Bellator 148's Ryan Couture ready for title contention, says pressure will break 'Pitbull'

Ryan Couture

Ryan Couture is finally ready to live up to the hefty expectations placed on him as the son of multi-time UFC champion and Hall of Famer Randy Couture.

It wasn’t an easy road, but with Couture’s (10-3 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) 14th career bout just around the corner against Patricky Freire (14-7 MMA, 7-6 BMMA) at Bellator 148, he said his skill set finally has reached the point he’s prepared to beat top competition.

“I’m excited; it’s a huge fight,” Couture told MMAjunkie. “I was excited about (fighting Derek) Anderson (before he got injured) because it’s a big step up in the rankings, but ‘Pitbull’ has an even more well-known name and is a big boost for me. It’s a huge opportunity that I’m really thrilled about.”

Bellator 148 takes place Friday at Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif. Couture vs. Freire airs on the Spike-televised main card following prelims on MMAjunkie.

Couture was thrust into the spotlight from the moment he made his MMA debut due to his family name and the success of his father. His first pro bout came under the now-defunct Strikeforce banner, and less than three years after his first fight he found his way to the UFC.

The 33-year-old’s UFC run was largely forgettable. He suffered losses to Al Iaquinta and Ross Pearson before he was released from the organization, and not long after he found his way to Bellator.

Couture is 2-0 under the Bellator banner thus far and is ready to make further progress up the lightweight rankings when he takes on a longstanding contender in “Pitbull.”

Freire has faced the best in the weight class over the past several years and will represent Couture’s sternest challenge since his brief stint with the UFC. With more experience under his belt now, though, Couture said he anticipates an entirely different result.

“I just think the work I’ve been putting in the gym over the past couple years and the strides I’ve made in training, I think I just feel ready,” Couture said. “I have that confidence in myself that I know what I’m capable of. Patricky is dangerous and he brings the fight. You’ve got to watch out for the power in his hands and the ground game is no joke, either.

“I think the skills I bring to the table and the pressure I put on him is going to be too much for him. I’ve come up with more tricks and got more confident in closing the distance and working the clinch game. It just continues to improve and get sharper. That’s my bread and butter and I’m just trying to keep growing in those areas and become more effective at it.”

Couture said his focus is entirely on his fight with Freire, but he also knows what a victory over the Brazilian would do for his career. Couture’s long-term goal is to hold the Bellator lightweight belt, which is currently possessed by Will Brooks.

Although he’s not yet setting his sights directly on Brooks and his title, Couture said he hopes a victory at Bellator 148 will allow him the chance to add some championship prestige to his own resume.

“It’s a bigger jump up in the rankings than I was expecting, but I’m excited about it. It’s going to be great and I feel ready; I match up well with everyone in this division and I’m going to be ready to prove it,” Couture said. “This win puts me right on that short list of the guys in the running for that title shot. The ‘Pitbull’ brothers both are always in that conversation because they have exciting, dangerous styles because they’re well rounded and have a great following.

“Getting a win over somebody like that is always going to be a big boost. He’s got that combination of both things going for him that I’m going to be able to use that to catapult myself that much further up into the mix.”

For more on Bellator 148, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.