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Los Angeles, California AC/DC's Thunderstruck rolled through the jam-packed rafters of Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay, as "The Natural" Randy Couture entered the octagon with a grin. Thousands stood, cheered and awaited the conclusion of the most storied trilogy in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). The night was business as usual for the world's fastest growing sport, its most prominent body and one of its most beloved warriors. Chiseled frame, cauliflower ears, trademark smile - it was all the same for Couture when he made his way to the octagon to fight light heavyweight champion Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell. His training was as rigorous as always. His game plan just as calculating. His approach all the same. "It felt like all the other fights," Couture remembers. But it most certainly was not. On that night, Couture's legendary career ended at the devastating right hand of Liddell. A chapter of UFC chronicle - one that had begun in the dark ages of mixed-martial arts and concluded in its ever-growing revolution - was closed. The career started later than most and ended with the dignity, sportsmanship and class that had been exhibited throughout. "Is it the end of the line for you Randy?" asked color commentator Joe Rogan moments after Liddell had retained his title. His face nicked, his nose trickling blood, Couture replied, "This is the last time you're gonna see these gloves and these shorts in this octagon. I'm retiring tonight. I wanna thank all my fans for all their support. That's it for me, I'm ready to do something else."  UFC Hall of Famer Randy "The Natural" Couture evolved right along with the sport he loves so much. The standing ovation was simultaneous, the round of applause overwhelming. Couture knew the answer months before the question and the fight, however. Win, lose or draw, Feb. 4, 2006 would be the last time he walked into the octagon for a fight. But only a select few knew. "What I didn't want was it to take on a life of itself," Couture says. That just wouldn't have been Randy Couture. It wouldn't have been "Captain America." It wouldn't have been "The Natural." It wouldn't have been a fitting end to an unpredictable career, unsurprising only in the undeniable character exhibited by one of the UFC's all-time greats - inside the octagon and out. When Vitor Belfort stood across from Randy Couture, he was "The Phenom." He was an undefeated up-and-comer with dynamite in his fists and youth on his side. "Nobody gave me much of a chance to win the fight," says Couture, who could have been talking about a number of bouts in his career. Belfort was the next big thing when he entered the octagon on Oct. 17, 1997's UFC 15. He was 20 years old, undefeated at 4-0 with all four of his fights ending with knockouts. Couture, meanwhile, had just made his mixed-martial arts debut only a few weeks shy of his 33rd birthday. The fight was supposed to be a striker versus a wrestler. It was supposed to be a young lion devouring a fighter passed a prime he never had. But eight minutes and 16 seconds into the fight, the legend of "The Natural" Randy Couture had begun. Showcasing the skills for which he became known, Couture dominated Belfort in the clinch with "dirty boxing," unleashing uppercuts until the brutalization went to the mat. Blows raining down on him, Belfort couldn't stop Couture. Only the referee could. "It was the first situation when I shocked people," Couture remembers. It certainly was not the last. No, it was merely a foreshadowing for a career defined by shocking upsets, stunning fights and odds, no matter how bad, he always overcame. In his next UFC fight, Couture bested Maurice Smith for the first of his two heavyweight titles. But his heavyweight career ended unspectacularly. Fighting much larger opponents in Josh Barnett and Ricco Rodriguez, Couture lost his title and two fights in a row. UFC president and co-owner Dana White calls Couture, "an amazing human being," and refers to him as, "a good friend of mine." "He's one of the best guys I've ever met," White confirms. But back then, he never thought much of Couture's chances at UFC 43. White and the UFC brass were salivating at the monumental payday that surely lay ahead when "The Huntington Beach Badboy" Tito Ortiz, the light heavyweight champion, and Liddell, the No. 1 contender, squared off. But controversy with contract negotiations and Ortiz's dissatisfaction with fighting Liddell, a former training partner came to a head on June 6, 2003. Liddell was there for a fight, Ortiz was not. So, it had been determined that Liddell, a knockout machine with eight consecutive victories, would fight Couture, the loser of his last two fights who was dropping from heavyweight to light heavyweight, for the weight division's interim title. "Everyone pretty much assumed I was being fed to Chuck to build him up," Couture recalls. White admits now that was his intention and it was quite evident the night of the fight. All of the pre-fight talk centered around Liddell and Ortiz. "I know as a fan, and I can speak for all fans, that's the fight everyone wants to see," Rogan said before the fight. Couture was introduced first, quite unspectacularly. Liddell's entrance saw the arena go dark and a subsequent elaborate video sequence coupled with pyro. It was the Iceman's time to take center stage. It was Couture's time to let "Father Time" take its course. But "Captain America" changed the UFC's plans with three rounds of stunning dominance. They ended with Liddell on his back, beaten and bloodied, and Rogan proclaiming, "What an incredible upset! Randy Couture is an animal. ... That guy's amazing." "From there," Couture says, "my career kind of took a huge swing up." The always-humble Couture was positioned for, arguably, the most dominant run in UFC history. He out struck Liddell, one of the most famed strikers in mixed-martial arts history, and made history himself, becoming the only fighter in UFC history to win belts in two different weight classes. Next up was Ortiz, the brash, controversial poster boy of the UFC, riding a six-fight winning streak and seen by most as unstoppable. Ortiz was 28 and in his prime. Couture had pulled off an improbable upset against Liddell just a month and a half before his 40th birthday - surely the magical ride would come to a halt at UFC 44.
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