The Ultimate UFC Thread

[Mikey]

Fight Network is reporting that Randy Couture is retiring and has informed UFC of his decision.

I'm not saying I fully believe this as Fight Network has been wrong before but it is on the front page of their site and they are a rather large name in MMA news. Just relaying.

[Don Majkowski]

Well... that sucks.

[NippleAppleCrap]

He'll come back if there's a Light Heavyweight Champion whom he thinks he could defeat.

[Hun]

Originally Posted by Mikey

. Sylvia just doesn't fit in anymore as a big lanky out of shape guy.

SHOW THE HERO SOME FUCKING RESPECT!!

[JoeyAt75]

This is both bizzare and sucky.

[Mikey]

Yup, it's everywhere now and he's even given an interview saying UFC is lowballing him and the only reason for him to fight again was Fedor and he didn't sign there. I appreciate his up front honesty.

Speaking of Sylvia, with Fedor and Couture not in the picture he's smiling somewhere in Iowa picturing his belt again.

I assume the title fight will be the winner of Sylvia/Vera vs the winner of Nog/Kongo.

[Scotsman]

[tron]

Wow...that sucks. I can understand it though, from a pay-off point of view. If Dana's offering all these former Pride guys huge money to come fight, immediate title shots, etc., it's going to make some of the old-guard a bit put-off.

Plus, it's Couture. If anything, with the amount of ambassador type stuff he does, they should be over-paying him.

Dana needs to figure something out. I doubt Randy gets the same treatment as Shamrock did, but still...if I were him, I wouldn't give guys title shots unless I had them completely sewn up.

[Mikey]

Oh Couture is definitely in the right here. They're giving him like $250,000 a fight (less than Cro Cop) and now that Liddell has lost twice Couture is easily the biggest draw the UFC has.

They're making a few million on live gate alone, getting 1 million PPV buys at $40-50 a pop. Not to mention other revenue from many other sources.

Per PPV you're talking roughly $22 million in live/PPV money with a total PPV payout of $750,000 to all of your fighters combined. I know you need to recoup all of the money you invested and lost along the way but figures like that will only piss everyone off.

[Mikey]

Holy crap, the Randy Couture thing is the top story on yahoo.com right now.

Oh how far we've come.

[Mikey]

Dana White on Fedor vs Randy:

"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."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

I could type those two letters together for a fucking month. That is one of the worst quotes in the history of sports.

[Nibbles]

Wouldn't he say something like that just to try and rile up Fedor?

[tron]

When the hell did he make that statement???

[Mikey]

Yesterday. He's giving interviews to everyone. He blamed internet sites for being "the lowest of the low" and spreading rumors then he blamed Couture's new Hollywood agent that Dana said he "bitch slapped" last month.

It's exactly like Josh Barnett said last month, Dana only uses his "precious curse words" when he's really worked up and angry about something that he won't admit.

[Guapo77]

OH SLAM!

So does that mean I don't have to see Couture commentate with Mike Goldberg and Fear Factor every PPV?

SIGN ME UP!

[HRHomer]

From ufc.com

Dana White on the Retirement of Randy CoutureInterview conducted by Thomas Gerbasi



President Dana White sat down with UFC.com editor Thomas Gerbasi to discuss Randy Couture?s retirement.

Thomas Gerbasi ? Were you surprised when the fax came into your office with Randy Couture?s resignation?
Dana White ? No, I wasn?t surprised. I met with Randy several weeks ago and he said that the only thing he had left to prove in his career and the only challenge left out there for him was Fedor (Emelianenko) because everybody thinks that Fedor is the best. And Fedor has that mystique where people think he?s number one, which I don?t agree with. I think that Fedor is completely overrated ? he?s fought Mark Coleman and Matt Lindland in the last year, with Mark Hunt being his only legitimate opponent - and I actually think that Randy Couture would have smashed Fedor.

TG ? So this wasn?t a surprise, but were you at least surprised at the way he went about it, via fax?
DW ? He is shooting a movie right now in South Africa, but yes, I am very surprised by the way he did it. I consider Randy Couture a friend and still do. He hooked up with some Hollywood agent that I bitch slapped about a month ago, and these Hollywood agents are parasites, so unfortunately this guy is probably in Randy?s ear right now. But, that?s the world Randy wants to be in; Randy wants to be in the movie world now, that?s what he?s working for and that?s his guy right now.

TG ? What were the contents of the fax from Randy?
DW ? It was just a letter saying that he resigned from his positions at the UFC. He was a color commentator and he was going to do some legislative work with us, helping Marc Ratner and going and talking to other States that we were trying to get sanctioned in.

TG ? Some are saying that the timing is funny on this announcement given Fedor?s recent signing to another organization the day before?
DW ? Yeah, but Randy is still under contract with the UFC. Apparently Randy?s upset about something, and the timing of this thing is a typical Hollywood agent move while Randy?s out of town. But he told me he wanted to retire anyway if he didn?t fight Fedor, and he can?t fight Fedor in another organization because he?s under contract to me. I?m very confident though that once Randy gets back in town, if we see each other we?ll work this thing out. Not saying that Randy wouldn?t stay retired, because that?s what he wants to do - he wants to act, he wants to be on TV shows, that?s his goal - but I?m sure Randy Couture and I are gonna be friends for a long time.

TG ? What kind of efforts were made by the UFC to get Fedor in the organization?
DW ? The thing that I?ve been trying to do for years is get the two best organizations in the world together. And the only two organizations that matter are PRIDE and the UFC. All these other ones are minor leagues, full of guys trying to fight their way up. What I wanted to do for years is get the best in every weight class together and let?s find out who is the number one fighter in the world. That has been my goal for the last five years and we wanted to make that happen. And I was extremely confident that Randy Couture would win against Fedor, and I still am. But we weren?t able to get that fight, we weren?t able to get Fedor, and I had to deal with these crazy reps he had ? everything they said made no sense and the whole deal was crazy. It seemed like it was all about their managers and not about Fedor. So the deal didn?t happen and Couture let me and Lorenzo (Fertitta) know that without that, there was nothing really to accomplish anymore. In mixed martial arts he had accomplished everything, and I didn?t disagree with him. I said I completely agree, and I think Randy is looking right now at moving on and accomplishing his goals in acting.

TG ? There have been reports that Couture?s fight contract with the UFC will expire in nine months; is there truth to those reports?
DW ? Absolutely not.

TG ? Were you hurt by some of the comments Couture has made regarding a perceived lack of respect from the organization?
DW ? Of course we?re hurt by that. Randy Couture is a guy who I?ve said publicly a million times and I?ll say publicly right now who I feel is one of the guys who helped us get here. If you want to call me a liar, people think a lot of bad stuff about me anyway, but to call Lorenzo Fertitta a liar, the reason the sport exists right now is because of him and his brother (Frank). They?ve done nothing but good things for this sport, and I wouldn?t be here if it wasn?t for him and his brother. You ask anybody in Las Vegas about the reputation of the Fertitta family; they aren?t liars, they are great people. So for him to say that about Lorenzo, it?s not like Randy Couture. It?s not like him.

TG ? Had he brought some of his concerns to your attention before, or was today the first time you had heard them?
DW ? We had a breakfast a few weeks ago and he told me that he was upset about things and he felt like other fighters were getting paid more than he was and that he didn?t have the best contract in the UFC. And I assured him that he had the second best contract in the UFC with Chuck Liddell having the best.

TG ? He negotiated this contract, correct?
DW ? He did. It was the contract that he negotiated and that he was very happy with once we were done negotiating it.

TG ? Until he perceived that someone else was making more money.
DW ? Right. He thought that other guys were making more money than him, and we assured him that he had the second best contract in the UFC.

TG ? How does Randy?s departure hurt the UFC heavyweight division?
DW ? I don?t think it affects the division at all because after what we?ve seen over the last couple of years, anybody can win or lose on any given night. It?s what makes this sport so exciting. And now it?s like this big shocking news that Randy Couture retired. He?s 44 years old, he?s not 24. Is everybody really that shocked that Randy retired? Randy Couture has had an amazing career, he?s an incredible athlete, he?s pulled off more upsets, and has been the underdog so many times, what?s really left out there for him? I think he would have put a stone cold beating on Fedor, and he would have walked away with the same thing that he?s walking away with now. He?s walking out on top, and walking out on top is a smart thing to do. And it?s perfect for his acting career.

TG ? Randy, to a lot of people, is the face of the UFC. How does this affect the organization?
DW ? People were saying to me four months ago that Chuck Liddell was the face of the UFC. Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell are two of many faces of the UFC. The UFC has the greatest fighters in the world, and Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell might be two of the best known fighters in the UFC, but everybody pulls their weight in this company and everybody works hard for it. Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell, Matt Hughes, Rich Franklin, Joe Rogan, these are guys who were with us early on who I credit for helping us get to where we are today. Is Randy Couture the face of the UFC? No, he?s one of many faces of the UFC, but he is one of the guys who helped us get here. I love him, I respect him, I still consider him my friend and just like any friendship, we don?t see eye to eye all the time, but if you?re true friends, you work it out, and I consider Randy Couture a true friend, and I honestly believe that when he comes home from filming, and when his scumbag Hollywood agent isn?t around, we?ll talk and we?ll square away our friendship. And as far as his retirement and him wanting to retire, I have nothing but respect for him and I don?t disagree with his decision.

[josh5674]

Johnny Devine wrote a blog about it. I'm not sure he has his facts right, but if what he says is true as to Couture's reason for leaving, it does kind of make sense.

The MMA world, fans and foes alike, were shocked this week at the retirement of The Natural Randy Couture from the UFC. Apparently upset over the amount of money being offered to Fedor Emelianenko for their hoped for upcoming fight, Couture vacated his heavyweight title and announced his retirement. This is a huge blow to the MMA world and UFC in particular as Randy was looked upon as one of the, if not the, top stars in the game right now. And it brings to light a disturbing fact and trend not only in the MMA world but the sports world in general.


How is it that a guy who is not already a member of a certain roster can come in and immediately be paid more than the top star? In any sport??? Why are rookies in the NHL, NFL, NBA, MLB, and many other places given SOOOOOO much money before they have proven themselves to the team/fans of said organization? I can't begrudge the guys themselves for asking for and in many cases getting exorbitant sums. But I can ask what the hell are these owners and management thinking?!?


When I see rookies in the NBA at 19 or 20 years old making the ridiculous sums they get as 1st and 2nd round draft picks, having chosen to skip college or university, it makes me sick. Or any league or what have you. What have these guys done to warrant such amounts? I can honestly say Fedor is a hell of a fighter and worth a lot of money as an MMA draw. But to pay him more than your top draw, and your champion no less, is asinine. Same goes for any rookies or new team members on any team. There needs to be a set salary for new players and a bonus structure for "future stars". Golf seems to be the only sport that has it right. Pay for play. If you are not one of the best/top players you don't make near as much. If you fail to produce you make less. If you produce and win you make more. It doesn't seem like rocket surgery to me.


Randy Couture is a guy you can build a company around. Well spoken, popular, charismatic, and a winner, he is all the things you want in a top guy. I was lucky enough to be in Columbus live, for his win over Tim Sylvia and the crowd loves this guy. The noise that night in the arena was deafening. And when Randy won the place went bananas. There are so many examples of injustices like this happening in every sport that is makes you wonder how teams and companies keep getting away with it. As a UFC fan myself I am disgusted that they would do this to their champ and a guy as great as Randy. Just as I would be disgusted if my favorite football team gave a ridiculous amount of money for a guy who ended up sitting the season out, not making plays or becoming a criminal.


I really hope Randy doesn't retire and end his career this way. Not that he doesn't deserve to go out in any way he so chooses, but more for it would be a shame for him to leave because he felt disrespected by the company for which he is Champion. It is not right. I hope Dana White and the Fertitta's correct this huge mistake. If they don't it really will be a huge black mark on the steam roller that has been UFC.

[HRHomer]

Randy Couture is not a guy you can build a company around, if this hadn't happened he would have fought twice more at the most.

Yes he has been fucked around in money terms, but long term this shouldn't do much damage.

[Mikey]

Yeah, that blog there wasn't real bright. That's basically like saying an Italian basketball team shouldn't make Kobe Bryant their highest paid player because Mario Vicci puts butts in the seats.

And despite Dana White and UFC trying to spin it, Randy has twice now said he's not retired and he's just done with the UFC. I believe he and Josh Barnett are both out searching the Holy Grail that is Fedor.

[HRHomer]

Its a pity if Randy/Fedor happens nobody will see it.