Thread: Couture lämnar UFC!

http://www.thefightnetwork.com/news_detail.php?nid=5085

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.

En viktig man för sporten lämnar oss. Hoppas han lyckas lika bra som skådis.

Vackert jobbat Zuffa å Dana.
Först Fedor å sen Couture, snåla jävla as!
Skiter i UFC nu...så jäkla trött på dom.

Ja vad skall man säga. Jävligt synd att han slutar, men man kan förstå honom ändå. Nästa steg vore ju rimligen han mot F.Emelianenko och nu när det inte händer så är detta inte ett helt konstigt beslut, även om det är tråkigt.
Nu utan honom och med Fedor i M-1 och CroCop i hans nuvarande form så är helt plötligt inte Heawyweight divisionen så bred längre som den kändes där ett tag. Bara att hoppas UFC kan få in Barnett, vilket jag personligen inte tror händer.

Var står det att Randy lägger ner fighting. Han har ett par månader kvar på kontraktet innan han kan jaga efter Fedya.. vänta bara nu, snart signar M-1 Josh och Randy dyker upp då hans Zuffa kontrakt är slut.. Han är ju sur på UFC/dana inte otaggad på fighting. "As long as my body allows me to do this, I will.." Detta är ju fan grymt sköna nyheter!

http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news?slug=k ... &type=lgns

"Couture would have eaten him alive," White said. "It would have been a big fight for us, because of the reputation that Fedor has, but it's not really deserved. Look what he's done: He beat Mark Coleman, who I think was probably 50 something years old and Matt Lindland, who weighs 185 pounds.

"It would have been a big fight, but believe me when I tell you that it would have been no contest. Randy would have destroyed him. Randy is the best heavyweight in the world."

Alltså mannen är ju fan patetisk. Fedor har väl inte något jätterykte i USA? Tror knappt att 50% av UFC fans vet vem han är. Ändå gör Zuffa allt (nästan) för att signa honom, och när dom inte får honom säger dom ungefär
"han var ändå inte så bra". Säger att det ända han har gjort är att slå Lindland och Coleman!

Nu finns det två trådar och det känns lite onödigt att bedriva samma diskussion på olika hålla. Kan vara bra att hålla allt i samma ämne i samma tråd. http://www.mmaforum.se/randy-couture...fc-vt1110.html Vad det verkar är denna tråden lite mer aktiv och förslagsvis kan vi väl fortsätta allt där, en liten tanke bara.

Dags att låsa här?