Couture insists he has no resentment toward UFC, even though he was highly critical of White and the organization's pay structure and health care.
"There's no way I can give less than 100% when I've got Brock ready to punch me in the face," Couture said. "He's a big, strong athlete. . . . It doesn't matter that he spent those years in the WWE. You still always saw a formidable athlete, and that remains impressive."
A Lesnar victory over Couture would be a powerful passing of the torch.
Lesnar is expected to clinch a sizable advantage at weigh-in, coming in at the 265-pound limit, and he is excited about fighting a real, not scripted, main event.
He joined WWE barely removed from his amateur wrestling acclaim. "What the company asked, I tried to do to the best of my potential. It was a win-win," he said.
But he found the toll of an extended life on the road grueling and unsatisfying.
"I had to make a decision," he said. "I was an entertainer, but I was always a competitor and I was missing that. . . . It was hard. Here I was, guaranteed a multimillion-dollar contract, but I wasn't happy. I wanted a change."
After a failed bid to land on an NFL roster, Lesnar said he's confident he's found the right competitive outlet in MMA.
"He's an incredible athlete, and I'm glad we could make this fight. I have no clue who's going to win," White said.
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lance.pugmire@latimes.com
