Randy Couture
Randy Couture
Randall "Randy" Duane Coutureis an American actor, retired mixed martial artist and former collegiate and Greco-Roman wrestler. During his tenures in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Couture became a three-time UFC Heavyweight Champion, two-time UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, an interim UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and the UFC 13 Heavyweight Tournament Winner. Couture is the first of only two fighters to hold two UFC championship titles in two different divisions...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionMMA Fighter
Date of Birth22 June 1963
CityEverett, WA
CountryUnited States of America
I'd like to see the sport grow to fill that void between the top echelon fighters and the young guys.
'Fight Master' is a show that Spike came up with. Obviously, Spike has a vested interest in Bellator, which is filling a void that was created when the UFC and 'The Ultimate Fighter' left and went to Fox. I think this fills a huge piece of the puzzle for the folks at Spike, in terms of demographics and what programming they like to do.
The show's put us over the top. And the biggest thing is educating them on what we do and who we are as athletes. That's huge. It breaks down a lot of misconceptions people have about us mixed martial artists that fight in a cage.
I started wrestling at ten. I played a lot of other sports: soccer, football. I really enjoyed skiing. But wrestling just took off for me. It seemed to be the sport I had an affinity for; I liked the individual, combative nature. There's something special about that. It took me all the places I wanted to go.
I was prepared, as prepared as I've ever been, but he just caught me. Chuck's a great champion and it was an honor for me to fight him (three) times.
When people first started watching UFC, it seemed like a no-holds barred event... early on it looked like all the fighters were crazy. Actually, there are a lot of techniques, and the reality shows have let people see the fighters behind the scenes.
'Fight Master' is a proving ground for young, aspiring fighters who want a chance to play on a bigger stage. That's something it has in common with 'The Ultimate Fighter,' which has always been like a farm league for the UFC, a place to develop new talent.
A lot of these guys in 'Fight Master' will compete in Bellator and in mixed mart arts for quite some time.
They realized that the product here is the athlete. It's not about the brand. You promote the athletes and the brand is going to grow. I think that was the major shift in thinking from the old organization to the new organization.
This is the last time you'll see me in these gloves and these shorts in this Octagon, because I'm retiring. That's it for me. It's time to do something else.
The most important thing that I've figured out is that things work out the way they're supposed to. We try to have all this control and fashion things the way we want, but everything happens for a reason, and in the end it works out the way it's supposed to.
I think both Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva are establishing legacies just by how long they've maintained their championship runs. I think both of them still have a lot left in their careers.
I was making about $25,000 a year as a coaching assistant at my old school (Oregon State). I made more than that in my first two UFC fights. This hasn't just allowed us to keep competing. It's also given us a way to earn a living.
You have to find ways to relate to the characters you get to play. Put it in terms and in a context that speaks to you.