Will
10-14-2007, 04:18 PM
UFC President Dana White says he’s “not surprised” by Randy Couture’s decision to quit the UFC despite the 44-year-old champion having two fights remaining on his contract.
The UFC’s head honcho today issued a statement on the organization’s official website, UFC.com. In it, White hinted at no ill-will with the UFC Hall of Famer and even said that he’d be ready to promote Couture if he decides to come out of “retirement.“
Said White:
“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.“
Couture came out of retirement in March to defeat then-champ Tim Sylvia for the UFC heavyweight title. He signed a four-fight deal as part of the return; however, back in February (before he even fought Sylvia), Couture said he wouldn’t necessarily fulfill the terms of the contract and would instead reevaluate his career on a fight-by-fight basis.
Although Couture told The Fight Network earlier today that the UFC’s inability to sign top-ranked heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko played a part in his decision, money — or lack of it — may have played bigger role.
Earlier this year, officials from Zuffa LLC (the UFC’s parent company) purchased the Japanese-based PRIDE Fighting Championships, but the UFC had to re-sign many of the organization’s top fighters to new deals. The elite — such as Mauricio “Shogun” Rua — demanded significant salaries that rivaled those of fighters such as Couture.
Couture earned a base salary of $250,000 and a portion of pay-per-view revenue for a victory over Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 74 in August (In his UFC debut, Rua earned $150,000 in a UFC 76 loss to Forrest Griffin last month.)
The UFC’s head honcho today issued a statement on the organization’s official website, UFC.com. In it, White hinted at no ill-will with the UFC Hall of Famer and even said that he’d be ready to promote Couture if he decides to come out of “retirement.“
Said White:
“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.“
Couture came out of retirement in March to defeat then-champ Tim Sylvia for the UFC heavyweight title. He signed a four-fight deal as part of the return; however, back in February (before he even fought Sylvia), Couture said he wouldn’t necessarily fulfill the terms of the contract and would instead reevaluate his career on a fight-by-fight basis.
Although Couture told The Fight Network earlier today that the UFC’s inability to sign top-ranked heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko played a part in his decision, money — or lack of it — may have played bigger role.
Earlier this year, officials from Zuffa LLC (the UFC’s parent company) purchased the Japanese-based PRIDE Fighting Championships, but the UFC had to re-sign many of the organization’s top fighters to new deals. The elite — such as Mauricio “Shogun” Rua — demanded significant salaries that rivaled those of fighters such as Couture.
Couture earned a base salary of $250,000 and a portion of pay-per-view revenue for a victory over Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 74 in August (In his UFC debut, Rua earned $150,000 in a UFC 76 loss to Forrest Griffin last month.)