LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- By Frank Curreri

I just hope Randy doesn’t get hurt.

That phrase has been pounded into my head over the past few weeks. My hairstylist, a twentysomething woman and casual fan of mixed martial arts, told me that the other day as part of her prediction for the looming showdown between Randy Couture and Tim Sylvia. A colleague, a cameraman at the station, independently offered the same sentiment. Hell, almost everybody I ask about the fight eventually says the same thing: I just hope Randy doesn’t get hurt.

How many times over the past month have you heard someone express concern for Randy’s physical well being? Better yet, how many times have you thought that to yourself? The widespread empathy is not just based on Couture’s age or the fact that he is coming out of retirement after one year on the sidelines. It illustrates that the UFC’s elder statesman, 43 years old, enters the fight as a hero of sorts, leaving Sylvia to play the villain. After all, how many people have you met who said they don’t want to see Sylvia get hurt?

Unless you’re affiliated with Team Miletich, or share DNA with Sylvia, it’s hard to root for the Big Fella’ in this one. For one thing, he looks downright scary and occasionally comes off as grumpy in public. For another, the 6-foot-8-inch, 265-pound champ dwarfs Couture by six inches and 40 pounds or so, and Americans generally have a soft spot for Davids going up against Goliaths.

All of which reinforces the notion that Sylvia is the Rodney Dangerfield of his sport, a frustrated knockout artist who has every right to be bitter because he is not receiving the kind of admiration and adoration normally bestowed upon knockout artists.

After going the distance in three of his past four fights, the hard-hitting giant is fast gaining a reputation as a boring, overly cautious fighter. It doesn’t seem to matter that the 31-year-old has prevailed in his past six fights, that he boasts an incredible record of 23 wins and only two losses, or that he overcame an abusive childhood, virtual obesity and a long line of doubters to become the UFC heavyweight champ.

Fair or not, the amazing overachiever has failed to connect with most fight fans or captivate them. Compare Sylvia’s stature to Couture’s and it’s easy to see why the champion has every reason to be jealous and feel slighted. Couture has nine fewer wins than Sylvia, and six more losses. But the wily and soft-spoken veteran owns something Sylvia may never possess: Enormous popularity.

Unfortunately for Sylvia, fans are finally dying to watch one of his fights -- but mainly because they are attached to Couture’s destiny, not his own. Beating Couture would surely bolster Sylvia’s resume, but it likely won’t win him the widespread affection he has been craving.

On the flip side, if Randy loses, it would probably barely dent his Hall-of-Fame legacy. And while we’re talking outcomes, let me say that I see this highly intriguing fight ending in one of two ways: Terribly sad or awe inspiring. Sad if Couture, a wildly popular and charismatic figure, is knocked unconscious for a third straight time. Inspiring if the Ambassador of Old School can defy Father Time and again squeeze a championship performance out of his sculpted but aging body.

For the record, Couture said money was not the force that lured him out of retirement, noting he enjoys plenty of profits from his commentating gig, gym revenues and clothing line.

“I’ve kind of said all along if the right circumstances presented itself, I wouldn’t mind fighting again,” Couture said. “The biggest thing for me was kind of getting all of my personal affairs in order, getting through a rather lengthy and nasty divorce and all of the other stuff I had going on.

“It’s a very unique experience to be out there in the cage in a one-on-one combative sport. There’s a passion and desire and intensity that comes with that. That is why we do it, it’s one of the reasons we fell in love with it in the first place. So it’s one thing to be rational and to evaluate yourself physically and say, ‘Ok, I’m not able to deal with this level of athlete any more, my body is breaking down.’ That’s not the case with me.”

Yet a Couture victory will be a tall order. Age is not the only concern. There is also the obvious question of whether the 225-pounder can grind out a five-round decision over Syliva, or whether that extra weight will take its toll, as it did when Couture came up short against heavyweights Josh Barnett and Ricco Rodriguez.

“First of all, the style is the difference. The other two big guys I fought that I lost to, they were both grapplers they were both wrestlers that wanted to get on the ground and wanted to get in the top position,” Couture said. “And at that time, technically, I don’t think I was prepared to deal with that so well, especially giving up the weight.

“With Tim, that’s not Tim’s game plan, that’s not what Tim wants to do. So it alleviates that situation to some extent – there is still a possibility I could end up underneath him. I could get knocked down, anything could happen. On a technical front, I think I’m a much better athlete, much better grappler, much more prepared to deal with the positions I may end up in, especially on the ground.”

There is another key hurdle facing Couture: Sylvia arguably hits harder than Liddell and owns an explosive right hand that comes at you like a laser. That means that no matter how big of a hole the Maine-iac digs for himself, he is always a split-second away from ending a fight. Sylvia, despite his somewhat clumsy and gangly appearance, has pretty good foot work and a highly effective sprawl.

He is good at stuffing double leg takedowns but has never battled someone with Couture’s takedown arsenal. It will be particularly interesting to watch the takedown game in the fight because Couture has more talent in the clinch than anyone Sylvia has faced, and Sylvia’s largesse could actually work against him, making it easier for Couture to use his leverage to throw the champion.

Of course, even if Sylvia is taken to the ground, he no longer fights like a fish out of water in that domain. In fact, to the surprise of many, the champ surprised a lot of people when he basically outgrappled Jeff Monson in his last fight. Ironically, that fight only bolstered Couture’s conviction that he matches up well with Sylvia, who was unable to finish Monson, arguably an inferior takedown specialist and puncher than Couture.

For Couture, it remains to be seen whether he can overcome both the psychological and physical effects of suffering back-to-back knockout losses to Liddell. Recent history is not in his favor. Two other top 205-pounders, Mauricio Rua and Vanderlei Silva, have moved up to heavyweight and suffered catastrophic losses – Rua suffering a dislocated elbow in his loss to Mark Coleman and Silva absorbed a vicious beating at the hands of UFC heavyweight contender Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic (who just happens to be waiting in the wings for the winner of Saturday’s fight).

Couture has signed a 2-year, 4-fight deal with the UFC, but said he would not necessarily fight that long if his body failed him. He is well aware that people are concerned for him, worried that things could end badly for him against Sylvia.

“That seems to be the common theme and question at this point, it’s ‘Why come back, you’ve already accomplished so much. Why risk it?” Couture said. “I don’t feel like I’m tarnishing anything. I’m doing what I love to do. Maybe Tim will point out to me that I don’t have it anymore, that I need to seriously this decision to come back, but I don’t think that’s the case.”

“I’ve always seemed to operate best when people counted me out or suspected I wouldn’t perform well. That always seems to free me up to go out and prove them wrong. So the underdog position has been no stranger to me and it’s been a good place for me.”

Frank Curreri can be reached via e-mail at: fcurreri@fox5vegas.com