A high school state champion. A three time Olympic team alternate. A Three time NCAA Division I All-American. A Pan-Am champion in Greco-Roman Wrestling. A three time UFC heavyweight champion. A two time UFC light heavyweight champion.

Randy Couture's past is littered with titles and accolades. Captain America has managed to succeed at every level during his long and illustrious career. He has captivated the hearts of fans with displays of determination and grit during his countless title fights. 

But all good things must come to an end and at 47 years old, Couture is on the downside of the downside of his career. In a sport where most competitors have problems staying competitive at 35, Couture has managed to stay relevant as he edges precariously close to 50. 

His secret to staying at the top of mixed martial arts has always been hard work and dedication. Although the way Couture tells it, you would swear he just got lucky.

"Who said I don't need assistance getting out of bed?" Couture joked during his time on The MMA Fight Corner presented by FiveKnuckles.com. "I've been very fortunate. I've held up pretty well. I don't know, I don't have a real explanation for that. I think because throughout my 30's I was competing, I was very active with both USA Wrestling and the international team and then fighting I never really let myself get out of shape, to let me body go, to let father time take over."

While he maintains his ridiculous physique for someone 47 years old, Couture has inevitably slowed down over the past few years. The once active Couture has begun to take more time in between fights and contemplate retirement even more seriously than before. Rather than fighting the guys at the tippity top of his division he has been relegated to fighting also-rans and freak shows.

Of course Couture loved those fights, especially the one against boxing great James Toney. Toney famously went about trash talking with Quinton "Rampage" Jackson before securing a fight with the UFC. Dana White and the UFC brass felt that Couture would be the perfect opponent to welcome Toney into mixed martial arts.

"I was certainly happy about it," Couture said. "I know we've been compared to boxing for my entire time in the sport. Everybody talks about boxing and the UFC or mixed martial arts. For the first real world class caliber boxer to finally step up and not just run his mouth, and he did plenty of running his mouth, but he actually signed on the dotted line and said he was gonna fight. I was excited to get the nod and be the one that was selected to go in there and show them what MMA was all about. I was excited about it."

"He's done what he's done in boxing and I certainly took those accolades very seriously. I had no allusions of being a world class boxer. I wasn't going to stand around and try and prove something and punch with him."

While Couture has recently been relegated to upholding the sanctity of mixed martial arts, he was once constantly matched up with title holders in both the heavyweight and light heavyweight division. His most famous fights are arguably his trilogy with Chuck Liddell. Couture managed to upset Liddell in their first bout to capture the interim light heavyweight title. 

Captain America also gained notoriety for his "incident" with Tito Ortiz. The two met in 2003 where Couture won the actual...