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Randy Couture

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Randy Couture
Couture at the San Diego Comic-Con International, July 2010
BornRandy Duane Couture
(1963-06-22) June 22, 1963 (age 61)
Everett, Washington, United States
Other namesThe Natural, Captain America
NationalityAmerican
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[1]
Weight220 lb (100 kg; 16 st)
DivisionLight Heavyweight
Heavyweight
Reach75.0 in (191 cm)[2]
StyleGreco-Roman Wrestling, Boxing, Submission wrestling, Catch Wrestling,
StanceOrthodox
Fighting out ofLas Vegas, Nevada
TeamRAW (1997-1999)
Team Quest (1999-2006)
Xtreme Couture (2006-present)
DeathClutch Gym (2010)[3]
RankNCAA Division I Wrestling
Olympic Alternate Greco-Roman Wrestling
  Black belt in Neil Melanson's Submission wrestling System
Years active1997–present (MMA)
Mixed martial arts record
Total29
Wins19
By knockout7
By submission4
By decision8
Losses10
By knockout5
By submission4
By decision1
Other information
UniversityOklahoma State University
Children3
Notable relativesRyan Couture, son
Kim Couture, ex-wife
Notable school(s)Lynnwood High School
Websitehttp://www.randycouture.tv/
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Last updated on: August 28, 2010
Randy Couture
Medal record
Men's Wrestling
Representing the  United States
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 1991 Havana Greco-Roman (– 90 kg)
World Championships

Randy Duane Couture (pronounced /koʊˈtʊər/; born June 22, 1963) is an American mixed martial artist, Greco-Roman wrestler, actor, a three-time former heavyweight champion and a two-time light-heavyweight champion of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Couture is the first fighter to hold two UFC championship titles in two different divisions (heavyweight and light heavyweight). Couture has competed in a record 15 title fights. He also holds the most title reigns in the UFC with five. His upcoming fight with Lyoto Machida will put him in a tie with Matt Hughes in having the highest number of fights in the UFC at 24. Couture is one of the first members of the UFC Hall of Fame and many consider him to be one of the greatest in MMA history.[4] Couture is currently ranked as the #10 Light Heavyweight fighter in the world by Yahoo! Sports.[5]

Couture was an Olympic wrestling alternate and has lived in Corvallis, Oregon, throughout much of his career, where he served as an assistant wrestling coach and a strength and conditioning coach for Oregon State University.[6] He established Team Quest with Matt Lindland and Dan Henderson, a training camp for fighters, based out of Gresham, Oregon, and headed by coach Robert Folis. In 2005, Couture moved to Las Vegas, where he opened his own extensive chain of gyms under the name Xtreme Couture. He currently trains at his Las Vegas-based gym. Couture also partnered with Bas Rutten in the opening of Legends Gym in Hollywood, California.

Couture is generally recognized as a clinch and ground-and-pound fighter who uses his wrestling ability to execute take downs, establish top position and successively strike the opponent on the bottom. Couture has also displayed a variety of skills in Boxing, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu; submitting three opponents using different chokeholds. Couture is the only athlete in UFC history to win a championship after becoming a Hall of Fame member and is the oldest title holder ever (in the UFC and MMA). Along with Chuck Liddell, Couture is widely credited for bringing mixed martial arts into the mainstream of American sports and pop culture.

Early life

Couture was born in Everett, Washington, the son of Sharan and Ed Couture.[7] He wrestled at Alderwood Middle School in Lynnwood, Washington, then moved on to Lynnwood High School, where he won a State Championship during his senior year. Couture served in the U.S. Army from 1982–1988 where he "wrestled and did a little boxing."[8] He also coached at Oregon State University.

Upon discharge, he became a three-time Olympic team alternate (1988, 1992 and 1996), a semifinalist at the 2000 Olympic Trials, a three-time National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division-I All-American and a two-time NCAA Division-I runner-up at Oklahoma State University.[9]

In 1992, he was the Division-I runner up at 190 pounds, coming in second after Mark Kerr.[10] Couture was settling into life as a wrestling coach, until he saw a video of a UFC event and decided to pursue a career in mixed martial arts.

Mixed martial arts career

UFC, RINGS, and Heavyweight championship(s)

Couture made his MMA debut at UFC 13[11] in May 1997. He entered the four-man Heavyweight tournament, his first opponent being Tony Halme, also known as WWF wrestler Ludvig Borga. Outweighed by nearly 100 lbs, Couture scored a double-leg takedown right off the bat. After working some ground and pound, he got a back mount and secured a rear naked choke win in just less than a minute. His second fight that night was in the tournament finals against Steven Graham, yet another larger opponent at 290 lbs. Again Couture took the fight to the ground, scoring a TKO win at 3:13 minutes of the first round.

His next UFC appearance was on October 17, 1997, at UFC 15. He fought Vitor Belfort to determine the number 1 challenger of the Heavyweight belt. Couture was a massive underdog in that fight, as the 19-year-old Belfort was the UFC 12 Heavyweight Tournament winner, winning all of his matches via devastating knockouts. At that time, Belfort seemed to represent the future of MMA, as he was not only a Carlson Gracie blackbelt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, but also had extremely fast hands and punching power, and was even scheduled to compete for the Olympic trials in boxing for Brazil.

Couture put on a display that began to earn him the reputation of a master strategist in the sport. After circling away from Belfort's powerful left hand, Couture got the clinch, but was unable to score a takedown. The fighters broke up, and when Belfort attempted a flurry of punches, Couture changed levels and took the fight to the ground. He immediately gained side control and landed strikes, and as Vitor scrambled to his feet, he also scored with knee strikes. Back on the feet, Randy clinched again and wore Belfort out with dirty boxing. Around the 7-minute mark, Vitor was exhausted. Couture yet again took the fight to the ground, and finished with punches from back mount in what was one of the biggest upsets in early MMA history.

His next fight took place on December 21, 1997, at UFC Japan. He fought the then Heavyweight champion, Maurice Smith, who was making his second title defense after winning the belt from Mark Coleman earlier that year. In a slow-paced, calculated fight, neither fighter was able to damage the other, but Couture scored several takedowns and had the positional control throughout the fight. After 21 minutes, he won a majority decision and became the new UFC heavyweight champion.

In 1998, the UFC wanted Couture to defend his belt against Bas Rutten, former King of Pancrase. Randy instead signed with Vale Tudo Japan and was stripped of the heavyweight belt. In Japan, he was matched up against Enson Inoue. After taking the fight to the ground, he was forced to tap out to an armbar just more than 90 seconds into the first round. His next fight was on March 20, 1999, for the Japanese Rings promotion. There he suffered a very controversial loss to Mikhail Illoukhine via Kimura, one which many fans[who?] blamed on a mistake by the referee. After that loss, Couture took a break from MMA to focus on his amateur wrestling career, with the 2000 Summer Olympics in sight.

He returned to MMA in October 2000 for the Rings King of Kings 2000 Tournament, where he defeated UFC veteran Jeremy Horn by unanimous decision in his first fight and defeated Pancrase veteran Ryushi Yanagisawa, also by unanimous decision, in the second fight. These two wins qualified him for the finals of the tournament, which would take place in early 2001. Before that, he was offered a shot at the UFC heavyweight title against Kevin Randleman on Nov. 17, 2000. Couture was taken down in the first two rounds, but he showed very good defense from his back, frustrating most of Kevin's ground and pound attempts. In the third round, he tripped Randleman to the mat and landed several strikes from the full mount, winning by referee stoppage. Couture had won the UFC heavyweight belt for the second time.

In March 2001, he fought for the finals of the Rings King of Kings 2000 tournament. After dominating UFC veteran Tsuyoshi Kosaka in the first fight, he fought the semifinals against Valentijn Overeem, and was caught in a guillotine choke early in the fight. The tournament was eventually won by Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, and Couture went back to the UFC after that.

His first title defense was against Brazilian kickboxer Pedro Rizzo at UFC 31. This was also the first UFC event under the Zuffa management, with Dana White as the new president. In one of the best and most brutal fights in MMA history, both fighters inflicted a lot of damage on each other. After five 5-minute rounds, Couture was declared the winner by unanimous decision, which generated a lot of controversy as many fans[who?] felt Rizzo had won the fight. This prompted the UFC to set up an immediate rematch between the two, which took place at UFC 34, in November 2001. This time, Couture didn't have many problems, as he had adjusted to Rizzo's style and won a TKO stoppage in the 3rd round. His third title defense was in March 2002, against up-and-comer Josh Barnett. In the second round, Josh got on top of Couture and landed several strikes, winning by TKO. After the fight, it was revealed that Josh had tested positive for anabolic steroids; he was subsequently stripped of his title and left the UFC. Couture was then matched up against Ricco Rodriguez for the vacant UFC heavyweight belt at UFC 39, in late 2002. After dominating the first three rounds, the 39-year-old Couture began to show signs of fatigue. In the fifth round, Ricco took him down and landed an elbow strike to the eye, breaking Couture's orbital bone, forcing him to submit. This fight marked the first time a UFC fight was ended via KO, TKO or submission in the fifth round.

Move to Light Heavyweight and trilogy with Chuck Liddell

See also: Randy Couture vs. Chuck Liddell

After his two consecutive losses in the heavyweight division to larger opponents, Couture moved down a weight class to fight at 205 lbs in the UFC's light heavyweight division. In his light heavyweight debut, Couture took on long-time number one contender Chuck Liddell for the interim light heavyweight championship. Couture was again the underdog, but after outstriking Chuck for three rounds, he took the fight to the ground, winning by TKO via strikes from the mount position.[12] Couture became the only UFC competitor to win championship titles in two weight classes, earning Couture his nickname "Captain America".[13] His next match was billed as a "Champion vs. Champion" fight in order to settle who was the rightful, undisputed champion of the division. Couture faced the five-time defending champion Tito Ortiz for the undisputed light heavyweight title. Couture won a unanimous decision and became the undisputed UFC light heavyweight champion at age 40.

Couture's first title defense at Light Heavyweight was against Vitor Belfort, whom he had defeated in 1997 at UFC 15. In the first round, as Couture closed the distance to attempt a clinch, Belfort threw a left hook that grazed his right eye. A piece of Belfort's glove caused serious damage, and Vitor was declared the winner by medical stoppage. The rematch took place later that year, with Randy dominating all 3 rounds before winning by medical stoppage due to a cut. This made him a 2-time Light Heavyweight champion, as well as 2-time Heavyweight champion.

On April 16, 2005, Couture lost his title and suffered the first knockout loss of his career in a rematch with Chuck Liddell. Couture came back in August with a win over Mike Van Arsdale to re-establish himself as a top contender. He faced Liddell again for the third and final time in a championship match on February 4, 2006, at UFC 57. He did not succeed, falling to a second round knockout. Immediately after the match, he announced his retirement from the sport.

Couture in 2005

On June 24, 2006, during The Ultimate Fighter 3 finale, which was broadcast live on Spike TV, Couture became the fourth fighter to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, joining Royce Gracie, Dan Severn, and Ken Shamrock.[14]

Retirement

After retiring from the professional fighting circuit, Couture began appearing at UFC events as a regular broadcast commentator and as co-host of "Before/After The Bell" on The Fight Network. He also appeared in the Rob Schneider comedy Big Stan, along with fellow mixed martial artists Don Frye and Bob Sapp.[15]

On Nov. 17, 2006, Couture decided to compete athletically again, facing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza in a submission wrestling match. The bout ended in a draw.[16]

Couture was featured on season two of Spike TV's reality show "Pros vs. Joes," which premiered on January 25, 2007. His teammates on the episode were Michael Irvin, Kevin Willis, and José Canseco. He returned for the finale, where he even took part in a football based round. His teammates were Willis, Randall Cunningham, Bruce Smith, Roy Jones Jr. and Tim Hardaway. Couture also had a brief cameo appearance on the season finale of the CBS show The Unit as a military guard and on the film Redbelt as a fight commentator. Couture also appeared on an episode of The History Channel's "Human Weapon" on September 27, 2007, and starred in the 2008 film, "The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior."[17]

Reclaiming the heavyweight title

Couture now trains at his own gym, Xtreme Couture.

On January 11, 2007, Couture appeared for an interview on the Spike TV magazine show, "Inside the UFC", to announce his return from retirement.[18] In a conversation with Joe Rogan, Couture confirmed that he would be facing Tim Sylvia for the UFC heavyweight championship at UFC 68 on March 3, 2007, and revealed that he had signed a four-fight, two-year deal with the company.

At the age of 43, Couture defeated then-champion Tim Sylvia at UFC 68 by unanimous decision[19][20] to claim his third UFC heavyweight title. Couture's first punch, at :08 of the first round, sent the 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) Sylvia reeling to the mat.[21] Couture controlled the pace of the fight for five rounds, smothering Sylvia with effective striking and numerous takedowns. All three judges' scored the bout 50–45 for Couture,[22] making him the first fighter in UFC history to become a three-time champion.

On August 25, 2007, at UFC 74 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Couture defended his title against Gabriel Gonzaga, who previously defeated Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović at UFC 70 to become the number one contender.[23] In the fight, Couture defeated Gonzaga by TKO (strikes) to retain the title. Couture suffered a broken left arm from blocking one of Gonzaga's kicks during the course of the fight.[24] The kick cleanly separated the ulna bone. The injury placed the UFC heavyweight champion's arm in a splint for six weeks.

Resignation and dispute with the UFC

On October 11, 2007, Couture announced that he was severing all ties with the UFC, leaving two contracted fights, a position as an on-air analyst, and his heavyweight championship behind. He reportedly received $250,000, plus $936,000 of PPV revenue, for his comeback against Tim Sylvia. He also reportedly received a $250,000 purse for defeating Gabriel Gonzaga, as well as a $35,000 bonus for "Fight of the Night" and $787,000 in PPV revenue.[25] This became a sticking point since Chuck Liddell lost his two previous fights yet is still being paid more, according to Couture.[citation needed] Couture cited the UFC's failure to sign #1 ranked heavyweight fighter Fedor Emelianenko, as well as disputes with UFC management.[26][27]

UFC president Dana White said on October 18, 2007, that Couture remains the promotion's heavyweight champion despite his announced plans to quit. White also reiterated he would not release Couture from the final two fights on his UFC contract.[28] Couture held a press conference on October 25, 2007, in which he denied his leaving of the UFC was a "retirement", set forth his grievances over the pay he received for his fights against Tim Sylvia and Gabriel Gonzaga, and reiterated his belief that he would be free from any contractual obligations to the UFC after nine months.[29] On October 30, 2007, White and UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta held another press conference. There White reiterated the UFC's position that Couture remains the promotion's heavyweight champion despite his tendered resignation, and that Couture would remain obligated under his UFC contract well beyond nine months.[30] White also released documents at the press conference to refute Couture's claims about the pay he received.[31] Sherdog.com analyzed language reportedly found in the UFC's standard contracts relating to fighter retirement which Sherdog believes clarifies the dispute over Couture's contractual status.[32]

In another chapter to the Couture/UFC saga, White and Randy Couture met and had a "good" conversation at UFC 78. However, White also met with Couture during the Thanksgiving holiday to discuss a possible return to the Octagon, where Couture said he had no desire to return to the UFC at that time.

Cornering some of his fighters from Xtreme Couture at HDNet Fights on December 15, 2007, in Dallas, Texas, Couture answered questions about Fedor, stating that he would like to fight him in October once his employment contract with the UFC has expired, if the UFC cannot come to some kind of co-promotion agreement with M-1 Global before that time.[33]

On January 15, 2008, Zuffa—the UFC's parent company—filed a lawsuit in Clark County District Court in Nevada, citing breach of contract and irreparable damage.[34] Zuffa is seeking over $10,000 in damages. This suit concerns only Couture's employment contract and not his promotional contract. On February 28, 2008, Judge Jennifer Togliatti handed down the first ruling in the case of Zuffa v. Randy Couture, issuing a preliminary injunction barring Couture's participation in an IFL event to be held the following day.

On August 2, 2008, a Texas appeals court granted Zuffa LLC's request for a stay against a motion for a declaratory judgment in a suit filed by HDNet regarding Randy Couture's contractual status with the UFC. The stay effectively ends the dispute in the state of Texas and Zuffa will be allowed to move forward with the Nevada suit.[35][36]

Return to the UFC

On September 2, 2008, the UFC announced a three-fight deal with the 45-year-old Randy Couture to return to active competition for the UFC. His first fight back was at UFC 91 on November 15, 2008, in Las Vegas, Nevada where he lost his UFC Heavyweight Championship to Brock Lesnar.[37] It was at first a closely contested match; however, later in the fight Lesnar knocked Couture down and finished him with hammer fists for a TKO victory at 3:07 of the second round.[38] In the post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, Couture declared his desire to keep fighting. He stated that he felt like he was still becoming a better fighter and blamed his loss on a bad performance, not his age.

Couture has said he still wants to fight former PRIDE FC Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko, but has since been unable to, due to UFC contract issues.[citation needed]

Couture has said he would also drop weight to fight former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida if that is what the UFC wants.[39]

On February 26, 2009, it was reported that Couture had agreed to a bout with former UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion and former PRIDE Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 102 in Portland, Oregon.[40] In that fight, on August 29, 2009, Couture lost a relatively one-sided bout via unanimous decision. After the bout, Couture stated he felt like he was in the best shape of his life, and that he will wait and see what the UFC has in store for him in the future. The fight received the "Fight of the Night" award.

Return to Light Heavyweight and retirement

After the Nogueira match, Dana White announced Couture had signed a new 28 month/6 fight deal, prior to fighting Nogueira. (In other words, the loss to Nogueira was the first fight under his new contract, which replaced his old contract.[41]

On November 14, 2009, at UFC 105, Couture fought Brandon Vera in a very uneventful fight and won a highly controversial unanimous decision that the crowd booed without mercy,[42] nevertheless this marked his first fight at Light Heavyweight since his loss to Chuck Liddell in 2006.[43][44] At age 46, Couture became the oldest fighter to ever win a fight in the UFC.

At the Arnold Sports Festival for WEC 47 on March 6, 2010.

Couture fought fellow Hall of Famer Mark Coleman at UFC 109. The bout marked the first time that UFC Hall of Famers fought against each other in the Octagon. The pair were scheduled to meet at UFC 17 in 1998, but a Couture injury forced the cancellation of the bout. The legendary pair wrestled one another in a freestyle match at the 1989 Olympic Festival at Oklahoma State where Coleman won the match by one point. Couture modified his training for this bout focusing on catch wrestling and refining his boxing under coach Gil Martinez.[45] This fight marked the oldest combined age of fighters to go head to head in the UFC. The fight took place at UFC 109: Relentless.[46][47] Couture defeated Coleman via technical submission (rear naked choke) in the second round, which marked the first time in over 4 years that Couture had won via submission.

A bout between Couture and Rich Franklin was reported to take place at UFC 115, but Franklin instead fought Chuck Liddell. Dana White later confirmed that multiple time boxing world champion James Toney would fight Couture at UFC 118. Couture dominated the fight, taking down and mounting Toney within seconds of the start of the fight and soon after submitted Toney with an arm triangle choke making his third victory in a row after Vera and Coleman and also his fifth win out of his last seven UFC fights.

Couture had stated that he was interested in a fight with either Lyoto Machida or Maurício Rua in a non-title bout.

The UFC decided to pair him up with Machida. The two will fight on April 30, 2011, at UFC 129 before 55,000 fans in Toronto.[48] Couture has stated that this will be his final mixed martial arts fight. He will retire following the bout with Machida and pursue his acting career and other areas of his life.[49]

Personal life

Couture was previously married to Sharon, Tricia, and Kim Couture (née Borrego).[50][51] Kim and Randy have filed for divorce, with Randy continuing to coach and support Kim's MMA career.[52] He has three children, sons Ryan and Caden, and daughter Aimee.[53] Politically, he identifies himself with the Republican Party, but he chose not to officially endorse a candidate in the 2008 Presidential Election.[54]

Championships & accomplishments

Greco-Roman Wrestling

  • Pan American Games
    • Pan American Championship Greco-Roman Seniors 90 kg – second place (June 13, 1990)
    • Pan American Championship Greco-Roman Seniors 90 kg – winner (January 1, 1991)
    • Pan American Championship Greco-Roman Seniors 90 kg – second place (January 1, 1992)
    • Pan American Championship Greco-Roman Seniors 97 kg – third place (May 21, 1997)
    • Pan American Championship Greco-Roman Seniors 97 kg – second place (March 24, 1998)
    • Pan American Games Greco-Roman Seniors 90 kg – winner (August 6, 1991)
  • FILA Wrestling World Championships
    • FILA test tournament Greco-Roman Seniors 97 kg – third place (March 14, 1998)
    • FILA World Cup Greco-Roman Seniors 90 kg – third place (November 9, 1991)
    • FILA World Cup Greco-Roman Seniors 90 kg – third place (November 21, 1992)

Mixed martial arts

  • Inside Fights
    • 2009 Fight of the Year - vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira on August 29 [55]
  • World MMA Awards
    • Outstanding Contribution to MMA

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
29 matches 19 wins 10 losses
By knockout 7 5
By submission 4 4
By decision 8 1
Result Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Lyoto Machida UFC 129: St-Pierre vs. Shields April 30, 2011 Toronto, Ontario Light Heavyweight bout. Last MMA fight
Win 19–10 James Toney Submission (arm triangle choke) UFC 118: Edgar vs. Penn 2 August 28, 2010 1 3:19 Boston, Massachusetts Heavyweight bout
Win 18–10 Mark Coleman Technical Submission (rear naked choke) UFC 109: Relentless February 6, 2010 2 1:09 Las Vegas, Nevada
Win 17–10 Brandon Vera Decision (unanimous) UFC 105: Couture vs. Vera November 14, 2009 3 5:00 Manchester, England Return to Light Heavyweight
Loss 16–10 Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira Decision (unanimous) UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira August 29, 2009 3 5:00 Portland, Oregon Fight of the Night
Loss 16–9 Brock Lesnar TKO (punches) UFC 91: Couture vs. Lesnar November 15, 2008 2 3:07 Las Vegas, Nevada Lost UFC Heavyweight Championship
Win 16–8 Gabriel Gonzaga TKO (punches) UFC 74: Respect August 25, 2007 3 1:37 Las Vegas, Nevada Defended UFC Heavyweight Championship. Fight of The Night
Win 15–8 Tim Sylvia Decision (unanimous) UFC 68: The Uprising March 3, 2007 5 5:00 Columbus, Ohio Won UFC Heavyweight Championship, Wrestling Observer Newsletter Fight of the Year
Loss 14–8 Chuck Liddell KO (punches) UFC 57: Liddell vs. Couture 3 February 4, 2006 2 1:28 Las Vegas, Nevada For UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
Win 14–7 Mike Van Arsdale Submission (anaconda choke) UFC 54: Boiling Point August 20, 2005 3 0:52 Las Vegas, Nevada
Loss 13–7 Chuck Liddell KO (punches) UFC 52: Couture vs. Liddell 2 April 16, 2005 1 2:06 Las Vegas, Nevada Lost UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
Win 13–6 Vitor Belfort TKO (doctor stoppage) UFC 49: Unfinished Business August 21, 2004 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada Won UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
Loss 12–6 Vitor Belfort TKO (cut) UFC 46: Supernatural January 31, 2004 1 0:49 Las Vegas, Nevada Lost UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
Win 12–5 Tito Ortiz Decision (unanimous) UFC 44: Undisputed September 26, 2003 5 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada Won UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
Win 11–5 Chuck Liddell TKO (punches) UFC 43: Meltdown June 6, 2003 3 2:40 Las Vegas, Nevada Won Interim UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
Loss 10–5 Ricco Rodriguez Submission (elbow) UFC 39: The Warriors Return September 27, 2002 5 3:04 Uncasville, Connecticut For vacant UFC Heavyweight Championship
Loss 10–4 Josh Barnett TKO (punches) UFC 36: Worlds Collide March 22, 2002 2 4:35 Las Vegas, Nevada Lost UFC Heavyweight Championship; Barnett tested positive for steroids.
Win 10–3 Pedro Rizzo TKO (strikes) UFC 34: High Voltage November 2, 2001 3 1:38 Las Vegas, Nevada Defended UFC Heavyweight Championship
Win 9–3 Pedro Rizzo Decision (unanimous) UFC 31: Locked and Loaded May 4, 2001 5 5:00 Atlantic City, New Jersey Defended UFC Heavyweight Championship, Wrestling Observer Newsletter Fight of the Year
Loss 8–3 Valentijn Overeem Submission (guillotine choke) RINGS: King of Kings 2000 Final February 24, 2001 1 0:56 Tokyo, Japan King of Kings 2000 Tournament Semifinal
Win 8–2 Tsuyoshi Kohsaka Decision (unanimous) RINGS: King of Kings 2000 Final February 24, 2001 2 5:00 Tokyo, Japan King of Kings 2000 Tournament Quarterfinal
Win 7–2 Kevin Randleman TKO (strikes) UFC 28: High Stakes November 17, 2000 3 4:13 Atlantic City, New Jersey Won UFC Heavyweight Championship
Win 6–2 Ryushi Yanagisawa Decision (majority) RINGS: King of Kings 2000 Block A October 9, 2000 2 5:00 Tokyo, Japan King of Kings 2000 Tournament 2nd Round
Win 5–2 Jeremy Horn Decision (unanimous) RINGS: King of Kings 2000 Block A October 9, 2000 3 5:00 Tokyo, Japan King of Kings 2000 Tournament 1st Round
Loss 4–2 Mikhail Illoukhine Submission (kimura) RINGS: Rise 1st March 20, 1999 1 7:43 Japan
Loss 4–1 Enson Inoue Submission (armbar) Vale Tudo Japan 1998 October 25, 1998 1 1:39 Japan
Win 4–0 Maurice Smith Decision (majority) UFC Ultimate Japan December 21, 1997 1 21:00 Yokohama, Japan Won UFC Heavyweight Championship
Win 3–0 Vitor Belfort TKO (strikes) UFC 15: Collision Course October 17, 1997 1 8:17 Bay St. Louis, Mississippi
Win 2–0 Steven Graham TKO (strikes) UFC 13: The Ultimate Force May 30, 1997 1 3:13 Augusta, Georgia Won UFC 13 Heavyweight Tournament
Win 1–0 Tony Halme Submission (rear naked choke) UFC 13: The Ultimate Force May 30, 1997 1 1:00 Augusta, Georgia

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
2003 Cradle 2 the Grave Fighter #8 Major Film
2005 No Rules Mason Film
2005 Today You Die Vincent's Bodyguard Major Film
2005 Beyond The Glory Himself TV Series Documentary (Episode: "The Ultimate Fighting Championship")
2005 Fighter Himself Film Documentary
2005 The Ultimate Fighter Himself (Team Captain) TV Series
2006 The King of Queens Priority Plus Driver TV Series (Episode: "Fight Schlub")
2006 Invincible 'Toruci' Player #1 Major Film
2007 The Unit Sgt. Strickland TV Series (Episodes: "M.P.'s", "Paradise Lost")
2007 Human Weapon Himself TV Series (Episode: "Mixed Martial Arts")
2007 Fight Science Himself TV Series
2007 Big Stan Carnahan Major Film
2008 Redbelt Dylan Flynn Major Film
2008 The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior Sargon Direct-to-Video
2008 Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 Cmdr. Warren Fuller Video Game
2009 How Bruce Lee Changed The World Himself TV Documentary
2010 The Expendables Toll Road Major Film
2011 Once I Was a Champion Himself Film Documentary (filming)
2011 Setup[58][59] Petey Major Film (filming)
2012 The Expendables II[60][61] Toll Road (rumored) Major Film (announced)

See also

References

  1. ^ "Randy "The Natural" Couture MMA Stats". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2010-03-03.
  2. ^ Caplan, Sam (November 16, 2008). "The Brock Lesnar Era is Upon Us". FiveOuncesOfPain.com. Retrieved February 17, 2009.
  3. ^ "Brock Lesnar Welcomes Randy Couture To Team Death Clutch". June 19, 2010.
  4. ^ "Randy's resignation rocks UFC." Oct 11, 2007, NBCSports.com. "Couture, who is generally considered by most to be the most popular fighter in MMA history, won his fifth title when..."
  5. ^ "MMA Top 10 Rankings: Dominick Cruz Solid at No. 1". Yahoo!.
  6. ^ http://randycouture.proelite.com/
  7. ^ Couture, Randy (2008). Becoming the Natural: My Life in and Out of the Cage. Simon and Schuster. pp. 13, 20. ISBN1416957804. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ "Randy Couture". UFC. Retrieved 2010-09-01.
  9. ^ "Sherdog.com Preview: UFC 57 - Liddell-Couture 3". Sherdog. February 3, 2006. Retrieved June 28, 2007.
  10. ^ ttp://www.cagetoday.com/ufc-officially-announces-randy-couture-vs-brock-lesnar-at-ufc-91/
  11. ^ "UFC 13's Halme passes: Couture talks about his first UFC opponent". sports.yahoo.com. January 11, 2010.
  12. ^ "Fight Finder - UFC 43 Meltdown". Sherdog.
  13. ^ "The Natural.tv - Biography". TheNatural.tv.
  14. ^ http://www.411mania.com/MMA/columns/84733
  15. ^ Big Stan at IMDb
  16. ^ "Couture & Jacare Fight to a Draw". MMA Weekly. November 18, 2006. Retrieved June 28, 2007.
  17. ^ The Scorpion King: Rise of a Warrior at IMDb
  18. ^ Couture returning to challenge Sylvia
  19. ^ http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news?slug=dm-ufcsixtyeight060909 - UFC 68: Pure magic - UFC - Yahoo! sports
  20. ^ http://www.sportsnet.ca/mma/events/UFC_68__The_Uprising/ - UFC 68: The Uprising - sportsnet.ca
  21. ^ Brian Oswald. "UFC 91 Couture vs. Lesnar: Randy Has No Chance...or Does He?".
  22. ^ "Fight Finder - UFC 68 Uprising". Sherdog.
  23. ^ http://www.ufcmedia.com/randy-couture-vs-gabriel-gonzaga.html
  24. ^ "UFC News: Couture Breaks Arm, SPIKE Releases The Ultimate Fighter Cast". August 27, 2007.
  25. ^ Pugmire, Lance (October 30, 2007). "UFC officials give out Randy Couture salary information". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 3, 2007. Retrieved November 1, 2007.
  26. ^ Iole, Kevin (October 11, 2007). "Couture stuns MMA world with retirement". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved October 11, 2007.
  27. ^ Gross, Josh (October 11, 2007). "Exclusive: Couture Talks UFC Resignation". Sherdog.
  28. ^ FOX Sports on MSN - Boxing - UFC's White: Couture's still mine
  29. ^ Cain, Jeff (October 25, 2007). "Unappreciated". MMA Weekly. Retrieved November 1, 2007.
  30. ^ Cain, Jeff (October 30, 2007). "UFC disputes Couture's claims about his pay". MMA Weekly. Retrieved November 1, 2007.
  31. ^ Gerbasi, Thomas (October 30, 2007). "UFC releases payment receipts to Couture". Ultimate Fighting Championship. Retrieved November 1, 2007.
  32. ^ Swift, Adam (October 31, 2007). "Inside the standard Zuffa contract". Sherdog. Retrieved November 1, 2007.
  33. ^ "Couture: Could Fight Fedor in October '08".
  34. ^ ReviewJournal.com - Sports - Couture is target of UFC lawsuit
  35. ^ http://www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=news.detail&gid=13807
  36. ^ Steve Sievert. "In Randy Couture court case, latest round goes to UFC". MMAjunkie.
  37. ^ http://www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=eventDetail.fightCard&eid=1645
  38. ^ Joe Hall. "Lesnar Takes Couture's Title". Sherdog.
  39. ^ "Randy Couture Interview – UFC 102". OnPDX.com. July 14, 2009. Retrieved July 14, 2009.
  40. ^ http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=8263&zoneid=13
  41. ^ http://www.cbssports.com/mma/story/12137703
  42. ^ Mike Chiappetta. "Vera-Couture Decision Another in Long Line of Controversies". MMA Fighting.
  43. ^ Michael David Smith. "UFC 105: Randy Couture Beats Brandon Vera in Surprising Decision". MMA Fighting.
  44. ^ Steve Cofield. "Randy Couture edges Brandon Vera but not without controversy". Yahoo!.
  45. ^ Michael David Smith. "Randy Couture 'Moving Away From a Jiu Jitsu Mentality'". MMA Fighting.
  46. ^ Loretta Hunt. "Couture-Coleman Slated for UFC 109". Sherdog.
  47. ^ "Report: Randy Couture vs. Mark Coleman in the works for UFC 109". MMAjunkie.
  48. ^ "UFC 129 Sold Out; Shatters Records with 55,000 Tickets". MMAWeekly.com. February 12, 2011.
  49. ^ Ken Pishna (April 19, 2011). "Randy Couture Says UFC 129 Is It; Wants To Retire On Own Terms". MMAWeekly.com.
  50. ^ "Couture readies himself for climb up Mount Sylvia". UFC. January 3, 2007. Retrieved August 1, 2007.
  51. ^ "Mentions his second wife Tricia".
  52. ^ "KIM COUTURE PLANS AUGUST RETURN TO FIGHTING". MMAWEEKLY.com. 2009-06-02. Retrieved 2009-05-26.
  53. ^ "Mentions his children".
  54. ^ "Q&A with Randy Couture". The Baltimore Sun.
  55. ^ http://insidefights.com/2010/01/04/inside-fights-mma-awards-part-4/
  56. ^ http://www.fighttimes.com/magazine/magazine.asp?article=856
  57. ^ Beltrán, William (2010-08-03). "Según el Wrestling Observer... ¿Quiénes son los mejores los mejores de la década?" (in Spanish). SuperLuchas Magazine. Retrieved 2010-08-05. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  58. ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1330276/#Actor
  59. ^ Setup at IMDb
  60. ^ Randy Couture at IMDb
  61. ^ The Expendables II at IMDb
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Randy Couture.
Preceded by 3rd UFC Heavyweight Champion
December 21, 1997 – January 1998 		Vacant
Couture stripped of title
Title next held by
Bas Rutten
Preceded by 6th UFC Heavyweight Champion
November 17, 2000 – March 22, 2002 		Succeeded by
New championship 1st Interim UFC Light Heavyweight Champion
June 6, 2003 – September 26, 2003 		Vacant
Preceded by 3rd UFC Light Heavyweight Champion
September 26, 2003 – January 31, 2004 		Succeeded by
Preceded by 5th UFC Light Heavyweight Champion
August 21, 2004 – April 16, 2005 		Succeeded by
Preceded by 13th UFC Heavyweight Champion
March 3, 2007 – November 15, 2008 		Succeeded by

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