Fact is, Crocop can end the fight at nearly any moment standing, which would mean any advantage Couture could gather early on, would all be in vain.
Couture has a few advantages in this fight but whether or not he will be able to capitalize on them is another story. We know Crocop is still new to cage tactics. You can't sprawl next to the cage, but with Crocop's great lateral movements, he will likely always have room to sprawl. However, what Randy can do after a sprawl is move from a double leg to a single leg which he did very well against Sylvia. Randy did use a belly-to-belly (no trips) takedown on Sylvia, although this requires a clinch which Crocop is sure to push away.
Now the takedown is the hardest part and may not even happen. But if Randy can take it to the ground, he has a few more advantages here. Oblivously, Crocop is not used to being stuck up against the fence. And although Crocop is a better striker than Chuck, he doesn't have Chuck's wrestling experience which helps him to get back on his feet. I can't recall Crocop being on his back since the Fedor fight (where he gassed and was content to stay on his back) so I can't say how well Crocop is at getting back up from his back .
As for the striking game, Crocop was caught with the overhand right before so he's wise to them. I did like that Randy didn't constantly chase down Tim, at least not the way he used to stalk Chuck. Randy jumped in and jumped out and didn't stay in the pocket unless he was going to clinch.
