NBC on Gonzaga vs. Couture

From NBC Sports Dot Com

"He fights with his heart, and he fights with patience," Gonzaga said. "The heart is the best part of Randy."

Perhaps because Gonzaga's dominant win is fresher in the minds of most, he went off as the early favorite in most sportsbooks, a fact that Gonzaga himself had a tough time believing.

"I'm not feeling like a favorite," he said. "I'm feeling like it's 1:1, 50 percent for each… I think it should be more for Randy, because he has done it a long time. He's the champ."

Gonzaga presents multiple problems for Couture. As he showed Cro Cop, his standup game has evolved to where he has one-shot knockout power, and if Couture is able to take the fight to the mat, Gonzaga is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. In addition, Gonzaga will probably outweigh Couture by about 20 pounds. In short, there are danger zones everywhere Couture looks.

"He's very well-rounded," Couture said. "Traditionally, I've matched up well with strikers to put them on the ground and take them out of their element. With Gabriel, you're not out of the woods because he's such a versed grappler. But I'm looking forward to the challenge."

Couture, of course, has had experience fighting bigger men, most recently dismantling Tim Sylvia to win the heavyweight belt at UFC 68. He's also known to train with grapplers that outweigh him to help prepare for handling his opponent.

Gonzaga outworked Cro Cop by taking control of the center of the octagon and making Cro Cop retreat. He attacked early and surprisingly outstruck his opponent throughout the first round before ending it just before the round was due to end. Couture won his bout the same way, establishing himself from the opening bell with an overhand right that nearly ended the fight within seconds. Though it eventually went the distance, he continued to control the tempo for nearly the entire duration of the bout. The fight for control of the center should tell an early story.