UFC icon Randy Couture reveals agony of first fight with Pedro Rizzo: ‘I couldn’t walk right for six weeks’

Former UFC champion Randy Couture reveals his hardest fight through his legendary career. 

Couture debuted in May of 1997 at UFC 13, submitting Tony Halme in just 56 seconds. He would then stop Steven Graham in a little over three minutes to claim his second victory as a professional the very same night. 

Couture would compete all the way up till 2011 and became UFC champion six times across light-heavyweight and heavyweight. Randy Couture would fight the very best the sport had to offer during this time including the like of Chuck Liddell, Brock Lesner and Tito Ortiz. 

While ‘The Natural’ would fight, and win, against several former champions throughout his career, Randy Couture labelled ‘The Rock’ as his toughest test. 

Pedro Rizzo never quite reached the very peak of the sport but the Brazilian would challenge for the UFC title on three occasions. He also holds wins over the likes of Josh Barnett and Mark Coleman.

Randy Couture reveals his toughest ever fight

Couture and Rizzo fought twice with Couture taking the victory in both but declared the first as his hardest ever fight.

“The toughest fight was the first time I fought Pedro Rizzo,” Randy Couture told TalkSPORT’s MMA YouTube Channel during an interview with Jordan Ellis.

“It was a brawl. A back-and-forth five-round battle. I won three of the five rounds, but I broke my nose and got kicked in the leg about 14 times in that fight.

“I didn’t walk right for six weeks after that fight, that was a very tough fight.”

Couture has been competing for four years prior to their first fight but chose the first fight of he and Rizzo’s fight to be the first one his mother attended. 

“That was the first fight my mum attended in person,” Couture said. “That one always sticks out to me as one of the toughest fights I’ve been in.”

What is your favourite moment from Rady Couture’s career?