With over 25 years of Greco Roman wrestling experience, Randy Couture was cast into the UFC ocean in 1997. Couture quickly washed over the organization by becoming one of the most dominant wrestlers in the UFC. He used his elite wrestling skills to become a three time UFC heavyweight champion, and a two time UFC light heavyweight champion. In 2006, his accomplishments were recognized when he was the fourth fighter to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.

During Couture’s tenure in the UFC there was another force lurking in the UFC ocean – UFC Hall of Fame fighter Mark Coleman. The Ohio native also dominated the competition with his high-level wrestling skills. Remarkably the two decorated wrestlers never clashed inside the octagon. Thirteen years since Couture’s UFC debut, the two UFC Hall of Fame fighters will finally collide at UFC 109. From the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, the bout will ultimately determine whose wrestling skills are superior. Couture said that Coleman poses a unique challenge, and that he is looking forward to facing an opponent that mirrors his abilities.

“I think it’s always interesting and more challenging to face another wrestler; another guy that’s going to go out and try to take you down,” said Couture. “That’s predominantly the style that I’ve used in the majority of my fights. So to be facing another wrestler with that ability makes it an interesting fight for me.”

Couture said that although he did not directly ask the UFC for the fight against Coleman, he jumped at the opportunity to face Coleman for the first time.

“They called me and asked me if I would be interested in stepping up and fighting on their Super Bowl weekend card fighting Coleman. I said, ‘Of course’.”

Although there is a historical value to this match, Couture said that he does not put a lot of weight on the “hype”.

“I don’t play in to all that stuff,” Couture stated. “It doesn’t matter to me. It’s an interesting opponent, and it’s a chance to go out there and compete with somebody that I find challenging in a competitive realm. The fact that we’re Hall of Famers and all of that other stuff… let other people worry about all of that. That doesn’t factor in for me.”

When someone has been involved in as many classic battles as Couture, it becomes difficult to rank this upcoming fight among his all time great opponents. It is not Couture’s style to rank one opponent over another, although he did disclose one of his favorite UFC wins.

“I don’t know. I like to rank them all. Probably my favorite fight was the Tim Sylvia fight, just because of his size and stature. Coming out at my age after taking a year off in retirement, but I’ve had a lot of great fights against a lot of tough guys.”

After thirteen years of MMA fighting, countless accolades, and a literal book of knowledge, Couture said that he is still learning.

“I’m still developing new skills, and becoming a better fighter all around,” Couture said. “I’m always refining new striking techniques, getting better at footwork, and throwing new combinations. In the last six months I’ve been working with a new ground coach Neil Melanson, and he’s given me some new perspective; some new submissions, and some new ground skills that I didn’t have before.”

His learning curve is not simply limited to his experiences inside the octagon. He also learns from the wealth of talent that he trains at his premier Las Vegas based MMA gym, Xtreme Couture.

“Obviously I was a coach at the college level before I got into fighting, and it’s something that I’ve always liked and had an affinity for. So the fact that I get to coach some of these guys, and help some of these guys out; and they help me out tremendously. We’ve got a very close team, and you’re only as good as your workout partners. We feed off of each other, we push each other, and we all learn from each other. It’s a great environment.”

Through coaching, fighting, and training, Couture has had an illustrious run through the UFC. His story is a continuous cliffhanger packed with ups, downs, twists, and turns. Couture however, continues to exemplify what it means to be a true champion. One that never backs away from a challenge and one that puts all of himself into every test.

“I love what I do. I feel pretty fortunate and blessed that this is what I get to do. I have a pretty rational outlook, and I realize that I’m not going to be able to do this forever; at least not at the level that I’m able to do it at right now. I’m riding the wave; I’m still learning and getting better. I’m still holding up physically, and I’m having a blast on the mental side of things. Motivation is never an issue, and it is something that I’m very passionate about.”

This irreplaceable fighter is riding the wave indeed. More appropriately he is the wave. He is a heavyweight tsunami that is looking to crash down on top of his opponent at UFC 109 in Las Vegas, Nevada.