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At the sprightly age of 47, UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture is old enough to be some peoples’ father, and in a few cases their grand pappy. Couture was considered “old” five years ago, however has rattled off three consecutive wins and appears to be fending off Father Time better than ever.
Regardless, the Fountain of Youth will inevitably run dry and “The Naturual” will be forced to hang up his iconic MMA gloves once and for all. If you ask his attorney Sam Spira, the odds of it happening sooner rather than later are much better than anything you could swing in Vegas.
“We’re sorting through things right now,” Spira told MMAFighting of their multitude of options.
Although Couture still has three fights remaining on his current UFC contract, with little more to prove parlayed with a budding silver screen career, it’s likely the sport’s most beloved figure could call it a day.
“It’s possible,” Spira said of Couture’s conceivable retirement. “I’d say right now it’s a toss-up. If something came up that was interesting, he would fight irrespective of whether he got a meaningful Hollywood role. But there’s other stuff for him to do that’s MMA-related.
“I think many would be surprised at some of the things we are working on. So he doesn’t have to be actively fighting in the ring to remain active. Is it possible he may not fight again? Yeah, it’s possible. I’d say it’s a toss-up.”
Couture was seen last month cruising to a 1stRound submission victory over boxing legend James Toney at UFC 118. To have that victory stand as his final Octagon appearance wouldn’t be all that bad, although it isn’t nearly as nice as seeing him hoist up another championship belt.
“I’m not sure what Randy is focused upon, whether or not he has another run at the title [in mind],” Spira added. “If they said, ‘Will you fight Shogun [Rua] for the title?’ I think he would, but the title itself is not as important as the fight he’s offered.”
Fedor Emelianenko hinted yesterday that he too might hit up the retirement home after his next fight for Strikeforce. If that’s the case, it’s possible mixed martial arts could lose its two biggest active legends within the same year. On the flipside, this could just be old hat from the old man as Couture has successfully unretired on multiple occasions.
Regardless, the Fountain of Youth will inevitably run dry and “The Naturual” will be forced to hang up his iconic MMA gloves once and for all. If you ask his attorney Sam Spira, the odds of it happening sooner rather than later are much better than anything you could swing in Vegas.
“We’re sorting through things right now,” Spira told MMAFighting of their multitude of options.
Although Couture still has three fights remaining on his current UFC contract, with little more to prove parlayed with a budding silver screen career, it’s likely the sport’s most beloved figure could call it a day.
“It’s possible,” Spira said of Couture’s conceivable retirement. “I’d say right now it’s a toss-up. If something came up that was interesting, he would fight irrespective of whether he got a meaningful Hollywood role. But there’s other stuff for him to do that’s MMA-related.
“I think many would be surprised at some of the things we are working on. So he doesn’t have to be actively fighting in the ring to remain active. Is it possible he may not fight again? Yeah, it’s possible. I’d say it’s a toss-up.”
Couture was seen last month cruising to a 1stRound submission victory over boxing legend James Toney at UFC 118. To have that victory stand as his final Octagon appearance wouldn’t be all that bad, although it isn’t nearly as nice as seeing him hoist up another championship belt.
“I’m not sure what Randy is focused upon, whether or not he has another run at the title [in mind],” Spira added. “If they said, ‘Will you fight Shogun [Rua] for the title?’ I think he would, but the title itself is not as important as the fight he’s offered.”
Fedor Emelianenko hinted yesterday that he too might hit up the retirement home after his next fight for Strikeforce. If that’s the case, it’s possible mixed martial arts could lose its two biggest active legends within the same year. On the flipside, this could just be old hat from the old man as Couture has successfully unretired on multiple occasions.
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