In a best-case scenario, barring any injuries etc., how many more fights do you see yourself taking?
RC: I dont really know. I havent really looked past this next fight and I have one more fight after that on my contract before I really have to think about that and evaluate how many more fights I want to do. Ive kind of just taken the position that Im going to take it one fight at a time and continue to enjoy the fighting and the success that Im having and Im not really going to worry to much about how long its going to go.

IF: If you had to plan a retirement match, who would you like to fight as your going-out match?
RC: As my going out match? Hell, at my age, any one of these fights could be my going out match! [Laughs]

F: I wanna be optimistic though. We need a lot more good years out of you!
RC: [laughs] Yeah. Its going real well. I think Im holding up pretty good.

IF: What do you plan on doing after fighting?
RC: Id like to certainly stay involved with mixed martial arts in some way shape or form, whether it be commentating or match making. I have a school and Im managing fighters so Ill probably have more time to concentrate on those guys and that situation. But I certainly want to stay involved in this sport. Its been a good sport for me and I see a lot of potential for growth as it just becomes bigger and bigger in the U.S.

IF: Did you gain the same sense of satisfaction winning the interim title as you did winning the undisputed heavyweight titles?
RC: Probably a little more because I was a little more of an underdog I think in that fight with Chuck. I dont think a lot of peopleI almost likened it to the [Vitor] Belfort fight where nobody really expected me to go out and win the fight. And then on top of that to have my game plan come off so flawlessly was satisfying and I enjoyed it a lot. A lot of the title fights have been pretty special, you know? Its something Ill never forget.

IF: Do you gain extra satisfaction in knowing that youve defeated the opponents that many people have just fancifully paired Tito Ortiz against, such as Vitor Belfort, Kevin Randleman and Chuck Liddell? Does that add to your confidence going into this match?
RC: Probably the biggest thing is the fact that he was unwilling to fight Chuck and I stepped up and fought Chuck and so certainly that gives me some confidence going into this fight. Therere a lot of rumors surrounding that situation on why he didnt want to fight Chuck and only he really knows at heart why he wouldnt fight Chuck. But I certainly feel pretty comfortable in my ability to go out and get after Tito.

IF: Whos training you for this fight with Tito?
RC: The same guys I always train with. The Team Quest fighters: Matt Lindland, Robert Follis, Nathan Quarry, Danny Henderson. Ive got a pretty good group of guys. We push each other pretty hard. Im spending some time this week with Maurice Smith whos been helping me out a lot this year with my stand-up game, which has been a big improvement in my fighting style. So Ive kind of come up with a combination that seems to be working pretty well.

IF: Who within your camp can most closely mimic Titos fighting style to help you prepare?
RC: I think all the guys make an attempt at trying to mimic his style. Ive got Matt and Chael Sonnen who are great wrestlers with great takedown skills and obviously thatsI think going to be one of Titos main weapons. I think hes going to try and take me down and put me on the bottom. So theyve been giving it their best shot to try and take me down and hold me down. But I dont know that anybody ever really captures the essence of what their opponent is going to do, but they give you a look and at least give you an idea of what his approach might be like.

IF: Knowing that Tito favors the mount position and that hes been so successful at attaining the mount in the past, how have you prepared to fight from your back?
RC: Well, its been an ongoing process for me since the Josh Barnett fight and getting stuck on the bottom and kind of losing that fight when I was pretty much in control. And it carried on with Ricco Rodriguez. Granted, both of those guys were quite a bit bigger so maybe it was a little more effective for them to hold me down. I dont think Tito is big enough to hold me down. But Ive been working on tactics and techniques to use my legs more and create opportunities to get up off the bottom and basically go back and think of it a little more like wrestling and how I would respond if somebody was trying to pin me. Theres not too much that I wouldnt do to get off my back in those situations, so Ive kind of gone back to that mentality and thats working real well in training.

IF: Preparing for a match with a fighter like Tito usually comes with its own built-in media circus. How does preparing for this match compare to other matches youve prepared for?
RC: Well, I think theyre billing this as possibly the biggest fight theyve ever had. Ive been involved in some pretty big fights and been the main card on a lot of fights. So in some ways its similar and in other ways it feels like theres a lot more hype surrounding it because of everything thats gone on with the interim title and all that. I just kind of try to relax and watch it all go by and not get too caught up in it. It doesnt really affect me all that much.

IF: Has the extra attention thats been given to this fight affected your training?
RC: I dont think so. Ive been doing a lot of interviews and radio interviews anyway, so it hasnt really gotten in the way at all.

IF: Tito helped Ricco Rodriguez develop an effective game plan for his battle with you at UFC 39 and now youre stepping into the cage with Tito himself. Is that in the back of your mind?
RC: Yeah, that I get a chance to pay him back a little bit, sure.

IF: What weaknesses do you see in Titos style?
RC: I think that his stand-up game has some holes in it and if anything, the biggest thing that he does is that hes overly aggressive. Hes an aggressive fighter in that he makes a lot of mistakes. He leaves some openings.

IF: What strengths do you see in his style?
RC: I think its his ability to put guys on the ground, hold them down and control the tempo of the fight. In a lot of the cases that Ive watched, he did that pretty well. So I dont see that thats going to change.

IF: If you could look into the future, how do you see this fight going? Can you give me a play-by-play?
RC: Its going to come down to who gets the takedown and establishes the dominant position and I think that I have the skills and the ability to do that. I think its going to frustrate Tito. I dont think hes had to fight from his back in a single fight that hes been in. So I think that by the third or fourth round I should have put him on his back a couple of times and that should tell the tale.

IF: How do you see your victory taking place? Stoppage
RC: You never really know. Im not big on predictions. I know that both of us are game fighters and were going to get after it. It should be a pretty high-paced fight and, you know, let the chips fall where they may.

IF: Have you got anything that youd like to say to your fans?
RC: Well I appreciate their support and I hope that they continue to help us grow in this sport.

On behalf of InsideFighting.com, Id like to thank Randy Couture for taking the time to consent to this interview with me! You can show your support for Randy Couture by visiting his website!

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