I fought Chuck Liddell and got KO’d by Brock Lesnar – but no one gave me a tougher fight than ‘The Rock’

Randy Couture has mixed it with the toughest, but one name stands out.

The former two-weight UFC champion fought the crème de la crème during his Hall of Fame run in MMA before retiring from the sport in April 2011 and later trying his hand at acting, notably starring in The Expendables.

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Couture beat world champions Mark Coleman, Tim Sylvia, Vitor Belfort, Tito Ortiz, and Chuck Liddell – he even submitted James Toney when he crossed over to MMA from boxing in 2008.

The 19-11 fighter suffered famous KO losses against Lyoto Machida and Brock Lesnar at the end of his career but insists his toughest fight came years earlier.

In May 2001, Couture defended his UFC heavyweight title against Pedro Rizzo, who was nicknamed ‘The Rock’ due to his granite chin and powerful strikes.

‘The Natural’ walked away from his fight with Rizzo with a unanimous decision win, but he still remembers the pain he felt during and after UFC 31.

“The toughest fight was the first time I fought Pedro Rizzo,” Couture told talkSPORT’s MMA YouTube Channel.

“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’s experience in the fight was made worse by the fact he was badly gassed out after inhaling fumes from the pyrotechnics that were a part of his walkout.

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He added: “Certainly, that one sticks out to me.

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

“They were still using pyro, walking out the tunnel and all that. I got uncommonly tired for me. That’s the most tired I have ever been in a fight.

“I was happy to see them do away with the pyro and not have all that smoke in the air. It was really hazy in that arena. I thought it was just me but everyone else was like, ‘It’s really smoky in here.’”

Couture’s first fight with Rizzo was so good the UFC booked an immediate rematch.

Fortunately for him, he found dealing with the Brazilian KO artist much easier the second time around and picked up a third-round stoppage win at UFC 34 in November 2001.

Couture lost his next fight and the one after that before moving to light heavyweight and becoming a two-division champion by knocking out Liddell.

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‘The Iceman’ got his revenge in subsequent bouts to emerge from their trilogy with two wins and the hotly contested title of Couture’s hardest-hitting opponent.

“I’ve only been knocked out once,” he added when asked to name the biggest puncher he fought.

“Liddell is the only guy who ever really knocked me out. I got flashed by Chuck in the third fight, but in that second fight, I lost a little piece of time.

“I got flashed against Brock. Again, that’s one of those situations where you get hit but as soon as your butt hits the canvas you know exactly where you’re at and you’re back in the fight.

“The only time I’ve ever really been knocked out is that second fight with Chuck Liddell.”