Marvez: Advancing the Lesnar-Couture UFC heavyweight match

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If he loses Saturday night, Randy Couture should pass a torch to Brock Lesnar along with the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title.A Lesnar victory on the "UFC 91" pay-per-view show emanating from Las Vegas would signify a changing of the guard in the promotion's heavyweight division.The mixed-martial-arts fighter -- and former World Wrestling Entertainment star -- has had only two previous UFC fights and three MMA bouts overall. But it's understandable why UFC management is fast-tracking Lesnar to stardom.Largely because of the popularity he garnered during a three-year WWE stint, the two UFC pay-per-view shows featuring Lesnar earlier this year averaged roughly 625,000 orders apiece. That is a larger buy rate than any of the WWE's 12 pay-per-view shows so far this year besides "Wrestlemania 24."UFC promoter Dana White has publicly claimed that he expects Saturday's show to draw 1.2 million pay-per-view orders. Although such a figure sounds awfully ambitious -- especially with a mediocre undercard -- "UFC 91" should be a hit thanks to the allure of both competitors and a compelling pre-fight storyline.Couture, 45, is fighting for the first time in 15 months after ending a messy contractual dispute with UFC ownership. With Couture's MMA career winding down, the UFC can add even more luster to Lesnar's rising star if he can nudge Couture (16-8) closer to retirement."This is a once-in-a-life opportunity for me," Lesnar said during a recent media conference call. "Anybody in my position would never have turned this fight down. This company puts on fights that people are interested in watching."While he is 14 years older and 40 pounds lighter than the 265-pound Lesnar, Couture excelled in 2007 against younger, bigger opponents. The 6-foot-1 Couture overcame a 7-inch height disadvantage to defeat Tim Sylvia for the UFC heavyweight crown, then successfully defended the belt against Gabriel Gonzaga.That doesn't mean much to Lesnar."Randy's fought big guys, but they don't know how to wrestle," said Lesnar, a 2000 NCAA champion at the University of Minnesota. "Tim and Gonzaga aren't half the athlete I am as a wrestler or fighter."Lesnar may be overstating his own abilities.Following a February submission loss to Frank Mir in his UFC debut, Lesnar looked more comfortable in winning a unanimous three-round decision over Heath Herring in August. Lesnar, though, has yet to display submission skills and could struggle if planted on his back by Couture, another amateur-wrestling standout who is a more well-rounded MMA fighter."Brock's going to be a better mixed-martial artist a year from now because he's doing all the right things," Couture said. "But it doesn't matter. I'll fight him a year from now, too."Even if he loses to Couture, Lesnar has no intention of trying to rejoin the WWE. Lesnar has admitted that his final months with the promotion were marred by a heavy use of alcohol and painkillers as he tried fighting through injuries while keeping a heavy road schedule that he loathed.Asked whether his successful transition to MMA reflects well upon pro wrestlers, Lesnar said, "I'm here to represent amateur wrestling. What it does for professional wrestling, I really don't care."For more information on the Lesnar-Couture fight, visit www.ufc.com.X...X...XTennessee Titans defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch will spend his 30th birthday partaking in another Monday-night tradition besides football -- pro wrestling.Vanden Bosch and numerous teammates will attend a live TNA Wrestling show Monday night in Nashville. The event, which isn't televised, is being held to raise money for Vanden Bosch's KVB charity foundation.Vanden Bosch said he became hooked on wrestling when participating as a second last year on a TNA pay-per-view show."When I walked out, it was almost like coming out of the tunnel at a football game with that vibe, the excitement and the way the fans were into it," Vanden Bosch said.That said, Titans players already know not to follow in the footsteps of Zach Piller. The former Tennessee guard got so carried away during a 2002 TNA show that he began legitimately brawling at ringside with headliner Jeff Jarrett.For more information, visit www.kvb93.com or www.tnawrestling.com.(Alex Marvez writes a syndicated pro-wrestling column for Scripps Howard News Service. E-mail him at alex1marv(at)aol.com.)