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LAS VEGAS --- Randy Couture continues to sock father time in the face.

Couture, 46, fighting for the third time in five months, submitted fellow UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman, 45, in the second round of their light-heavyweight showdown in the main event of UFC 109 on Saturday night at Mandalay Bay Events Center.

"I feel like I'm improving each and every time I go out there," Couture said.

Both Couture and Coleman are MMA pioneers and boast tremendous amateur wrestling backgrounds. Couture was a three-time All-American at Oklahoma State and Coleman was a former NCAA national champion at Ohio State.

With all of those wrestling credentials, of course, it turned into a boxing match in the first round. Unfortunately, for Coleman, Couture has developed some impressive boxing skills over the years.

Couture  stunned Coleman with a right to the chin midway through the round. Couture added a pair of knees in the clinch and a right uppercut. Couture was in total control of the standup battle. Couture staggered Coleman again with a right uppercut to the jaw with about a minute left in the round. Couture spent the final minute roughing up Coleman in the clinch.

Couture came out putting his punches together to start the second round. A combination backed Coleman against the fence. Couture easily took down Coleman and quickly got the full mount. Couture cradled the back of Coleman's head with his right hand and banged away with his left hand. Coleman rolled to his stomach to avoid further punishment. That's when Couture sank in the rear-naked choke to get the tap out at 1:09 of the second round.

"The guy is tough," Coleman said. "He's real, real tough. I'm disapointed. I won't quit. I'll be back."

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Usually, a fight between two 40-something fighters would be considered a joke. After all, the fight game is a young man's sport.

But Randy Couture, 46, and Mark Coleman, 45, fall in the ageless wonder category. Couture and Coleman continue to compete at a world-class level and be successful well into their 40s.

The two UFC Hall of Famers will finally lock horns in the octagon when they meet in the main event of UFC 109 on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas on pay-per-view.

"I think it would have been just as interesting 10 or 12 years ago if it had happened," Couture said. "I think we were both a lot less refined as athletes and combatants back then, but it sure would have been a pretty hard-nosed affair. I think Mark and I both are straight-up kind of in-your-face type of fighters and that’s always going to make for a good fight."

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Rob Emerson of Costa Mesa is one of those fighters that leaves an impression every time he steps in the octagon. In victory or defeat, Emerson always seems to be involved in a fight of the night candidate.

"That's the thing, I've gotten bonuses the last two fights I've lost," Emerson said. "It's like I'm right there, an inch away from finally being on the radar. I put on a good performance but I lose. It's been that way my whole career. I'm tough enough to put on a good show, but not quite enough to squeak out the win. That was all do to bad training, not taking it seriously and bad cardio and the list goes on. But I've taken care of all that stuff. My training is world class. I'm around world class guys. You guys are going to see a really different fighter in me. I have a lot more invested."

Despite his crowd-pleasing style, Emerson finds himself in a must-win situation coming off two straight losses in the UFC. Emerson takes on "The Ultimate Fighter 8" finalist Phillipe Nover at UFC 109 on Saturday night at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

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