FanHouse RandyCouture

The legend deserved the benefit of the doubt. He deserved the chance to go into the cage against another top fighter, to measure himself up, to see where he stands in the modern MMA world.

The legend deserved the opportunity to prove that he was back, to illustrate that he was healthy, to showcase a dynamic and revitalized body.

But after last night's loss to Forrest Griffin, now we know that the legend of Tito Ortiz is almost all that we have left.

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Randy Couture left the octagon on Saturday night a winner.

It should be cause for celebration. It should be yet another transcendent chapter in an epic tale.

It is not. Instead, it is another in the long, recent line of controversies.

All 22 competitors for UFC 105 stepped on the scale Friday and made their fights official for Saturday's event at the M.E.N. Arena in Manchester, England.

Randy Couture and Brandon Vera both weighed-in safely at 204 pounds, two pounds below the limit with allowance.

The weigh-in results are below.

The UFC is back in England on Saturday for UFC 105, with Randy Couture taking on Brandon Vera in the main event. We've got a full preview and predictions below.

In the final press conference before Saturday's UFC 105 event in Manchester, England, Brandon Vera delivered an earnest show of respect towards his opponent and mentor Randy Couture.

"Come fight night, you're going to see potentially the best Brandon Vera that you have seen so far and I won't be hesitating at all, I promise," Vera said. "And that's for me and for Randy, so he knows that I'm coming along in this sport and that I've set goals and I'm moving forward for those goals. So he'll understand that I'm not playing around anymore. But all the respect in the world has to go to him.

"He's an ambassador for the sport. He's done his thing. He's five-time world champion, that motivates me more to be him, to beat that man."

Brandon Vera has been a Randy Couture fan for years. Now he's getting ready to fight him in the Octagon.

Vera, who will take on Couture in the main event at UFC 105 on Saturday on Spike TV, said in an interview with FanHouse that he remembers watching Couture fighting in the UFC in 1997 -- long before Vera himself considered becoming an MMA fighter. Vera said he views the 46-year-old Couture as one of the toughest opponents he'll ever face, but he also said he's ready to take the fight to his legendary opponent.

The full interview is below.

Randy Couture had a 15-minute war with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira on Aug. 29, but he didn't take any time off to recover. Instead, he agreed shortly after the Nogueira fight to take on Brandon Vera at UFC 105, which takes place Saturday in Manchester, England on Spike TV.

In an interview with FanHouse, Couture discussed crafting the right game plan for an opponent like Vera, his move down to light heavyweight, having his son in his corner for the first time, and how he stays in fighting shape at age 46.

The full interview is below.

The referee Big John McCarthy once described Randy Couture as the most mentally impressive athlete in the history of MMA. The way Couture talks about his preparation for his UFC 105 fight with Brandon Vera explains why Couture has always excelled at the mental aspect of the sport.

As he prepares to fight Randy Couture on November 14 at UFC 105, Brandon Vera says he's in the best shape of his career.