According to a story on ProMMAInsider.com Saturday morning, Randy Couture, after cutting all ties with the UFC and heading to Spike TV and Bellator, is no longer welcome at UFC events. At least that is according to Dana White.
In fact, it was even made clear by Dana White that Randy would not be allowed to corner fights for his son, Ryan Couture, as long as he is fighting under the UFC banner. The problem with that is it is not up to Dana White who is approved to work the corner of fighters. That job belongs to the athletic commissions. However, if White doesn’t want Randy Couture there, that obviously puts Ryan Couture in a difficult situation.
“I’ve cornered Ryan for most of his fights, and certainly his last three fights I’ve been a big part of his camp,” Couture told the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown” show on Wednesday. “At the end of the day, what’s most important to me is that I do what’s best for Ryan. It sucks that Ryan will have to make a decision like that. Do you want to make waves with the organization and push it with Dana in order to have his dad in his camp and in his corner?”
After retiring from a storied career that saw him capture titles as both a heavyweight and light heavyweight, Couture continued to work for the UFC as an analyst. His decision to leave the promotion allowed him to head to Bellator to serve as a coach on their upcoming reality show. Also, he will be the star of another Spike TV series, “MMA Rescue.”
Ryan Couture, meanwhile, is among the fighters the UFC brought over following the Strikeforce brand being shut down. Having his last name can certainly be helpful, but it also comes with more than a few difficulties, particularly considering the fractured relationship of his father and White.
“We’ve come up with a fairly simple and easy way to communicate and deal with those things because frankly, it’s been a challenge for Ryan from the start to be in the same sport and to be dragging around that last name,” Randy Couture said. “It’s created unique challenges and a burden and some extra stress that most fighters don’t have to deal with, and he’s taken all that in stride.”
Ultimately, the elder Couture said any decisions made about who will be in Ryan’s corner will be up to his son.
“This is one more instance where unfortunately he’s going to have to deal with a little extracurricular stuff that most fighters wouldn’t have to deal with,” Couture said. “We’ll figure it out and we’ll do what’s best for Ryan at the end of the day.”
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