In David Mamet’s Redbelt, mixed martial arts are romanticized as embodying the virtues lost in the contemporary world of commercialized sports. Despite its highly skeptical interpretation of today’s sports business, the film hosts a plethora of cameos from well-known personages within the Fertitta Brothers’ growing Ultimate Fighting Championship company. Real life UFC fighter Randy “The Natural”
Couture, who lost his fight this weekend against Brock Lesnar by TKO, made an appearance in the film. Couture came out of retirement in March of 2007 to challenge heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia, who had a reputation as being unbeatable. Couture dominated the match despite Sylvia’s 40 pound advantage and 6’8” height (Couture is only 6’1”). He then defeated Gabriel Gonzaga, another top Brazilian MMA fighter, though he had broken his arm in the third round. Since the August 2007 brawl with Gonzaga, a UFC legal dispute has prevented Couture from fighting. But after resolving his problems with UFC president Dana White and signing a new threefight contract, the card for UFC 91 was immediately set.
Couture’s return from his 15-month hiatus pitted the 45-year old, who weighs in at 220 pounds, against the 265 pound Brock Lesnar, who is fourteen years his junior. But in a sport where athletes have been known to lose 40 pounds overnight, Lesnar allegedly entered the octagon on Saturday at around 275.
Although new to the MMA, Lesnar came into the fight with a fierce reputation. The athlete recently made the transition to Mixed Martial Arts after an unsuccessful attempt at professional football where he was cut from the Minnesota Vikings. After only three fights—one of which he was submitted by veteran Frank Mir—Lesnar was given a title-shot. This has spurned a mixed reaction from MMA fans.
Some felt that MMA had evolved into a scientific and complex sport, as portrayed in Mamet’s film. New fighters like Lesnar would need to acclimatize to a contest where the best of jiu-jitsu, muy thai, wrestling, and boxing are incorporated into technique. Others marveled at Lesnar’s physical presence. Sure Couture had experience, but how would he defend against an opponent with an 88 per cent takedown rate, and record of out-striking opponents 62-12? What would he do if he found himself underneath the 270-pound wrestler?
Lesnar went for the takedown early on. Couture avoided the first, but succumbed to the second, overcoming the weight disadvantage by slowly wrestling his back way up. Yet the longer Lesnar grappled with Couture, the more his weight factored against his stamina. Lesnar recognized the consequences and pulled back to box in the second. Although sustaining a cut above his eye, he caught Couture on the temple, and forced the referee to end the fight, calling it a TKO.
“I think boxing is as dead as Woodrow Wilson,” proclaims Couture’s character in Redbelt. Being outboxed by Lesnar may seem like a cruel irony to Couture fans. Achieving a title shot after three fights, Lesnar came into
the UFC from the WWE and became the champion. While the fighter has virtually no jiu-jitsu training, he upstaged the reigning champion who had taken out two of the top contenders in his last two fights. Lesnar’s success may strike those who view MMA as purely as Mamet’s film as contrary to the sport’s ethic and spirit. Yet as Redbelt’s hopelessly corrupt fight promoter played by Ricky Ray says: “The money’s in the rematch.”
