Couture calls it quits with UFC

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The Fight Network :: ALL FIGHTS ALL THE TIME :: Get it on!

MMA Icon Walks Away From Promotion In Stunning Move

By Brian Knapp

At the height of its power and popularity, the Ultimate Fighting Championship today lost the man many recognize as the face of mixed martial arts. UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture announced his resignation from the Las Vegas-based promotion, leaving two contracted fights, his job as an on-air analyst and his heavyweight crown on the table.

In South Africa shooting scenes for his lead role in the upcoming feature film “The Scorpion King – Rise of the Akkadian,” Couture made the announcement official in a letter to UFC president Dana White. The UFC’s inability to land PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko played a prominent role in the decision to walk away, according to Couture.

“I appreciate this opportunity the sport of MMA and the UFC has given me,” the UFC Hall-of-Famer said. “However, I’m tired of swimming upstream at this stage with the management of the UFC. It only makes sense at this point in my career to fight Fedor Emelianenko, and since he’s now signed with another organization, I feel like it’s time to resign and focus on my other endeavors.”

His abrupt departure deals a significant blow to the world’s most visible MMA organization. Couture was not only a beloved competitor – White once called him “the greatest fighter in UFC history” – but also a revered spokesman for a company that had long struggled to gain mainstream acceptance.

“Randy’s contract was on a fight-by-fight basis, and that’s the way he said he was always going to take it – fight by fight,” said Matt Walker, Couture’s agent at The Gersh Agency. “His acting career is accelerating at an astronomical rate, and without the support he felt some of his peers were receiving in the fight business, this was the logical choice.”

A three-time All-American wrestler at Oklahoma State University, Couture won four national championships in Greco-Roman wrestling and made four attempts at qualifying for the Olympics. He made his MMA debut at UFC 13 on May 13, 1997, where, at age 33, he won a heavyweight tournament, defeating Tony Halme and Steven Graham on the same night. Just seven months later, he toppled famed kickboxer Maurice Smith in Yokohama, Japan to win the UFC heavyweight crown for the first time.

Over the course of the next decade, Couture emerged as one of the most decorated mixed martial artists in history. The UFC’s only six-time champion, he captured the heavyweight belt three times, the light heavyweight title twice and an interim light heavyweight title, as well. Couture remains the only man to win UFC championships in two weight classes.

His run through the promotion included a memorable trilogy with light heavyweight rival Chuck Liddell, the only opponent to beat Couture twice. Following his third bout with Liddell in February 2006, Couture announced his first retirement.

As 2007 dawned, his desire to compete returned, and a four-fight contract with the UFC – which included the opportunity to fight Tim Sylvia for the heavyweight strap at UFC 68 in March – was presented to Couture. He accepted, and the wheels for an historic comeback were set in motion.

Couture floored Sylvia with an overhand right seconds into the bout and punished the 6-foot-8 giant over five rounds. Playing to chants of “Randy!” he regained the heavyweight title for an unprecedented third time in front of 19,049 fans at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Five months later, at the age of 44, he defeated rising contender Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 74, stopping the young Brazilian by third-round TKO despite suffering a broken left arm. It would be his final appearance in the Octagon.

Couture (16-8) leaves behind an unrivaled legacy in the sport. Fifteen of his 24 career bouts were title fights, and he bested six former UFC champions – Liddell, Vitor Belfort, Tito Ortiz and Sylvia among them. Always willing to meet a challenge, Couture consistently tested himself against the world’s premier fighters. The 19 men he fought (he squared off with Pedro Rizzo twice and Liddell and Belfort three times each) hold 357 victories between them.
 
UNCfan1

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I am totally shocked but respect his reasoning for leaving. Mad props to Captin America!!! He will be missed.
 
jas123

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:wtf:

This is disappointing unless it means that Randy will try to fight Fedor in M-1. It didn't seem quite clear. Metzler's report confirmed it and implied that the amount of money that was offered to Fedor also irritated Couture.

I REALLY hope he keeps fighting because he has been looking great.
 

max silver

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Damn, that's quite a shocker. I'm pretty new to the world of MMA, and had thusly had only seen two of Randy's fights, but would definitely rate him as one of my favorite fighters. Hopefully he continues fighting elsewhere.
 
CNorris

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Way to go Fedor, you coward. Yes, Fedor is a ducking coward, get over it Fedor nuthuggers.
 
MentalTwitch

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Wow. WEll at least he made a decision. I am honestly hesitant to say good luck with his acting career....maybe just retire and chill out now help out UFC with promos and stuff, announce.
No matter what he was a great and always will be a great respectful fighter.
 

max silver

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Way to go Fedor, you coward. Yes, Fedor is a ducking coward, get over it Fedor nuthuggers.
??? Your posting style really reminds me of a previous board member who's name escapes me at the moment. He was a real diehard conservative type who specialized in inflammatory remarks just for the sake of stirring things up.
 

tattoopierced1

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I'll miss Randy commentating.. I hate Mike Goldberg, at least we have Joe Rogan who knows about MMA, whereas Goldberg tries, but messes up numerous times.
 
MentalTwitch

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??? Your posting style really reminds me of a previous board member who's name escapes me at the moment. He was a real diehard conservative type who specialized in inflammatory remarks just for the sake of stirring things up.

Alot of guys do that. I agree though. I think Fedor is great and all but when he loses i bet his fan base will drop.
 
MentalTwitch

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I'll miss Randy commentating.. I hate Mike Goldberg, at least we have Joe Rogan who knows about MMA, whereas Goldberg tries, but messes up numerous times.
I think the same but he is def. gettin better and tryin it seems.
 

max silver

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I'm getting to the point where I can't stand Goldberg. He's constantly talking over the action with promos and other non fight related nonsense.
 
jas123

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Way to go Fedor, you coward. Yes, Fedor is a ducking coward, get over it Fedor nuthuggers.
Agreed. Fedor ran and Couture is now chasing him down. :twisted:

The sherdog article states that Randy can't fight anywhere else for 9 months. I hope he fights Fedor after this.
 
MentalTwitch

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I'm getting to the point where I can't stand Goldberg. He's constantly talking over the action with promos and other non fight related nonsense.
He has to speeze in what he can.
 

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Do you guys really think Fedor is ducking Couture? I must have missed something...
 
UNCfan1

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Do you guys really think Fedor is ducking Couture? I must have missed something...
Honestly I don't. I don't think he was getting the money offers that he wanted. Of course I could be way off base.
 
jas123

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Do you guys really think Fedor is ducking Couture? I must have missed something...
I don't think anyone really does. I was kidding and Norris is always Mr. Negativity who always has to take the most extreme position possible.

This truly the "Black Thursday" of MMA with Fedor and Randy now outside of the UFC. The HW division seems kind hollow without Couture, Fedor, the "old" Crocop.

The other alternative is that Fedor was on the receiving end of some Rogue Drone hammerfists with Trace Adkins blaring in the background and decided to steer clear of American fighters. :twisted:
 
CNorris

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Do you guys really think Fedor is ducking Couture? I must have missed something...
I think Fedor saw what happened to Shogun and Cro Cop and didnt want any part of UFC. I am sure he would fight Couture, but I think he is ducking the UFC in general. And claiming he needs a tune up fight? Dan Henderson didnt need a tune up fight and he is light for his division and nowhere near the caliber champion in Pride that Fedor was. If the man had any or motivation to continue with high level MMA the UFC deal would have happened. A fighter of his caliber should retire or fight the best. I have no doubt his contract offer was the biggest Zuffa has ever offered.
 
Mulletsoldier

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Whoever said CNorris reminds them of someone, that older alias is BioHazzard. I'm not saying that they are one in the same, just I notice a resemblance as well.

I don't think CNorris is quite as intelligent as that fellow though :p
 

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sad to see him go, but I understand his sentiment.

Here are my thoughts for the title:

8 many tourny over several months

Vera v. Sylvia
Nog v. Kongo
CC v. AA
Gonzaga v. Herring Just a thought, or go out and get Barnett
 

max silver

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Whoever said CNorris reminds them of someone, that older alias is BioHazzard. I'm not saying that they are one in the same, just I notice a resemblance as well.

I don't think CNorris is quite as intelligent as that fellow though :p
That's exactly the guy I was referring to. I wonder if CNorris board signup date just happens to coincide with when BioHazzard was banned?
 
Mulletsoldier

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Maybe, I owned that dude pretty thoroughly a few times in the political forum.
 
Beowulf

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Unbelievable. I hope something can be resolved and Randy can end up fighting Fedor.
 
CNorris

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Whoever said CNorris reminds them of someone, that older alias is BioHazzard. I'm not saying that they are one in the same, just I notice a resemblance as well.

I don't think CNorris is quite as intelligent as that fellow though :p
Sorry to offend you. I know you like sitting on Fedor's **** but its time to get off. He is a coward, Pride was over rated and a TUF Championship is officially better than a Pride LHW Grand Prix.
 
CNorris

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??? Your posting style really reminds me of a previous board member who's name escapes me at the moment. He was a real diehard conservative type who specialized in inflammatory remarks just for the sake of stirring things up.
Your style reminds me of this flaming liberal that is offended by everything and likes to act offended for the sake of not having to address reality.
 

max silver

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Your style reminds me of this flaming liberal that is offended by everything and likes to act offended for the sake of not having to address reality.
Lol, so it is you BioHazzard! Congrats on the new identity.
 
Alexander

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Sorry to offend you. I know you like sitting on Fedor's **** but its time to get off. He is a coward, Pride was over rated and a TUF Championship is officially better than a Pride LHW Grand Prix.
I really don't know what to say, but if you think Fedor is a coward you are one stupid motherfvcker. I guess you like being the 'bad guy', I for one don't believe you to be as ignorant as your posts in this thread.
 
Mulletsoldier

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Sorry to offend you. I know you like sitting on Fedor's **** but its time to get off. He is a coward, Pride was over rated and a TUF Championship is officially better than a Pride LHW Grand Prix.
I never said I was offended hunny-pumpkin pie, just that you typed like the guy. And I would never jump on somebody else's ****, just yours sweetpea!

:)

Kisses.
 
CryingEmo

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Fedor sucks. Most horrible overrated fighter, and worst record ever.

</sarcasm>
 
CNorris

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I really don't know what to say, but if you think Fedor is a coward you are one stupid motherfvcker. I guess you like being the 'bad guy', I for one don't believe you to be as ignorant as your posts in this thread.
Fedor is a fight ducker. He isnt a coward, but I dont see a fighter that ducks people to be very honorable. Maybe he cant fight in the UFC since he is tested for roids finally.
 
Alexander

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Fedor is a fight ducker. He isnt a coward, but I dont see a fighter that ducks people to be very honorable. Maybe he cant fight in the UFC since he is tested for roids finally.
Sucks Fedor won't be fighting in the UFC, but do you really think he would lose to any of those guys? I don't see anyone in the UFC having a very good chance against Fedor, so ducking doesn't really make sense. I don't see Fedor as an egomaniac that couldn't accept a loss either. Who knows what will happen in the next couple years, there's still a chance that he could fight top level fighters. Do you see anyone in the UFC with a better than 50% chance of beating Fedor?
 
CNorris

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Sucks Fedor won't be fighting in the UFC, but do you really think he would lose to any of those guys? I don't see anyone in the UFC having a very good chance against Fedor, so ducking doesn't really make sense. I don't see Fedor as an egomaniac that couldn't accept a loss either. Who knows what will happen in the next couple years, there's still a chance that he could fight top level fighters. Do you see anyone in the UFC with a better than 50% chance of beating Fedor?
Did anyone give Forrest a more than 10% chance to beat Shogun?
How about Gonzaga?

Who knows any more. Maybe Fedor saw all that and got scared off. I don't know. If he was so confident, the money and another belt were right in front of his face.
 
Alexander

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Did anyone give Forrest a more than 10% chance to beat Shogun?
How about Gonzaga?

Who knows any more. Maybe Fedor saw all that and got scared off. I don't know. If he was so confident, the money and another belt were right in front of his face.
Who knows is right, maybe he would lose, doubtful IMO. I just think that he didn't come to the UFC for 'behind the scenes' reasons, not because he's scared to lose.

The fact that CC and Shogun looked ****ty in the UFC is something Pride nuthuggers like myself have to deal with, but Fedor is on a different level. Shogun always looked beatable, I was never really on his bandwagon. CC lost plenty of times in Pride. Fedor is so complete. I think GG would have the best chance of beating Fedor.
 
jas123

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I really wonder how a fight with Randy and Fedor would go down in the clinch. Sambo vs. Greco...interesting.

GG might have the best chance, but it's hard to think of someone that would be favored against him.
 

ersatz

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Fedor isn't ducking anyone. The reason he didn't sign with the UFC was because they wanted him to exclusively fight in the UFC. They would not allow him to fight in Sambo matches and thus he declined the contract.

So after 9 months Randy is no longer obligated to the UFC and can fight Fedor in M-1? I'm sure Dana will do everything possible to keep Randy from fighting Fedor in another org so I don't see this fight happening.
 

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I dont think Fedor is ducking anyone. However he is going to where the best deal is. He is getting a boat load of $ as well as the opportunity to continue in Sambo tournaments in Russia I believe
 
silverSurfer

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Cheers to Randy for being the bad a** he is - good luck and thanks for all his UFC fights :cheers:
 
KingMeso

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All I'm going to say is, to those that think Fedor ducks fights or is a coward, whatever. Who knows? Maybe that's right, maybe it's not.

But if he is such a coward/fight ducker, what does that say about Randy? You don't get to fight who you want so you quit? It's not like he can't act and keep his 'fight-by-fight' contract. If you are going to analyze something, do it all the way. Not just one sided.

I like both fighters. I think they are very respectable fighters. It's just too hard to assume anything. No one knows the reason behind any of their decisions. It's just all assumptions.
 

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This is a pretty serious blow to the UFC. Well, MMA in general, which the UFC basically controls now.

Here we see another good reason to be against the UFC's taking over of Pride- little to no serious competition. Fighters have little choice now in how much they make.
 
guyrelax

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I think its pretty obvious that Fedor and Randy are the two biggest badasses on the planet... When you are THAT badass, you call the shots. They don't NEED a whole lot when it comes to mma... They have made their money and had great careers which, if ended tomorrow, would still hold a ton of great accomplishments. Of course I would love to see Fedor vs Randy. I don't think Fedor is ducking ****. He wanted to be able to fight in Russia as well as the UFC. He doesn't want to be owned... and he is far from desperate.

By the way, did anyone notice the physique changes with the pride guys, particularly Crocop and ShoguN? Look closely... Pride did not test for drugs, UFC does. They both looked ALOT less explosive and with less endurance. And for the record, I think PRIDE is/was the best. Better rules, better ring, better refs, better venues, and MUCH better overall presentation. Oh yeah, and better fighters. Hopefully ufc doesn't get too greedy and **** up a good thing they have going...
 
Rodja

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I think its pretty obvious that Fedor and Randy are the two biggest badasses on the planet... When you are THAT badass, you call the shots. They don't NEED a whole lot when it comes to mma... They have made their money and had great careers which, if ended tomorrow, would still hold a ton of great accomplishments. Of course I would love to see Fedor vs Randy. I don't think Fedor is ducking ****. He wanted to be able to fight in Russia as well as the UFC. He doesn't want to be owned... and he is far from desperate.

By the way, did anyone notice the physique changes with the pride guys, particularly Crocop and ShoguN? Look closely... Pride did not test for drugs, UFC does. They both looked ALOT less explosive and with less endurance. And for the record, I think PRIDE is/was the best. Better rules, better ring, better refs, better venues, and MUCH better overall presentation. Oh yeah, and better fighters. Hopefully ufc doesn't get too greedy and **** up a good thing they have going...
Shogun was also fighting with a torn ACL.
 
CorpKiller

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I

don't believe it. I'll wait to hear something about it on PPV.
 

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