Saturday night was all right for fighting.

Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao brutalized Miguel Cotto Saturday night and won the World Boxing Organization welterweight title after a 12th round technical knockout. The bout may have been best watched on a high-definition television set so as to be able to see Pacquiao’s rapid-fire haymakers. The only trade-off would be seeing a crystal-clear rendition of the hamburger meat that was Cotto’s face.

Cotto did prove a formidable foe in the early going, holding his own for a while before third- and fourth-round knockdowns took their toll. Cotto’s corner even tried to throw in the towel after the 11th round.

When seeking perspective on the breadth of Pacquiao’s dominance, consider the following sentence from the Associated Press’ report on the fight: “Cotto’s wife and child, who were at ringside, left after the ninth round, unable to watch the beating any longer.” Ouch.

Boxing fans had to have been pleased with the sport’s return to the limelight, just two months after from Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s September pay-per-view appearance that landed more than a million buys.

And ample eyes remain fixed on the sport as the boxing world anticipates the announcement of a Pacquiao-Mayweather super-fight. You thought their fights this year were profitable? You have no idea.

The MGM Grand Garden Arena erupted with chants of “We want Floyd” after Pacquiao’s victory. A deal could be made next week, suggested Dan Wetzel in a postfight column on Yahoo Sports’ Web site.

If it is, then we could see a fight in 2010 that defines the sport this decade. Better, it would capture the hearts and minds of casual fans – which annually shrink in number and passion.

Couture emerges at UFC 105

Fight fans without access to pay-per-view — and/or $50-plus — were delivereda free UFC card to take in alongside Saturday evening’s college football slate.

Randy Couture, the 46-year-old Hall of Famer, rebounded from his loss to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in August by out-pointing Brandon Vera in Couture’s return to the light heavyweight ranks at UFC 105 in Manchester, England.

Couture moved to 17-10 and avoided the first three-fight losing streak of his career. The fight was the first of a six-fight contract inked after his UFC 102 loss.

The return to light heavyweight division, where Couture once won the championship, presents a wealth of opportunities for intriguing fights. Pairing Couture with Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans, a returning Tito Ortiz, Forrest Griffin or Shogun Rua are just a few of the big-name fights that come to mind.

There are a few wild cards, though. Say Anderson Silva sticks around the division for a permanent stay after his move up from middleweight. Or maybe Chuck Lidell indeed makes one last go at it and stages a fourth installment of his historic rivalry with Couture. I personally would love to see Quinton “Rampage” Jackson return to the UFC after he’s through feuding with Dana White.

Follow Stephen Montemayor at twitter.com/smontemayor.

— Edited by Nick Gerik