Knuckle Down: UFC 74 in the Books
Apparently being a middle-aged fighter handicapped by a 25-pound disadvantage wasn’t enough of a test for Randy Couture . No, confirmed the UFC heavyweight champion, he had to fight his way past Gabriel Gonzaga with a broken left arm as well on Saturday.
In the aftermath of his third-round stoppage, The Fight Network reported Monday that “The Natural” endured a broken forearm after blocking the same Gonzaga high hick that knocked Mirko Filipovic out cold in April.
Couture won’t be forced into a cast, and instead will wear a splint for six weeks.
Throughout his two-plus-round fight, Couture battered Napao, at one point forcing a break of Gonzaga’s nose after picking up and slamming the challenger to the canvas.
“The Natural” looked at home in the clinch, connecting with solid punches and elbows on the inside. And in the third, after absorbing the bone-breaking kick, Couture put Gonzaga on the canvas where he wailed away until referee Herb Dean jumped in to stop the fight.
Couture did not learn until Sunday that a bone was broken.
Mind over matter
After a dominating performance against Josh Koscheck Saturday night in Las Vegas at UFC 74, Georges St. Pierre reflected on the win and shared some insight into his pre-fight mindset with TJ De Santis and Josh Gross Monday afternoon, as heard on the Sherdog Radio Network.
“My game plan was to put him on his back,” stated St. Pierre, who took the bout on the strength of his takedowns and control.
“I knew that he was not going to submit me, but my concern was if I would able to hold him, because it’s very hard to hold a good wrestler on his back,” said the former welterweight ace.
With his impressive showing over Koscheck, St. Pierre has no doubt that the victory put him in contention for a chance to duel the winner of Matt Hughes versus 170-pound UFC king Matt Serra.
“I’m glad to be back for a title shot,” he said. “You’re going to see me be champion very soon.”
Though many consider “Rush” to be as skilled as any mixed martial artist on the planet, St. Pierre gave credit to an overlooked element to his recent triumph.
“I was very well prepared,” declared the Canadian, who spent time with sports psychologist Brian Cain following his shocking loss to Serra at UFC 69.
“I thought people who were working with a sports psychologist is because they were crazy or they were weak,” he said. “That’s what I thought before. But I was wrong.
“This guy really helped me. The mental part of the game. He changed the whole thing for me. He made me see things in a different way.”
St. Pierre continued: “Athletes spend so much time training their body, training their skill. The most important part is their mind, and some people forget about it.
“If your mind is not there — because of issues — your body will not follow. Because your mind dictates your body.”
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