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Ultimate Fighting Championship showing its age in Las Vegas

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For the third consecutive Ultimate Fighting Championship event in Las Vegas, one question dominates: So, when is Brock Lesnar fighting again?

The UFC will stage a third straight title-less Vegas main event Saturday night when veteran light-heavyweights Randy Couture and Mark Coleman lead the card of UFC 109 at Mandalay Bay Events Center.

“There’s great fights on this card . . . me and Mark are a couple of old wrestlers banging heads, two active Hall of Famers,” Couture said.

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The undercard features a middleweight bout between Nate Marquardt and Chael Sonnen, with the winner getting a future title shot against the winner of April’s title bout between champion Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort.

Also, former welterweight champion Matt Serra, 35, is fighting Frank Trigg, 37, on the card, and UFC President Dana White is excited about another welterweight clash, Mike Swick-Paulo Thiago, along with the organization debuts of former NCAA wrestling champ Phil Davis and Rolles Gracie, of mixed martial arts’ founding family.

Yet, in the final card before UFC’s biggest names -- Silva, welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre and heavyweight champ Lesnar -- finally start returning to action after injury- and health-related absences, pitting the 46-year-old Couture (17-10) against the 45-year-old Coleman (16-9) is not creating the buzz usually associated with UFC’s high-energy shows.

From the high of UFC 100 in July, when the organization claimed a live gate of about $5 million, MMA interest tailed off to the Jan. 2 card at MGM Grand, when the live gate tally was $1.9 million, with 8,004 tickets sold and 5,314 reported as comps to the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

And now, Couture-Coleman.

On a recent conference call it was suggested that this bout has the feel of a World Wrestling Entertainment “career-ending” match, with the loser being forced into retirement.

Both fighters scoffed at the notion.

“If the worst thing that happens to me is a loss, it’s not the end of the world,” said Couture, a former UFC heavyweight and light-heavyweight champ who has lost two of his last three fights.

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Added Coleman, who marched out of the octagon at UFC 100 swearing in happiness after beating Stephan Bonnar: “I love this job, to be able to compete.”

UFC’s White defended his pay-per-view product.

“In some cases, boxing promoters would have to cancel fights if they’ve had the injuries we’ve had, but we can give the fans a great fight with Randy Couture, who’s . . . one of the top light-heavyweights in the world.”

But back to the main question. Heavyweight Lesnar? What date can be circled for his comeback fight after he suffered through an intestinal infection that has sidelined him since July?

“He’s getting healthy, ready to go,” White said. “That July 4 weekend is looking very possible.”

lance.pugmire@latimes.com

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