In an interview with Nokaut, Tito Ortiz reveals he’ll be training for his fight with Rashad Evans by pairing up with Randy Couture. Notable quote:
Tito Ortiz: I would love it, but Randy and I will probably be training for this fight with Rashad, he might come up to Big Bear for a little bit. Randy beat me, yeah, and if he stayed at 205 I would like to fight him, but he’s at Heavyweight now and he’s the champion, so there is no reason for him to be at 205. I think he is a better fighter at Heavyweight just because he can use his size against other guys and wrestling against other guys that don’t have that same style. It just comes down to having a great training partner in Couture and he’s going to help me with this fight so I am excited to train with him and I think it will really help me out and bring me to a new level with my wrestling.
Smart move on the part of Ortiz. Not only will this help sharpen Ortiz’s wrestling as he prepares to fight another wrestler, but Couture is a master gameplaner. If you listen to him commentate, Couture is very adept at identifying strategy, fighter habits, and tactics. He will for sure help Ortiz train for some of Rashad’s more noticable traits. Rashad trains with a master gameplaner himself in Greg Jackson, so whatever wisdom Randy imparts will not be all Ortiz needs to win. But training with an experienced, cerebral fighter like Couture – a fighter who easily bested Ortiz at his own game – will help Tito to avoid his more obvious mistakes. Couture will help sharpen his skill, help him prepare for his specific opponent, and clue Ortiz into the mistakes he should avoid making (likely some of the same ones Couture himself used to defeat Ortiz).
As a side note, I wonder what Chuck thinks about all of this.
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