COUTURE COMES OUT ON TOP EVEN AFTER SUFFERING A SMALL FRACTURE AGAINST GONZAGA
Posted on | August 28, 2007 | No Comments
“Nightstick” Fracture Leaves Couture in a Splint
By Holli Yargo Hearne
Age is just a number, or so many have said about mixed martial arts’ 44-year-old icon Randy Couture. Couture, after a year’s retirement, returned to the octagon claiming to be a stronger, better fighter than ever. He proved himself after taking a unanimous decision win over Tim “The Maine-iac” Sylvia to secure the UFC Heavyweight Championship title. He is the first person to win a title after being inducted into the UFC hall of fame.
In case anyone was concerned that Sylvia was just having a bad night or that Couture just got lucky, the Army veteran and Olympic finalist then took on Gabriel Gonzaga to defend the belt that no one thought he’d win in the first place. Not only did he win the fight by TKO, he once again bulldozed right through his larger opposition.
The spectacle took a turn for the worse for the Brazilian when the two gladiators fell to the mat, with Couture’s head inadvertently breaking Gonzaga’s nose. With the contender’s breathing now hindered, The Natural was able to capitalize on his opponent’s dwindling cardio. By the third round, Gabriel Gonzaga tried to throw a head kick similar to the one he used to knock out Mirko Cro Cop but Couture barely flinched as it connected to the side of his face and left forearm. Before the round ended, the American hero took the younger man’s back and pounded him to a TKO win.
It wasn’t until the next day at his chiropractor’s office that Couture realized that head kick had more power than it appeared. X-Rays confirmed his left ulna was fractured, known commonly as a “nightstick fracture,” leaving the champion with his forearm in a splint. It is uncertain how this will affect his plans for a movie appearance being shot in South America.
The UFC has not announced who “Captain America” will face next to defend his belt. Whoever it is had better not come into the cage thinking the young guy can take the old man. He’s proved that even at the age where most athletes have long been retired, he’s still a stud.