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Randy "The Natural" Couture (16-10-0, 13-7 UFC) vs. Brandon "The Truth" Vera (11-3-0, 7-3 UFC)

The Story So Far:

Do you want the honest version or the version the UFC would like us to spin?

The UFC version is this:

UFC legend and Hall of Famer Randy "The Natural" Couture makes his return to the light heavyweight division seeking his third title run. Standing in his way is the supremely talented Brandon "The Truth" Vera, another former heavyweight who has looked impressive since bringing his punishing brand of Muay Thai to the 205-pound division.

It works better if you say it out loud in your best "UFC Voice Over Guy" voice.

The honest version has a few slight changes:

Still a big draw despite diminishing skills, Randy Couture drops down to 205 after punishing losses at the hands of Brock Lesnar and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Across the cage will be Brandon Vera, a fighter once believed to be the future of the heavyweight division who doesn't even crack the light heavyweight Top 10 in the UFC. Of course, that doesn't stop him from continuing to discuss his future as both the light heavyweight and heavyweight champion.

Somewhere between the two lies the complete truth.

Conventional Wisdom:

Though he's lost his last two, Couture still displayed moments in both the Lesnar and Nogueira fights that demonstrate that the man who has been defying Father Time all along still has something left in the tank. Unfortunately, he also likes to drive a little slower now, as the fight with Minotauro appeared to be playing at half speed.

Vera is a the quintessential pain in the ass; you can't deny that he has talent, but for every time he steps in the cage and puts it on full display (Assuerio Silva, Frank Mir, Mike Patt) there are an equal number of times that he looks like a guy trying to coast by on the undeniable talent guys like me write about before his fights (Fabricio Werdum, Keith Jardine) and that makes you want to choke him.

No one will ever count Couture out and Brandon Vera has spent years confounding writers and pundits, so for every instance where you think Couture has got this in the bag - "C'mon, it's Brandon Vera" - something jumps to the front of your memory that makes you think differently - "Dude is like 907-years-old and looked it against Big Nog" - that leaves you no further ahead in figuring out this fight.

WKR Analysis:

Head-to-head, this one most likely depends on which Brandon Vera shows up. If the uber-confident, sublimely talented Vera steps into the cage, he certainly possesses all the tools to take the aging Couture apart, including a terrific Greco-Roman Wrestling base that seldom gets mentioned. If "I Am The Truth" Brandon Vera shows up, we could be in for a long night of clutching and grabbing on the fence.

In all honesty, almost all the signs point to Vera; he's younger, faster, a more dynamic striker, has great kicks, bigger reach, great wrestling base to stuff takedown, the list goes on.

Thing is, the list going on make Couture all the more interesting and dangerous. How many times have guys like me sat here talking about all the reasons Randy Couture shouldn't emerge victorious, only to have Couture go out and put on a helluva fight? There was the third fight with Belfort, the fight with Tito, round one with Chuck, Tim Sylvia...

Keith Jardine screwed up Vera's timing and got inside enough to score a decision win over "The Truth" and at the very least, Couture can put on a Jardine-esque performance. The key will be getting inside and utilizing the dirty boxing everyone talks about each time Couture takes the cage.

Fun Facts:

• Those four tattoos on Vera's back symbolize the elements earth, wind, fire and water.
• This is the first time since his initial start in the UFC that Randy Couture has fought in back-to-back fights where no title was at stake.