UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture has quit today. According to reports, Couture notified UFC president Dana White of his decision during a phone call from the set of his new movie in Africa. Couture is currently filming for a role in the upcoming Scorpion King sequal.
According to reports, Couture walked away from the UFC because he felt he had not been treated fairly by the company in terms of payouts for fights. Couture also indicated that he simply felt there were no competitors remaining to challenge him that would be worthy of his efforts.
Fans had been awaiting a possible matchup between Fedor Emelinenko and Randy Couture in the UFC. Those plans were abandoned when Fedor signed a contract with the M-1 Fighting organization in Russia. Couture has no plans on pursing a fight in Russia.
The issue of fight payouts has long been an issue among UFC competitors. Its been reported the as champion, Couture earned around $250,000 per fight, while some of his challengers recieved as much as $750,000 per fight. Many percieve this as a show of disrespect towards Couture and a lack of respect for his status as Champion.
Randy Couture has been the backbone of the UFC for many years. He might never have recieved the mainstream appeal of guys like Ken Shamrock, Tito Ortiz, or Chuck Liddell, but he certainly did as much as any of them when it came to promoting and representing the sport of mixed martial arts. Couture might not have been the face of the UFC, but he was certainly its heart and soul.
No comments:
Post a Comment