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Los Angeles, California At 43 years young, four-time UFC world champion Randy Couture is returning to the octagon with another title in mind. "Truth is, I probably could [comeback] in the right situation, [with] the right opponent - I would consider it," UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture said during an interview with Hall of Fame Magazine in December of 2006. Even in retirement, Randy Couture was a busy man. Retirement really wasn't even the right word. "The Natural" was a commentator, a trainer, an ambassador and on and on. In every avenue in which he could stay active in mixed-martial arts, he did. In every way in which he could remain a part of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, he did. Except fighting. That all changed on Jan. 12. During an interview with Joe Rogan on Spike TV's "Inside the UFC," Couture confirmed that all the rumors about a possible comeback to the cage were indeed true. So, did the right situation and the right opponent come to be? "Absolutely," Couture confirms. Of course Couture isn't your average man or your average athlete. Hence, the right situation for him was 6 feet, 8 inches and 260 pounds of UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia, whom Couture will fight Saturday at UFC 68 for the heavyweight title. Sylvia, 30, boasts a 23-2 record, has won his last six fights and, like Couture, is a two-time heavyweight champ.  HOF'er Randy Couture makes his return to the octagon on Saturday night. Couture (14-8) is 13 years Sylvia's senior, seven inches shorter, considerably lighter and last fought in February of 2006. It's obvious that, once again, Couture is the underdog. But overcoming odds has defined his storied career. In his conquests of the likes of Vitor Belfort, Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz, he was always predicted to fall short. "I'm pretty used to that situation," Couture concedes. "I do well being in that role." UFC President and co-Owner Dana White was one of many who thought Liddell, the current UFC light heavyweight champion, would run over Couture in their first fight on June 6, 2003 at UFC 43. Couture's previous two fights had been losses to much larger heavyweights and, to many, his time in the octagon looked to be done. Liddell's time at the top looked to be just getting started. That's what White was banking on. "I used to doubt Randy, I'm the one who sent him in to lose to Chuck," White says. "I don't doubt him anymore." Inevitably, Liddell would get the best of Couture in UFC's most famed trilogy, winning their final two fights after an upset in the aforementioned first bout. Their last fight was Couture's final foray into the octagon, a knockout loss at UFC 57. Brilliant track record or not, many believe there's just too much going against Couture - the age difference, the size difference, the layoff - to think he can pull off what many believe to be the impossible. "He's in for a challenge with Tim Sylvia," White says. "But I'll never doubt him again." And for those who do doubt him, the always-humble Couture offers no harsh words. Always quick with a smile and a kind word, he prefers to let March 3 do the talking. "I don't need to say anything," Couture offers. "It's on me to go out there and prove I've got what it takes, that I can still do it at 43." Whether Couture wins or loses, Saturday won't be his last fight in the UFC - he's signed a four-fight contract. And, whether Couture wins or loses, it will take nothing away from what has simply been another uplifting chapter in an amazing career.
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