Sherdog’s Top 10: Giant Killers

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6. Randy Couture

In terms of wins of losses, Couture garnered mixed results against the giants of the sport, but, as a three-time UFC heavyweight champion, “The Natural” fared better than most would have imagined, especially when he toppled Tim Sylvia at UFC 68. Going into that bout, Couture was 43 years old and had lost two of his previous three fights to Chuck Liddell at light heavyweight. It seemed a tall order -- literally -- for the future UFC hall of famer to defeat the 6-foot-8, 265-pound Sylvia.

Fresh off a premature retirement, Couture floored “The Maine-iac” with a right hand and kept his foot on the gas pedal from there. Couture took Sylvia to the mat in round two and pushed the pace throughout to become an unlikely heavyweight champion.

“Not bad for an old man,” Couture would say shortly after the bout’s conclusion.

The three-time All-American from Oklahoma State University would successfully defend his title against Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 74 before being overwhelmed by the sheer size of Brock Lesnar more than a year later. Still, it was an amazing feat for a man who looked out of his league after back-to-back losses to Josh Barnett and Ricco Rodriguez had forced him to return to 205 pounds some five years earlier.

With victories against Maurice Smith, Kevin Randleman and Pedro Rizzo (twice), Couture had proven he could have success against the heavyweights of the UFC’s earlier years. By beating the super-sized Sylvia, Couture struck a definitive blow for the underdogs of the world.

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