"This is my most important fight just because I get to prove to the people around the world that I am one of the top dogs. It's a big fight. A big, big fight. From these last six fights, I've taken away what it takes to be a champ. The drive, the determination, the want and desire. This training camp is different. When I don't want to do the extra round, my body is actually making me go. My mind is tired but my body just keeps going. I don't get it. This is a new thing for me. This is somewhere I haven't been before.

"When they called me for this fight my manager said, 'Brandon, you're going to fight in the U.K. You're going to fight in England.' I'm thinking, 'he is tripping' as I just fought and didn't want to jump right back into a training camp. Then he said, 'Okay, you're fighting Randy Couture.' Damn. You can't say no to fight Randy Couture. You can't. I've got to give more than I ever have before. More than a 100%. More than a 110%. Randy is no slouch. Randy is not slacking. I think I have no choice but to train hard. You mess around with Randy, you're going to get your ass whooped (laughs).

"I just keep thinking about what Randy is doing, ya know? Randy is a soldier. He's been through this shit a long time. I want to make sure I'm doing just as much, if not more. You can't break Randy, so we gotta be ready to get in there and go to war. People always wondered what Brandon Vera at his full potential would look like. I tell you, Mr. Couture is going to bring out every ounce of everything I got. Everything."  - Brandon Vera

After the UFC's deliberation about who will headline the Manchester event this Saturday, the promotion settled on Randy Couture vs. Brandon Vera.  At first, rumors swirled about Michael Bisping squaring off against Wanderlei Silva.  Then there was the chance that Dan Henderson was going to fight Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.  Then there was the never-ending saga of Henderson vs. Marquardt.

But on Sept. 14, Couture vs. Vera was officially announced.  A FiveKnuckles.com poll showed that out of the three main fights (Couture vs. Vera, Mike Swick vs. Dan Hardy, Bisping vs. Denis Kang), 49% chose the Couture vs. Vera fight.

Nov. 14 will be a big day for both fighters.  While a legend of the sport, and one of MMA's most recognizable figures, Couture (16-10) is 0-2 in his last two fights in the past two years - suffering a TKO loss to Brock Lesnar at UFC 91, and a unanimous decision loss to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 102.  Vera (11-3) has gone 3-2 in his last five fights since the beginning of 2008, winning the last two, against Mike Patt at UFC 96 and Krzysztof Soszynski at UFC 102.

UFC 105 will be televised on Saturday, Nov. 14 on Spike TV, beginning at 8 p.m. EST.

Make sure to check back with us the day of the event for free, live, round-by-round coverage of UFC 105 right here at FiveKnuckles.com! Join expert analyst Mike Williams as he takes you through the entire fight card blow-by-blow and then keep it right here for all the post-fight news and notes you can handle!