Interviews
05/02/10 - Couture breaks down Coleman for Fighters Only
FO: You’ve had a long time to watch him, can you break Mark Coleman down for us?
“Mark’s fighting style hasn’t changed in the thirteen years we’ve been doing this. He has got a great double leg, he is a big physical guy. He is going throw nice heavy, strong punches early on and try to set up that double leg, try to get you on your back. He has got a great wrestler’s base so once he gets on top of you he is hard to get out from underneath. He is going to pick away at you, chip away at you and hope to steal rounds.”
FO: Can you reveal anything of the tactics you’re going to use against him?
“I am working a lot of inside stuff against the cage, against the fence. I want to make him work under those conditions. I feel like I have a advantage there with my Greco-roman background compared to his freestyle background.
FO: You are always in great condition whereas Coleman’s conditioning is not always what it could be. Do you see fitness being a factor in this fight?
“[Cardio] is always a tool in my tool belt, is that I have a tendency to always be in great shape and make it hard work for my opponents. I like to work hard and make them work harder than they like to go.”
FO: He’s got the wrestling and the heavy top game. Where do you see him being weak?
“He is not a great submissions guy, he is not a dynamic boxer. He is not going to pick his feet up and kick, it would be a surprise to see him do that. He is very straight ahead and there is no secret about what he is trying to do.”
FO: You are both wrestlers and you both know each other pretty well. Do either of those factors impact the fight in any way?
“Well it just kind of adds intrigue to a fight that probably should have happened twelve years ago. Obviously Mark and I have known each other for a long, long time - the wrestling world is a small community so there is some crossover with fans and everybody else for that reason as well. Its just another fight but any time I am matched up against another wrestler - especially a guy like Mark who likes to win fights like I do - it makes for an interesting match.”
Gary Alexander
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