MANCHESTER, England – Much has been made of the accomplishments of UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture (16-10 MMA, 13-7 UFC) in the build up for his UFC 105 main event clash with light heavyweight Brandon Vera (11-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC).

Rightfully so.

But even as the burly voiced announcer states on the promotional clips that Couture “fights because he wants to,” don’t think that “The Natural” isn’t aching for a win.

“I think one of the things I had to evaluate after the (Antonio Rodrigo) Nogueira fight – obviously I didn’t get the ‘W’ in that – is that I’ve kind of gone into these fights with the mindset that, ‘You know what, I’m just having fun,'” Couture said. “But I don’t want the fact that I’m only doing this because I love it to take that edge of intensity off what I do.”

As a five-time world champion, Couture has enjoyed the opportunity to dictate the fights that he takes and put himself in near-no-lose situations by always facing the luminaries of the sport. But in Vera, Couture faces a hungry contender that is trying to use a bout with “Captain America” as a proving ground.

For a man who has contested titles in 13 of his previous 15 contests, the prospect of a three-round fight against a still-climbing contender might seem a bit of a step down, but Couture says the drive to perform must come from within.

“I think first and foremost, like anything, you have to find it in yourself,” Couture told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “But each and every guy that steps out there poses certain problems, and some of those problems are harder to solve than others.

“Brandon poses very interesting problems.”

Vera has experienced a bit of a resurgence in his past two contests, earning impressive wins over Krzysztof Soszynski and Mike Patt. Despite Vera’s recent success, Couture said he knows exactly what it will take to win.

“It’s more of a distance thing,” Couture said. “It’s not so much his size. … He’s going to want to try and stay away and draw you into that range where he can land that one shot.

“I think no one has forced him to use the wrestling skills that I know he possesses because I knew him from wrestling before we ever got into fighting. I think obviously he’s going to have to use those skills in this fight.”

Saturday’s fight will be Couture’s first-ever in the U.K. and first outside the U.S. since 2000. And while Couture has literally nothing left to prove in the sport, he’s still adamant about returning to the win column for the first time since an Aug. 2007 victory over Gabriel Gonzaga.

“Part of my style is that intensity and that battle of attrition to wear a guy out, wear a guy down, and make him quit,” Couture said. “I’ve been focusing on this camp to make sure that edge and that intensity are there even though I’m still having fun.”

For complete coverage of UFC 105, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

John Morgan is the lead staff reporter for MMAjunkie.com.