Couture suffers broken arm

Discussion in 'General MMA Discussion' started by TFK, Aug 29, 2007.

  1. TFK

    TFK WBC Silver Diamond Emeritus Champ

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    http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=4592&zoneid=13


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    Randy Couture proved why he is considered one of the most legendary fighters of all time last Saturday night when he defeated Gabriel Gonzaga via third round TKO to retain his heavyweight title. He also finished the fight with a broken arm as Couture discussed in an interview with MMAWeekly Radio on Monday.

    The injury occurred in the third round when Couture blocked a high kick from Gonzaga and still the 44-year-old champion continued and finished his opponent shortly after.

    “Obviously he’s got a very, very good high kick and obviously after Mirko he’s got some confidence throwing it,â€￾ said Couture. “He tried to kick me in the head a few times actually and he slapped me in the face with his foot on one occasion.

    “In the third round, he tried a high kick and I deflected it off my left forearm. Bone on bone contact, shins or forearms, things like that, it hurts and at the time I was like ‘wow, that was a hard kick, I’m glad it didn’t hit me in the head’ and my arm hurt.

    “We ended up in the clinch again and it was shortly thereafter that I took him down and ended up finishing the fight. It didn’t really feel anything at the time, other than my arm felt kind of funny.â€￾

    Many fans viewing the fight thought Couture took the shot flush to his head, but the champ explained that it was his arms that mostly deflected the kick.

    “A few people thought I took the shot to the head,â€￾ Couture stated about the kick. “I don’t think it hit me in the head at all. It definitely hit me in the arm, but I didn’t feel it in the head. I don’t know, maybe the head’s the best place to hit me.â€￾

    Moments later Couture took his opponent, who outweighed him by almost 25lbs, to the ground where he finished the fight with strikes.

    Afterwards, the attending ringside physician checked Couture, but it was apparently later that night when he realized something was wrong.

    “After the fight, the doc check my hand and checked everything and I just thought it was a real good bruise, a good deep bone bruise,â€￾ said Couture.

    “By the end of that evening, that night, and the next morning it was very swollen and I couldn’t pronate or supinate my hand, you know turn my wrist back or forth. I realized at that point that I might have a broken bone in there. I went to the chiropractor that afternoon and he has an x-ray machine and he put it up there on the screen and sure enough it was broke clean through.â€￾

    The injury, explained Couture, was to the smaller bone in his forearm and shouldn’t be seen as very serious at all.

    “The ulna bone is the smaller bone of the two bones in the forearm, the radius is the bigger bone and the smaller bone was snapped clean in half. It’s called a ‘night stick fracture.’ You think about somebody trying to hit you in the head with a nightstick and you threw your hands up, that’s exactly where it would hit you.

    “It was not displaced, so it does not have to be set, there’s no surgeries or anything like that involved. In fact, they don’t even have to cast it,â€￾ Couture stated about the injury. “The smaller bone has a very, very good prognosis for healing. I’ll wear a splint for the next 6 weeks and it will start healing. It’s healing now I’m sure. It’s still pretty swollen and tender now, but in about two weeks time the bone will start to stick back together and things should be looking good. I’ll get an x-ray to make sure it’s still not displaced and it should be good to go.â€￾

    The UFC heavyweight champion doesn’t expect to fight again in 2007, but does have other commitments including two acting engagements. One will start in 2 weeks when he will appear in the CBS show, “The Unitâ€￾ and the other will be a feature role in the prequel to the “Scorpion King,â€￾ part of the Mummy franchise of movies.

    Couture advised that regardless of the injury; he’ll stay active, no matter what.

    “I’m sure I’ll find things to do,â€￾ stated Couture. “I’ve still got two perfectly good legs and I can run on a treadmill, I can ride on a bike. I’m still going to be working; I’m just not going to be punching, especially with my left hand.â€￾
     
  2. Hanzy

    Hanzy "Twinkle Toes" McJack

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    What's the situation on Gonzaga's nose? That thing was broken pretty good thanks to Couture's awesome new move, the "head-to-nose-body slam smasher". :clap: Beware of Randy's head!
     
  3. valdosta

    valdosta Undisputed Champion

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    Maybe if Gonzaga don't hold the fence they don't hit heads.
     
  4. Hanzy

    Hanzy "Twinkle Toes" McJack

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    Maybe if the ref did his job, the fight would've been an NC. Could you imagine the panic if it was Couture who got his nose smashed accidentally by a headbutt? Not only would they have stopped the fight and examined it but it would've been an NC if Randy said he was unfit to continue. When Vitor punched Couture in the eye, he ripped up Couture's eyelid. The ref didn't see anything unusual in the punch but because of the fact that Randy was blinking and acting hurt, the ref then stopped it and examined Randy and Vitor won the fight on a TKO I believe it was.
    You also have to take into account that it was Herb Dean who messed up as always. Remember Herb's actions in the Gonzaga/CroCop fight? He tried to give CroCop every advantage against Gonzaga. When Gonzaga had him on the ground and was ripping CroCop up with elbows and Cro was defenseless, Herb for no reason whatsoever stood them back up so that CroCop could have a better chance.
    Now look at Couture/Tim Sylvia in the 1st round when both guys were on the ground for 4 1/2 straight minutes, neither one moving a muscle. Couture was underneath Tim with an attempted choke and Tim was holding onto Couture's hand and they were in that position for 90% of the round and the ref did nothing! He just let them sit there instead of standing them back up.
    Don't you see something weird going on with how the UFC conducts its rules within the octagon? Some people are getting more leeway than others and there are some very suspect calls being made by the refs. It's almost like it's a business as opposed to a sport where the right guy has to win so that the brass will get the return on their investments and then some. :dunno:
    It's almost like boxing.
     
  5. *Z*

    *Z* WBC Silver Diamond Emeritus Champ

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    When was the last time you saw a fight stopped because of broken nose or a cut on the nose Hanzy? You know they would have deemed Gonzaga fit to continue had they stopped it to examine the damage. Just like boxing the fight would have continued and Gonzaga would lose by TKO all the same.


    As for the Couture vs Silvia fight, Randy was trying to improve his position on the ground. You don't stand guys up when someone is working for a submission or attempting to gain a more dominant position.
     
  6. Hanzy

    Hanzy "Twinkle Toes" McJack

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    :lol: Come on now Z. If Gonzaga is ripping CroCop's forehead up with elbows, you don't stand them up.
    Randy had no ability to improve his position on the ground against Tim. It was a complete stalemate in that situation.
    The fact that Gonzaga/CroCop got stood back up whereas Couture/Sylvia didn't makes me think there is either a serious flaw in the UFC's system or the referees have been instructed to help particular fighters.

    As for Gonzaga's broken nose, remember when Kitao got his nose broken by Mark Hall in the first 30 seconds in UFC 9? They stopped the fight and awarded Mark the win.
    I'm not going to say that broken noses aren't a regular occurence. But a headbutt to the nose, despite being accidental, is not something you can just throw under the rug and act like it never happened.
    If the nose is broken and the blood is streaming into a fighter's mouth, not only do you have the handicap of being forced to breath through your mouth but also you're swallowing the blood coming into your mouth that's streaming from your nose. All because of an accidental headbutt. Headbutts are illegal in MMA just so you know.
     
  7. *Z*

    *Z* WBC Silver Diamond Emeritus Champ

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    I know they are illegal, it was accidental and the fight wouldn't have been stopped because of it so it doesn't matter.
     
  8. valdosta

    valdosta Undisputed Champion

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    Like I said, Maybe if Gonzaga don't hold the fence (which happens to be illegal), they don't butt heads. No way that fight should have been a NC. You don't stop a title fight because of a broken nose. There was nothing wrong with how Couture-Gonzaga was officiated.
     
  9. valdosta

    valdosta Undisputed Champion

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    So what, when you slam a guy your heads can hit. Headbutts are illegal in boxing to when they are intentional.
     

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