Randy Couture retires

Vince135792003

From the fight network:

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.

Very mixed feelings on this one. There'll never be an MMA fighter quite like him again.


EDIT: I was kinda shocked when I saw this. Retirement may have been the wrong choice of word. He's quit the UFC which probably means retirement but never say never I guess.

ShawnRaven

Vince135792003 wrote: »

From the fight network:




Very mixed feelings on this one. There'll never be an MMA fighter quite like him again.


EDIT: I was kinda shocked when I saw this. Retirement may have been the wrong choice of word. He's quit the UFC which probably means retirement but never say never I guess.

This surprised me to say the least. Although i can understand if he's leaving for acting. If he feels he's getting on, then it's time to move on. But as Vince135792003 said, never say never.

VR!

EdK

Again?

Fozzy

The Wrestling Observer has reported it saying that Randy hadn't been too happy with the reported amount of money that the UFC were prepared to give to Fedor had he signed. Randy felt that himself and the other guys had built UFC and were as good as Fedor

He's an inspirational man and I'll miss him. Not the best fighter there ever was, but he provided some of the best moments in MMA, even sporting, history

flahavaj

A massive loss to the sport. He could draw emotion from the viewer like none other.

Vince135792003

Just from the reports I've read (and re-read!) I just get the feeling that it's really a money issue more than anything else. Call it wishful thinking but I wouldn't be surprised if something got sorted.

If your Dana White this is the last thing you want especially with the apparent decline of Lidell and the contract problems with Ortiz who with Couture are the company's biggest draws.

Wacker

I only wish he had announced his retirement before one last fight. It would be beautiful knowing that we would be seeing his last fight, win lose or draw.

He is a truly inspirational character. I wish him all the best for the future.

Vince135792003

Coture comments from sherdog.com

www.sherdog.com


Randy Couture (Pictures), the face of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and one of mixed martial arts most revered fighters, notified the UFC via fax from South Africa at 11 o'clock Thursday morning that he has chosen to resign from the UFC, "The Natural" confirmed with Sherdog.com.

"I sent the letter of resignation to the UFC today, resigning not only from my position in the company as a commentator and as an ambassador, but also as the heavyweight champion," Couture said over the phone from South Africa, where he is currently filming a movie.

"The motivation for the decision is two-fold," he continued. "I know Fedor (Emelianenko) just signed with another organization and that's the only real fight that makes sense for me at 44 years old as the heavyweight champion of the UFC. That's the fight I wanted and if that can't happen it doesn't make sense for me to compete with all these other guys. And then obviously that's not going to happen now. And, two, I'm tired of being taken advantage of, played as the nice guy and basically swimming against the current with the management of the UFC. I have a lot of other things going on in my life that I'm doing just fine with. I don't need the problems. I don't feel like I get the respect I deserve from the organization, and that's motivation No. 2 for the letter of resignation that was sent today."

Couture (16-Cool is the only fighter in UFC history to hold belts in two weight divisions. The current UFC heavyweight champion, he recaptured the belt in March by coming out of retirement to out-point Tim Sylvia (Pictures). Couture defended the title in August, stopping challenger Gabriel Gonzaga (Pictures) in the third round.

The Sylvia win came after a year away from the sport after Couture suffered the second of two knockouts to then UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell (Pictures). Couture won the first bout in the trilogy by capturing an interim UFC light heavyweight title in June of 2003, stopping Liddell in the third period.

Couture's ledger in the UFC reads like a who's who. "The Natural" first captured UFC heavyweight gold against Maurice Smith (Pictures) in 1997 before doing it for the third time against Sylvia in 2007.

A day after news broke that Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures), the widely regarded top heavyweight in the sport, had apparently declined to sign with the UFC, Couture submitted his resignation.

"I want that fight and would have waited if the fight was offered to me," Couture said. "Knowing what they offered him, I would have made demands to get paid equally or better than him as the champion. Whether or not those would have been met is another question."

Couture will have to wait nine months for his current UFC deal to lapse before he can go after Emelianenko. Over that span Couture said he will concentrate on acting, continuing to franchise his Xtreme Couture training facilities, as well as growing his Xtreme Couture clothing line.

His success outside the ring is proof of his success inside the Octagon. But Couture said it was a lack of respect by the UFC, in particular its president Dana White, that led him to resigning.

"I think the final straw for me was meeting with Dana and Lorenzo where they claimed I was the No. 2 paid athlete in the organization, which I know is a bold-faced lie," Couture said. Polling other athletes, said Couture, he learned that his compensation -- some $250,000 a fight with pay-per-view bonuses, according to the Couture camp -- was nowhere near what other top UFC fighters were making.

"All us athletes are all pretty tightly intertwined," he said. "You hear what other guys were paid signing bonuses and what other guys were paid on the record and off the record with bonuses. I've heard Chuck's numbers. Tito's numbers. Hughes' numbers. Quinton's numbers. Cro Cop, Wanderlei. I heard what they were offering Fedor, and it's insulting."

Couture's rocky history with the Zuffa-owned UFC began in 2001.

"I think what set us off on the wrong foot was that my management [at the time] wasn't willing to give up ancillary rights across the board with no option for some sort of compensation," said Couture, alluding to a reason cited by Emelianenko's representatives as to why the Russian did not end up with the UFC. "All the other athletes at that time were signing those contracts. That created a lot of animosity and got me pulled out of the Carmen Electra campaigns to promote the athletes and the sport and the video game and all that stuff."

Beyond the money, both Couture and his wife Kim stressed Thursday's resignation from the UFC was about respect. It's a move "The Natural" acknowledged could have far-reaching effects.

"Certainly there's personal motivation for resigning and taking stand for myself," he said. "If it sets a precedence that down the road requires athletes to be treated better than that's icing on the cake."

Attempts to reach the UFC for comment went unreturned

estebancambias

I really do not see how MMA is considered to be part of a pro-wrestling board, but apart from that, he is a name, I don't watch MMA, as I find bland and overated, that should be missed, but at 40+ it was time to go.

The Sparrow

estebancambias wrote: »

I really do not see how MMA is considered to be part of a pro-wrestling board, but apart from that, he is a name, I don't watch MMA, as I find bland and overated, that should be missed, but at 40+ it was time to go.

I think you should be banned from this forum if you continue asking why MMA is on this board. It has been explained to you before... Perhaps if you had listened the last time you wouldn`t be asking such a ridiculous question again.

Now to Randy... wow what a shocker! I didn`t see this one coming at all... Its really crazy to think that anybody (perhaps besides Chuck) is getting paid more than Randy as he is the face of the company. i really think he will be hugely missed as he was an excellent ambassador for the company.

ALthough I think that that those who say he has retired may be wrong. None of his statements are worded as if its a retirement and I wouldn`t be suprised to see him fight Fedor in another organisation which would be amazing for that organisation. Or I guess I would be equally unsuprised to see him iron out his differences with Dana and go back to UFC.

I don`t think anybody saw this coming! I know Dave Meltzer is meant to be on figure four daily tonight on alvarez's sight so we should get more info then.

Vince135792003

woooo232 wrote: »

I know Dave Meltzer is meant to be on figure four daily tonight on alvarez's sight so we should get more info then.

With this news and it being the Hall of Fame week, don't bet on getting a show anytime soon I'd say!


Dana white responds very measuredly on UFC.com:

I’m not surprised at all by Randy’s decision. I talked to Randy several weeks ago and he said that if he couldn’t fight Fedor, then he has nothing left to prove in the sport of mixed martial arts.

He has been doing a lot of acting, and I know he is in South Africa right now filming a movie. I think it’s a great move for Randy’s acting career to retire from fighting while he is on top.

As we all know, Randy retired before. The landscape in MMA changes every day. So when he is ready to come out of retirement again, he is still under contract with me, and I’m ready to promote him.

The Sparrow

That almost sounds like a bit of a dig to Randy from Dana. Especially the last paragraph which reads a little like "randy has cried wolf before, when he changes his mind again he is under contract to us and will fight for us"

Maybe thats not what he meant but thats how I read it.

Vince135792003

woooo232 wrote: »

That almost sounds like a bit of a dig to Randy from Dana.

I got that too. To me it basically sounded like Dana saying "Bitch all you want about your pay but we're not giving in". This could get really ugly and it makes nobody look good.

Fozzy

estebancambias wrote: »

but at 40+ it was time to go.

That's what people said about Randy 18 months ago. Then he proved everyone wrong this year

I just had a look through the payouts some guys have got that have been released by the athletic commissions:

Randy got $250,000 for his last two fights, $25,000 more than he was getting on his old deal. Chuck's been getting $500,000 for his recent fights. Rampage got $450,000 when he beat Chuck (no payout figures available from the UFC events in Britain). Cro Cop got $350,000 when he beat Eddie Sanchez. Ortiz got $210,000 against Rashad Evans and Nogueira got $200,000 in a dodgy effort against Heath Herring

Considering that Randy is the most popular guy in the UFC, you can see that he has got a case. It's not as if Cro Cop is selling that many PPVs these days, is it?! It seems to be more about respect than the actual money, although the respect the UFC has shown him comes across in how much money they've paid him

Vince135792003

Fozzy wrote: »

It seems to be more about respect than the actual money, although the respect the UFC has shown him comes across in how much money they've paid him

I think right now he's arguably their biggest draw. But when he was negotiating his contract in February, nobody knew the year was gonna pan out the way it has (Cro-Cop losing twice, Lidell losing twice, Couture winning twice, Serra beating GSP).

In Dana Whites defense, I would have had Cro-Cop, Lidell, Ortiz, Jackson and probably GSP on a higher per fight scale that Couture at the start of the year when he signed his contract and when many others did too.

I suppose the counter argument is they should have re-negotiated to give him a better deal when things started to roll for him. Thats business for you though.

I vaguely remember an interview where someone was telling a story about a conversation they had with Shane McMahon. I can't remember unfortunately but he asked Shane whats the one thing he's learnt above all else and he said something to the effect of:

"Never let the talent know how valuable they are".

ShawnRaven

estebancambias wrote: »

I really do not see how MMA is considered to be part of a pro-wrestling board, but apart from that, he is a name, I don't watch MMA, as I find bland and overated, that should be missed, but at 40+ it was time to go.

It doesn't matter how you see it, it's in the charter. And what is understood need not be discussed.

As for his age? He came back after about ten months better than ever. And will probably do it again next year. I wouldn't count him out. 40 is not that old. Ok so hes not in his mid 20's, he's not exactly ready for the zimmerframe, pipe and slippers yet.

Another thing. If you don't watch it because you find it bland and over-rated, then what right do you have to judge Couture on his age and his performance, when you don't even watch it? Have you even watched any Couture matches?
VR!

ShawnRaven

Fozzy wrote: »

Considering that Randy is the most popular guy in the UFC, you can see that he has got a case. It's not as if Cro Cop is selling that many PPVs these days, is it?! It seems to be more about respect than the actual money, although the respect the UFC has shown him comes across in how much money they've paid him

Yeah, i'm seeing this as the correct answer as well.
Also regarding Dana's statement. I dunno, he comes across as cocky from time to time. But given their close working relationship over time, it actually stuck me as him genuinely leaving the door open. After all, it's not like there's anywhere else to go. Bearing in mind it's Randy Couture we're talking about. Not some nobody.

VR!

Vince135792003

validreasoning! wrote: »

After all, it's not like there's anywhere else to go. !

There are places to go. None of them anywhere near the level of UFC but a guy like Couture could name his price if he strictly wanted to make one more big pay day. For example:

1. Mark Cuban (owner of Dallas Mavericks)- billionaire just starting his new MMA group 3 weeks ago.

2. Bodog- owned by billionaire Calvin Ayre who got Fedor to fight for him.

3. EXC- if Showtime really wanted to make a splash, this would be the way to do it.

4. M1- the group that Fedor signed with yesterday.

All speculation though. By the sound of Dana's comments, it sounds like he has an exclusive lock on his next fight.

ShawnRaven

Vince135792003 wrote: »

4. M1- the group that Fedor signed with yesterday.

To me, thats the only other option. The rest of the only have a bunch of nobodies to offer Couture. M1 would give Couture v Fedor, which he's hungry for. The rest wouldn't interest him, i don't think. He'd only go to the other three to spite Dana, and M1 to get the match he wants.

Strictly my opinion of course.
VR!

Fozzy

It was reported yesterday that an American entertainment group had bought M-1, some rumours that it was Mark Cuban who had bought it. Now there's news that Kimbo Slice (the guy who had backyard fights on the internet) has signed with M-1, and I think Cuban had been trying to sign him, so ya never know. The M-1 deal could be even bigger than you'd think

fatal

this is a big loss for the UFC.
I really enjoyed his fights and his commentating.I was at least hoping that he stay until the end of his contract.He certainly is an inspiration for all.....

flahavaj

validreasoning! wrote: »

Another thing. If you don't watch it because you find it bland and over-rated, then what right do you have to judge Couture on his age and his performance, when you don't even watch it? Have you even watched any Couture matches?
VR!

This raises a good point. Like, it really pisses me off when people **** all over Puro or Lucha when they haven't sat down and taken the time to actually give them a chance.

That's by no means a dig at you by the way, but i hear stuf like that all the time on message boards and it really pisses me off. It could equally apply to music or film, or anything really.

Vince135792003

Dana White interview on UFC.com;

10/12/2007
Dana White on the Retirement of Randy Couture
Interview conducted by Thomas Gerbasi

UFC

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.

ShawnRaven

That'll do me, it answers the whole debate of "did he leave, or was he pushed out?"
VR!

Vince135792003

validreasoning! wrote: »

That'll do me, it answers the whole debate of "did he leave, or was he pushed out?"
VR!

I didn't know there was 1! You never push a guy like him out of an MMA organisation. He's gold in so many ways.

ShawnRaven

Vince135792003 wrote: »

I didn't know there was 1! You never push a guy like him out of an MMA organisation. He's gold in so many ways.

Well the reports can be viewed either way regarding the money issue. And a lot of people are quick to judge Dana as well. In any of the TUF's i've ever seen and interviews i've heard, he always comes across as hard, but fair at the same time.

And i completely agree when it comes to Couture. If Liddell, Ortiz or GSP can reach the level of Couture and his accomplishments, they'll be very fortunate.

VR!

Vince135792003

Good article on the whole thing by Dave Meltzer on yahoo sports:

Can anyone live up to Couture's legacy?
By Dave Meltzer, Yahoo! Sports
October 11, 2007

It was the single greatest moment in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

It was March 3 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, before 19,079 fans, the largest crowd up until that point in time ever to witness mixed martial arts in the United States.

On one side of the octagon was Tim Sylvia, a 6-foot-8 ogre-looking champion, who weighed in at 263 pounds the previous day, and was probably closer to 280 by match time. He had knocked out 16 of his previous 24 foes.

On the other side of the cage was Randy Couture, 43 years old, 222.5 pounds, and the most beloved fighter in company history, coming out of a 13-month retirement.

As the two squared off the day before at the weigh-in, it looked to be a slaughter.

Couture, a light heavyweight, was too old and too small, and didn't have the stand-up game on paper to even compete. The only reason the match was made was because Brandon Vera, who was in line for the title shot, wasn't available due to a contract issue with his management. The UFC had a big show, and no match that could draw on top.

Couture had two things going for him. He could draw as a sentimental favorite, and don't think the popularity of Rocky Balboa wasn't considered, and UFC had a ready-made legend who could come out of retirement and fill the role.

Plus, even with his age and size deficit, fans could cling onto something as hope. Couture had been the underdog in 10 of his previous 16 UFC matches, of which he won nine. That was enough for people to buy the premise of the fight.

At the seven-second mark of the first round, it was the dreamers who were right. Logic was out the window. Couture threw a low kick, and then came over the top with the hardest overhand right thrown in his entire career. Sylvia was knocked on his back. At the same moment, all 19,049 fans rose as one.

They never sat back down for the next half hour.

Five rounds later, with 10 seconds left, the crowd, in unison, counted down like it was New Year's Eve in Times Square. Couture won the heavyweight championship for the third time – a few months before birthday No. 44. The title win followed two previous reigns as light heavyweight champion. No other UFC fighter in history has ever won three championships.

Some day, there probably will be a great fighter who wins five world championships. Whether he has three title reigns in his 40s remains to be seen. And, despite a 16-8 record and losses early in his career in Japan to unfamiliar fighters, it's unlikely we'll see another Randy Couture.

Thursday, Couture and the UFC, the two entities who combined to give people that 30-minute thrill ride on pay-per-view seven months ago, parted ways in a business dispute.

There's no way to sugarcoat an impersonal fax sent to UFC president Dana White when he was on a media conference call and wouldn't be able to see it, just minutes before it was to publicly revealed. This was a strong message by Couture, and even the normally outspoken White will have a hard time delivering his trademark tongue-lashing comeback. "Captain America" would be a goofy nickname that would fail miserably if given to any other fighter. But with Couture, it fit like a glove.

Couture and Chuck Liddell were the two most important fighters in building UFC, but Couture felt management had lied to him when they insisted he was the second-highest paid fighter in the organization in a late-September meeting. He was willing to face Fedor Emelianenko, the consensus top heavyweight in the world, but as the bigger draw and champion, Couture wanted to make equal or more money than the Russian. The Cold War may be over, but Captain America vs. the Russian cyborg was a promoter's dream.

For Couture, the match fulfilled dual purposes. He had a chance to become the undisputed best heavyweight fighter in the world. And, given his contract called for a percentage of PPV revenue, he could share in what looked to be an event that had a chance to generate probably the most publicity, and perhaps the most revenue, in the history of the sport in the U.S.

When word got out Wednesday that Emelianenko was going to sign with the M-1 organization, Couture decided to make the break. Couture never mentioned retirement, even though the word has been thrown around since and may end up being accurate. The word he used was he resigned. With two fights left on his UFC contract, the meaning of the words are one and the same.

But there is a reason he chose the word he did. Retirement is when both sides smile, hug and reminisce about the good times. Resignation is a cold and calculated term, designed to send a message.

Everyone knew, at his age, that Couture's career was on borrowed time. It was more likely to end either in celebration after a final victory against all odds or, the clock would strike midnight on this fairy tale while he was in the middle of a match. No one would have predicted it would end with the buzzing of an incoming message on a fax machine.

But unless they can convince him to change his mind, UFC now has to crown a heavyweight champion.

Suddenly, the Oct. 20 Sylvia vs. Vera match in Cincinnati takes on more meaning. Two-time former champion Sylvia, Vera and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira look to be the top contenders. Former champion Andrei Arlovski would fit into that category, but he's in the midst of a financial dispute, and with one fight left on his contract, he's not getting anywhere near the championship picture unless he signs a new deal. Nogueira and Cheick Kongo, the recent conqueror of Mirko Cro Cop, are set to meet, probably in early 2008. Logically, the winners of those two matches would meet, probably in the spring.

Sylvia (23-3) is the biggest of the four. He's awkward to watch and difficult to fight. Sylvia was slowed during the Couture loss by a back injury, which required surgery. He says he's fully recovered and ready for a top fight that he expects to end with a knockout. He's a stand-up fighter who uses his reach to his advantage, and is often criticized for playing it safe in his matches. He's not a crowd favorite, and fights with the mentality of getting his hand raised, whether pretty or not, as the singular goal.

Vera (8-0), can do it all. He's good at wrestling, boxing, submissions and kickboxing. But he's a small heavyweight at 225 pounds, physically smaller than many light heavyweights who cut down for the division. He's also untested when it comes to pressure situations and top-caliber opponents. If UFC could pick a winner, he'd be the guy, but he comes into this filled with question marks.

Nogueira (30-4-1) is the opposite. He's performed on huge shows with the Pride organization. He has a resume of top international stars and legendary wars in the Japanese ring. He's often snatched victory out of the jaws of defeat. He was generally regarded as the top heavyweight in the world from 2001-03, as the Pride heavyweight champion.

Emelianenko dominated him en route to a pair of decision wins in 2003 and 2004. While only 31, there are questions as to how much those battles have taken out of him. Nogueira's technical boxing is good, he's legendary in his ability to handle punishment and his submissions on the ground are at the top of the class. His greatest skill is his heart, but a body can only take so much punishment and Nogueira has taken more than his share.

While he beat Heath Herring in his July 7 UFC debut in Sacramento, Calif., he was knocked down once and had Herring been more aggressive, there is a good chance Nogueira would be out of contention.

Kongo (21-3-1) is 6-4, muscular, and found himself in the title picture as he outstruck Mirko Cro Cop on Sept. 8. But his ground work isn't near championship level. The last time he faced a decent wrestler, a loss last year to Carmelo Marrero, it exposed a weakness. But if he can keep the fight standing, he has the potential to be competitive with anyone.

It's unlikely any of the four will be able to fill Couture's shoes as a heavyweight champion the public rallies behind with that level of fervor, so this is a significant business loss.

Former UFC champion Josh Barnett is the best of the free-agent outsiders, but he and White have had a war of the words. The division is up for grabs.

Someone will eventually take Couture's place and wear the belt. But no one's replacing him anytime soon.

nacho libre

New MMA Organization Cage Fighting Championships, Inc. (CFC) Offers $3 Million Purse for Randy Couture VS Fedor Emelianenko

Monday October 15, 1:45 pm ET


DAVIE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Cage Fighting Championships (CFC) Spokesperson Crawford Grimsley announced today, "The CFC will put up a $3,000,000 purse to bring the Couture vs Emelianenko fight to Pay-Per-View. $1,000,000 will be guaranteed to each fighter while the winner takes home an additional cool million, making this the largest single purse for any one MMA fight."

Grimsley, a former heavyweight boxer who went 12 rounds with big George Foreman for the world title in 1996 said, "I don't know who set up the current MMA system of sanctioning bodies locking fighters into exclusive long term contracts. I do know who is out to change this system though, we are, the CFC. We are not going to try to reinvent the wheel, but we would like to add a little of the business model that professional boxing has adopted for decades. Can you imagine if professional boxing would not allow champion to fight champion. How many great boxing matches would we have missed?"

Grimsley added, "The UFC has made this sport into what it is today and my hat is off to them, but in the same regard, we feel the sport must allow the best from any league to fight each other when the time is right. We are willing to sit down with any and all parties necessary to make this fight happen including the UFC, Randy Couture, the Gersh Agency, Fedor Emelianenko, his manager Vadim Finkelstein and M-1. It happens everyday in boxing. That's how you get an undisputed champion. This exclusivity only hurts the sport, the fans, the fighters and the amount of money a fighter can make. We are going to do everything we can to bring this fight and many others currently prohibited. It's time for the MMA to change for the benefit of the fighters and fans, not the sanctioning bodies."

The first CFC event took place October 6, 2007 and has already hit the radar of Mark Cuban's HDNet Network, which only broadcasts in 1080i High Definition, and the hit show Inside MMA. Highlights of the first CFC Middleweight Title fight "Let the Rage Begin" aired this last Friday, October 12, 2007. For airing information, go to www.hd.net and look for the Inside MMA schedule.

About Cage Fighting Championships

The Cage Fighting Championships bring some of the world's leading professional mixed martial arts professionals into battle inside a 6-foot high caged ring. Headquartered in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

ShawnRaven

I can see Dana putting in an injunction on this one. If what he says is true about Couture still being contracted to Dana, even if it is match by match.

VR!

Fozzy

I can't see Randy or Fedor agreeing to fight for CFC. It's just done for publicity

Vince135792003

From MMA junkie:

ww,mmajunkie.com

UFC to Announce New TV Deal; Media Call to Coincide With Randy Couture’s Press Conference

The UFC will hold a media conference call tomorrow to announce a new television deal. And whether it’s mere coincidence or a calculated maneuver, the UFC will begin the call 30 minutes before Randy Couture’s press conference kicks off in Las Vegas.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) learned of the call this afternoon.

In addition to the new TV deal, UFC President Dana White will discuss the signing of heavyweight Brock Lesnar, as well as a UFC 79 fight between Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva — a fight that White announced Tuesday night on Spike TV.

No information about the new TV deal is known at this time.

The UFC’s call begins at 4 p.m. ET. Over the weekend, UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture, who abruptly resigned from the organization earlier this month, announced that he would hold a press conference on the same day at 4:30 p.m. ET.

Couture said he would use the media event to explain why he left his posts as a UFC fighter, part-time commentator, and legislative ambassador. Although Couture has cited the UFC’s inability to sign top free agent Fedor Emelianenko as a reason for the resignation, the 44-year-old UFC hall-of-famer is also unhappy about his per-fight salary compared to other fighters’ paydays, including recent signees from the now-defunct PRIDE Fighting Championships. Couture claims White lied to him about what other fighters are making.

Couture is also expected to address a report that claims he makes between $3.25 million and $3.75 million per fight — figures that Couture denies.

HDNet will carry the press conference beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET.

The event will be shown as a part of a special live edition of “Inside MMA,” an original weekly MMA news program that airs on HDNet

Dana does not miss a trick.

ShawnRaven

Dana White is f*cking GOD!
VR!

Vince135792003

Conference call recap from MMAscoops.com :

- Dana opens the call hyping Liddell-Silva.

- Asked if his press conference starting early was a coincidence. He says he loves Randy and respects him. He says it's not a coincidence and he's announcing 'his ****'.

- A question is asked for Brock but they're not talking about that yet.

- Dana says he plans to advertise on WWE programming and 'everywhere' for Lesnar's UFC debut. He says Lesnar was a huge star in WWE.

- Dana said he talked to Chuck and Silva about making the fight. He wanted to give Liddell time to relax and figure things out. They made sure everything was right. He puts over Silva big.

- They have a new deal with SpikeTV. There will be 12 live fight cards. Dana puts over UFC and Kevin Kay from SpikeTV puts over UFC.

- Dana said Spike is an awesome partner and it was their idea to do the '25 Tuffest moments' show.

- Dana said Randy signed a new contract with him 8 months ago and 'he's got him'. He says Randy is pissed at him right now and he 'doesn't know why'. He said they'll figure it out.

- Dana said the SpikeTV deal is for four years. It'll be 48 live shows roughly. One per month it looks like.

- Dana thinks the B.J Penn fight will be in December. They are working on New Castle for that show.

Dana confirms they were talking with HBO but no deal was reached.

- Dana says he doesn't declare the title vacant until Randy tells him to his face that he's retiring. He again says he respects him and he thinks they are going to work things out.

- Dana said he left Randy a message and is trying to work on a meeting. He's giving him time to cool off.

- The Ultimate Fighter reality show is going to run through 2011. There will be a new reality show in 2010.

- Dana says they aren't talking with ESPN and says they are now covering their sport. He says UFC is with SPIKE and they are a great partner.

- Dana says UFC is coming to Chicago. No date confirmed.

- Asked why Arlovski hasn't been used. Dana says they want him back in the Heavyweight mix. The caller asks if he's pissed off.... Dana dodges the question. Dana says if they want to talk he will talk. Dana says he's not pissed off at him but thought his last fight was boring.

- The idea for the new show in 2010 is going to be a live fight show. They are excited about it. He says The Ultimate Fighter goes till 2010 and then they break it down to one and add a new fight show.

- They are really putting over the SpikeTV/UFC partnership. They love each other.

- Dana is asked about UFC 78. He says ticket sales have been good and commercials are running. He says they are going to sellout.

- Dana says he wanted to wait to make the Liddell/Silva fight because he wanted to give Chuck time to think after two losses. Chuck of course agreed he wanted the fight.

- Dana says the Jersey card doesn't suck and bashes the 'net as always. He goes on a rant about UFC 78 and runs down the entire card.

- Dana puts over Liddell/Silva... says Silva used to hate him and now they see each other every week. He says it makes him happy to have Silva and really looks forward to this fight.

- Chuck, Lesnar, and Silva are all on the call now.

- Dana is asked why the HBO deal failed. He said there were lots of reasons why it didn't happen. Dana said he was going to do the deal his way or no way and it didn't happen. He said there were a TON of things. He says they both moved on and he won't bash them. He said he's confident the deal will happen at some point.

- Chuck says he wants to get back into contention and get a big knockout.

- Silva says he is proud to be at the top and wants this fight.

- Lesnar's first fight will be Superbowl Saturday says Dana.

- Lesnar says he's excited to be in UFC. He says he took the opportunity and wants to rise to the occasion.

- Dana was asked if people are taking Brock serious. Dana says he's very famous for being in WWE. He said as far as fighters go, they better take Lesnar serious. He said he has an awesome ground game obviously. Guys who train with him say he's very good. Dana puts over Lesnar as a former NFL star... wrestler, armature, etc etc.

- Brock says he just wants to make a name for himself. He says it's not a joke for him and he's training daily. Says he wants to come in at 150% and will be well prepared. Lesnar says he's not setting himself up for a defeat. That's not in his vocabulary.

- Dana says there are no plans for an MMA award show like the SCREAM awards. Dumb question.

- Dana says the only problem they have is with the NFL. That's part of the reason they moved to Wednesday.

- Spike TV says they want to keep pushing UFC and they feel UFC can really help Spike TV grow.

- Dana said he hopes to have a TV deal in the U.K by the end of 2008. He wants live shows. There will be four or five next year.

- Lesnar says he is thrilled to be out of WWE because 'he's still alive'.

- Dana puts over The Ultimate Fighter as a place where stars are made. He compares Forrest Griffen and Kelly Clarkson as stars who started with nothing and made it.

- Dana and SpikeTV are both talking about promoting big fights to air free.

- There are no coaches set for TUF 7.

- Dana White says he really likes Kurt Angle and puts him over. He said right now, Lesnar is the real deal and that's where he's at. Dana says everyone says Brock has tremendous potential. He said he doesn't feel that way with Angle and feels Angle would get his 'f***ing ass kicked' if he thought he could just come in and do people.

- Asked about TUF being taped outside of Vegas, he said it's possible in the future. They fueled rumors that it could be overseas.

- Dana once again said he respected Randy Couture. He said this is not a Tito situation. He said he couldn't say enough good things about Randy. He says EliteXC are 'internet whores' and that's the only reason why they are broadcasting the Randy press conference.

- Dana once again says he expects to patch things up with Randy 'very soon'.

- Lesnar is asked who he'd want to fight and he said he'd do the fighting and leave that question up to Dana. Dana didn't answer.

- Dana says they will be back in Texas in 2008.

- Dana says he doesn't think WWE 'in a million years' could compete in MMA. He said he respects wrestlers but he feels they would get knocked in UFC. Dana says Brock is another story. He said Brock can make it because of his wrestling background and athleticism.

- Brock says he has been considering MMA since 2000. He said he took a six figure deal right out of college and went to WWE. He had been thinking about MMA prior to that.

- Brock says pro wrestling is fake and 'this is the real deal'.

- Brock is putting himself over, and over, and over.

- Dana says he's not sure if he'll listen to the Randy conference. He said when Randy is ready to talk to him he'll talk to him. Dana is just asking Randy to come talk to him. He said he's 'Randy's little bitch" and does whatever he wants. He's just waiting for him to cool off.

- Dana says he and Randy had a meeting and Randy was pissed off about some stuff. Dana says the things he's upset about right now are 'not true'.

- Dana White "all these internet goofs talkin about Fedor.... FEDOR SUCKS... fedor isn't even top 5 at heavyweight". WHAT?!?!

- Dana is asked about Pro Elite. He says he has never dealt with them. He said it's a very very tough business.

- Dana says Forrest has shoulder surgery next. When he comes back he'll be in line for a title shot.

- Dana says he wants to run a show in Japan.

- Dana says he's kind of surprised the way Randy is handling this whole thing. He blames it on this Hollywood agent. He says the guy is a joke and is telling Randy false things. He says it's 'Hollywood Bull****'.

- Brock Lesnar once again says he's taking this seriously. He loves to fight. Wants to become successful and win the belt.

- Chuck says he never looks back at losses. He said he's focused on this fight and doesn't feel any extra pressure.

- Silva says if the fight goes to the ground Chuck is going to have problems with him.

- Silva says he always gives his best and is waiting for this fight. Silva is asked if he is ready physically and mentally. He says he's training hard and wants to come back to the top. He says he's going to get better and still has good fights ahead of him. He says in the next two years your going to see his best fights.

- Dana says the Fedor deal fell apart because his managers are 'FULL OF ****'. Fedor's manager is 'A f***IN LIAR'. He gets real pissed off and says "Good luck to him wherever he's fighting because I don't want him in UFC'.

- Dana is FIRED UP folks. Phew.

- Dana once again said Randy is under contract with UFC, yadda yadda yadda. He said he loves Randy and UFC is his home. He considers him a friend forever. He says when they get together tad figure it out.

- He says UFC is coming to Canada in 2008.

- Silva said he likes living in Vegas. He says he loves his money and has not gambled yet.

- Dana says he currently doesn't have anyone for Brock Lesnar yet. He says they are going to 'bring in a guy' who can test him.

- He said people don't realize how bit his Silva-Liddell fight. He said the night they walk into the arena people will know.

- Dana says the winner of Silva-Liddell is the #1 contender. Forrest and Jardine are in the mix too, though.

- Lesnar said he needs to make a statement in his first UFC fight. He said he's anxious to get into the octagon.

- Dana said everyone knows WWE is fake but they are all athletes. He puts over Brock again. He says he thinks many WWE fans are going to tune in to see him fight.

- Brock says he trains daily with Greg Nelson in Minnesota.

- Dana says the money that is paid to the fighters should not be made public. Dana got fired up and said it's all about the fighters and not the money. He said the fighters and promoters can discuss money, but not the fans.

- Dana says they will be back in Floridia by 2008.

- Dana confirms a TOTAL of 12 fights over 3 years. 4 per year over 3 years. That's the new SpikeTV deal. It runs through 2012.

- Dana says the UFC is the leader. He says UFC is paving the way for the sport.

- Brock says he knows he needs a standup game as well. Lesnar says he knows he has to be good with his hands.

- Chuck says he made the decision to fight again the next day when he was feeling fine. He said it never crossed his mind to retire. He said he loves to fight still and says as long as they want him they'll be out there.

- Chuck said a few people asked him about retiring and he said he makes his own decisions. He said Dana knew him and gave him time.

- Dana thanked everyone and that's it.

Mr.Nice Guy

Dana's head is up his ass.

Fozzy

Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »

Dana's head is up his ass.

He's a promoter and I don't think he could play his role any better. It's his job to convince people that the UFC is the best at what they do and I'm sure he convinced a few more at that conference

I watched Randy's press conference from about eight minutes into it, I'd forgotten about it. I was trying to get some work done at the same time so I couldn't pay full attention, but some of the things he said were:

• His contract with the UFC was an 18 month, four fight contract. It's his understanding that if he doesn't have the four fights within the 18 months then the contract runs out. He said that it's a matter of interpretation, which is why Dana claims that he won't be able to fight elsewhere even after the nine months. Randy said that he's got his lawyer looking at it
  
  
• He made clear a good few times that he hasn't got any intentions of fighting elsewhere at the moment, but that he does feel that he's got some fights left in him. He talked about how PRIDE offered him a contract while he was with the UFC and how Bodog offered him a lot of money to fight when he was coming out of retirement, but he said that he's a very loyal person which is why he told the UFC about it and that he wanted to stick with them
  
  
• He said that he's had an offer in the past to fight Fedor, but he wanted to stick with the UFC
  
  
• He was asked about how things might have been different if he'd come public with his grievances a few months ago. Randy said that he believes it would have made the situation worse. He said that when he had problems he went straight to Dana and the Fertittas to try to sort them out
  
  
• He said he spoke with Dana and Lorenzo Fertitta on the phone during the week and that it wasn't a shouting match, that it was a calm conversation. He wouldn't say anything bad about Dana
  
  
• He said the main issue was that he didn't feel like he was being appreciated enough. The fact that Fedor was being offered a contract much larger than his own really got to him, as he'd been with the UFC for 11 years
  
  
• He was asked about fighter pay in general and he said that it's a shame that there's guys earning just $3000 a fight. He said that he believes there should be more health care, not just for when they're fighting, but for when they're training as well, because if a guy gets injured training then he's not able to earn the money to pay for the health care

I missed the bit where he addressed the figures being reported as how much he was being paid (assuming he did address that). He came across real classy and without any ulterior motives. He was appreciative of the UFC and what they've done for his life. Still a guy you can look up to

Mr.Nice Guy

Fozzy wrote: »

He's a promoter and I don't think he could play his role any better. It's his job to convince people that the UFC is the best at what they do and I'm sure he convinced a few more at that conference

He could do his role a hell of a lot better. Some of his statements just make him look like a cocky prick. For example...

Dana White "all these internet goofs talkin about Fedor.... FEDOR SUCKS... fedor isn't even top 5 at heavyweight"

This the same Fedor you've been trying desperately to get on board, Dana? Quote from the great promoter Dana three months ago...

"Fedor versus Randy would be a battle of the two best heavyweights on earth, and we're gonna get Fedor"

Whoops. He makes himself look like a fool with his comments and in turn makes UFC look bad. You didn't see Vince McMahon come out and say "Austin's an asshole" when Austin left the WWE in the lurch even though I'm sure that's how he felt. You've got to be professional.

Doesn't surprise me Dana White couldn't get the guy he wanted and that his top guy left him.

Fozzy

Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »

Whoops. He makes himself look like a fool with his comments and in turn makes UFC look bad. You didn't see Vince McMahon come out and say "Austin's an asshole" when Austin left the WWE in the lurch even though I'm sure that's how he felt. You've got to be professional.

Most people aren't going to remember all that though. The casual fan will see Fedor in M-1 and because Dana has hyped the UFC up so good, they'll think that he's a nobody and M-1 is a joke. Unless M-1 pulls out some amazing promotional work, Fedor's fight in February won't do anywhere near as well as the worst viewed UFC events

Vince rarely talks to the press anyway. He laid into Lionsgate earlier this year though about The Condemned, pretty much along the same lines as what Dana did here. Dana's better able to connect with his target audience though because of the way he speaks and acts

Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »

Doesn't surprise me Dana White couldn't get the guy he wanted and that his top guy left him.

Does it surprise you that the UFC is by far and away the biggest MMA promotion in the world?

Mr.Nice Guy

Fozzy wrote: »

Most people aren't going to remember all that though. The casual fan will see Fedor in M-1 and because Dana has hyped the UFC up so good, they'll think that he's a nobody and M-1 is a joke. Unless M-1 pulls out some amazing promotional work, Fedor's fight in February won't do anywhere near as well as the worst viewed UFC events.

Why would most people think that? I'd consider myself a casual fan in the sense that I'll watch a big show but am not interested in following it closely. Now I am of the view that this guy is talking out of his arse here so why wouldn't others think so? If he's hyping up a guy one minute and ripping him to shreds the next, what does that say about his credibility?

Fozzy wrote:

Vince rarely talks to the press anyway. He laid into Lionsgate earlier this year though about The Condemned, pretty much along the same lines as what Dana did here. Dana's better able to connect with his target audience though because of the way he speaks and acts

You can't be serious? Pretty much along the same lines? Did Vince say they "sucked"? No. He said they "sabotaged" the film, didn't give enough support etc but he didn't act like some spoilt teen who didn't get his way.

And is Dana really connecting with his audience? I've been reading some other forums and people are of the view that he's retarded for making his comments about Fedor. Some have said UFC even need new management.

Fozzy wrote:

Does it surprise you that the UFC is by far and away the biggest MMA promotion in the world?

Not especially, though it does surprise me that UFC is hurting its potential to get even bigger by having this guy come out and spout his crap.

Vince135792003

Fozzy wrote: »

Dana's better able to connect with his target audience though because of the way he speaks and acts

Exactly, there's a real contrast to him and say boxing promoters like Don King or Frank Warren. There's a directness about Dana thats appealing.

Sure you have some hardcore fans on the net who don't like him but many of these people were the ones saying that doing Tito/Ken 3 would be stupid. The fight did record numbers. They just didn't get it. And they in no way represent casual fans who watch the UFC.

Also compare this conference call to TNA's two weeks ago with Dixie Carter. They ran out of questions for her after 15 minutes because basically everyone knew she was only going to answer powder puff questions. You ask Dana a question. He'll answer it.

I have to say I admire the guy a whole lot. To take UFC from where he has, which was the absolute ****s in temrs of business, to where they are today is big achievement.

I think he and Fertittas bought it for just 2 million 6 years ago. They made around 3 million alone on the gate at Cincinatti last week. God knows how much the UFC is worth today.

That's not to say he doesn't make mistakes (The Tito fight documentary as one example) or say stupid things sometimes. He does. We all do.

But bare in mind though, that was a 90 minute conference call that 99% of their casual audience will only hear the bear bones about ie. Lidell versus Silva December 30th BUY IT.

Vince135792003

From UFC junkie:

UFC Officials Rebut Randy Couture’s Pay Claims
Posted by MMA Junkie on October 30, 2007 at 6:11 pm ET

Dana WhiteUFC President Dana White, co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta, and chief financial officer John Mulkey today addressed Randy Couture’s complaints from a press conference the UFC heavyweight champion held last week at his training center in Las Vegas.

White spearheaded the UFC’s rebuttal, specifically addressing Couture’s salary estimates, a complaint that he never received a signing bonus, and claims from Couture’s wife, Kim, that the UFC didn’t promote her husband during his UFC career.

The press conference took place at Zuffa LLC’s headquarters in Las Vegas and was streamed live online at UFC.com and MMAjunkie.comc content-partner site Yahoo! Sports.

Much of the media event was spent breaking down Couture’s per-fight pay.

White and Fertitta insisted that Couture restructured his existing contract when he came out of retirement back in January, and as part of the new deal, he earned a $500,000 signing bonus — half of which was paid at the signing and the other half after his first fight. Couture claims he never received a signing bonus and that the $500,000 the UFC is referencing was actually a predetermined “locker-room” bonus the two parties agreed upon.

Additionally, while both sides agree that Couture made a base pay of $250,000 per fight under his new deal, each gave very different numbers when it came to Couture’s cut of pay-per-view revenue. Mulkey said that the UFC had an estimated 534,000 “buys” for UFC 68 and 485,000 buys for UFC 74. Couture claimed he received about $500,000 per fight with his cut of the buys, though Murkey said Couture got $936,000 for UFC 68 and will get an estimated $787,000 for UFC 74.

All told, Couture said he made approximately $750,000 per fight. Today, though, Murkey and White said Couture earned $1.186 million for UFC 68 and $1.127 million for UFC 74.

White said the numbers were more than fair considering the status of Couture’s career before he came out of retirement.

“This is a guy who got knocked out in back-to-back fights to Chuck Liddell, which isn’t the greatest way to go out,” White said.

UFC officials distributed photocopies of Couture’s bout agreements and his canceled checks to prove their figures.

During today’s press conference, it was also revealed that Couture earned $200,000 per year as part of an employment contract (which included his duties as a legislative ambassador) and $50,000 annually as a part-time commentator during UFC broadcasts.

White also addressed claims from Kim Couture, Randy’s wife, who posted a story on the Xtreme Couture MMA blog over the weekend in which she claimed the UFC did a poor job of promoting her husband. (That blog entry has since been removed.)

White pointed to the first season of “The Ultimate Fighter” (in which Couture was featured as a coach), the second season (in which he was a paid consultant who designed and hosted the “challenges” on each episode) and the fourth season (in which he was brought back as a guest instructor). He also mentioned a special “Randy Couture Day” that aired on Spike TV on Aug. 23 — one that White claims he developed — as further proof the fighter was heavily promoted by the organization.

“The guy became a big star because we got behind him and promoted him,” White said.

Despite the current situation, White said that Couture will be offered the opportunity to return to the octagon in early 2007. After all, White said, you can’t resign from a contract.

“We’re going to offer Randy a fight with (Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira) probably in February,” White said. “As far as I’m concerned, Randy Couture is our heavyweight champion right now.“

The star of the press conference, though, was Steve Cofield, a radio host for FoxSportsRadio1460 in Las Vegas who runs the Mr. Sunshine blog. Cofield asked many tough questions, though he didn’t always get a straight answer. He broached the topics of Couture possibly fighting for M-1 Global, whether or not the UFC might end up suing Couture, and how much exactly the UFC was willing to pay former free agent Fedor Emelianenko. Other than saying Couture would have made more than Emelianenko and that he would never allow Couture to fight for M-1 while he’s under contract to the UFC, White tiptoed around the questions.

One question that was answered rather succinctly, though, was whether or not the UFC is a monopoly like Couture claims.

“Just because we’re better than everyone else and we do it better than anyone else doesn’t meant we’re a monopoly,” White said.