Randy Couture will be launching his New York Times bestselling autobiography 'Becoming The Natural' in the UK the day after his UFC bout with Brandon Vera. Couture, who recently inked a new six-fight deal with the UFC is looking forward to fighting and seeing his UK fans this weekend.
The UFC legend is a fan favorite accross the pond, and in a recent interview with the Manchester Evening News he said Manchester based boxing legend Ricky Hatton should quit boxing and become a MMA fighter, and he would even train him and take him to the top.
This weekend is a real treat for UK MMA fans to see one of the most recognizable faces in the fastest growing sport on the planet and an oppurtunity to meet a mordern-day sports hero who helped bring the sport to a much more mainstream audience. The official UK book release and signing event will take place at the Hard Rock Cafe, Exchange Square, Manchester City Centre on Sunday, November 15, between 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Brandon "The Truth" Vera dishes on his improved stamina that could give him an advantage when he faces Randy Couture at UFC 105 in Manchester, England.
Cash4Gold, the world’s #1 gold buyer from the general public, today congratulated mixed martial arts champion Randy “The Natural” Couture on his new six-fight deal with the UFC. The company also announced that it is prouder than ever to be sponsoring Couture and his Xtreme Couture G.I. Foundation following his hard-fought battle with Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira at UFC 102 on Saturday in Portland.
Cash4Gold announced on August 28 a sponsorship of Couture and his Xtreme Couture G.I. Foundation. The company is also backing a promotion that will send a lucky winner to Couture’s Xtreme Couture MMA Training Camp in Las Vegas.
“Randy Couture is a living legend with the heart of a lion,” said Cash4Gold CEO Jeff Aronson. “Put simply, we could not be prouder of our affiliation with Couture and his Xtreme Couture G.I. Foundation.”
MMA fans who visit www.cash4gold.com/couture or call 1-800-798-1139 and send in their unwanted gold will be automatically entered to win a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Couture’s training camp.
The contest winner will travel to Las Vegas - airfare and luxury hotel accommodations provided by Cash4Gold - for Xtreme Couture MMA Training Camp. During the three day camp, Xtreme Couture will provide instruction focused on Jiu-Jitsu, kickboxing, Muay Thai and wrestling as they apply to MMA, as well as a session focusing on mental discipline and an autograph signing and photo session with Randy “The Natural” Couture.
(Disclosure: Cash4Gold is an MMAWeekly.com paid advertiser.)
Randy Couture is heading into a main event fight at UFC 102 this weekend, facing the very tough Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Fedor Emelianenko snuffed the UFC and took his toys with him over to Strikeforce.
Yet Couture is still plagued by the Sisyphean questions about the two meeting in the ring.
Couture was asked the question again at a recent UFC 102 media call, and you could hear the weariness of the question in his answer.
"I've already been down that road (leaving the UFC to fight Fedor) and I spent more than 13 months trying to find a way to fight him somewhere else because it didn't look like it would happen in the UFC," Couture retorted.
"I think that the best thing that could happen for me right now is for him to come to the UFC. I think sooner or later he's gonna have to come to the UFC, hopefully I'm still around and in the shape I'm in now to be able to fight him.
"If the fight's gonna happen, I think it's gonna happen in the UFC."
It obviously sounds as if the 46-year-old former UFC champion intends to finish out his career with the promotion, but the tone of his voice didn't hold out much hope that Fedor would find his way to the Octagon before Couture leaves his shoes on the mat one final time.
Get a look at Randy Couture as he steps up his training to take on Minotauro Nogueira for UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira - Saturday, August 29th, live on Pay-Per-View from the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon. (Courtesy of UFC)
"If the worst thing that happens to Gina (Carano) or Forrest (Griffin) is they lose a fight, they're doing pretty damn good."
Such are the words of the namesake of Carano and Griffin's training gym, Xtreme Couture, former UFC champion Randy Couture.
"It's all part of the process. I don't think there's anything negative there," said Couture during a media call on Tuesday to promotion his upcoming fight at UFC 102 with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.
"Obviously, Forrest was very emotional in the cage when he lost to Anderson (Silva), but I think that's because he works so damn hard, and like everybody, we all hate to lose. He's been back in the gym already. I saw him (Monday) here and he's back to training."
With a professional record of 16-9, Couture has been through the ups and downs of mixed martial arts many times. It all comes with the territory if you want to be a professional athlete, he says.
"I don't necessarily see that as a negative. It's all part of the learning and growing process," Couture pontificated.
"The same thing for Gina. Obviously she was a little embarrassed by the outcome (in losing to Cris Cyborg), but overall she did a great job in that fight. She had some opportunities to win and she did some good things. She did some things we trained to do.
"I think the adversity of losing that fight is going to be very, very important for her development as a fighter.
"I know from my own experience, the fights that I've lost were very important to me, and if I could go back and change them, I don't think I would. I think I learned more and became a better person and a better athlete for having experienced those things.
"And I know Gina and Forrest are both in that same boat."
Future NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre, for the second year in a row, decided to turn his back on retirement and continue his career as one of the NFL's top quarterbacks. At 39 years of age and a reported $10 million to $12 million contract in front of you, why not?
After retiring from the Green Bay Packers two years ago, Favre did an about face and signed on and played for the N.Y. Jets last year. Following the season, he once again hung up his cleats. But now that training camp is nearly over, he has decided to return again, this time to the Minnesota Vikings.
But what does this have to do with MMA? Not a whole lot really, except that Favre is good friends with former multi-time UFC champion Randy Couture, who on Tuesday, addressed his friend's decision to return to the NFL.
Of course, there are a lot of parallels to be drawn between the two athletes, Couture often saying that he will continue as long as his body can keep up and the passion to compete in MMA still burns. And he feels the same holds true for Favre.
"Well, I think that Brett still has a strong competitive spirit. I'm not surprised he finally made the decision to continue to compete. I think that's the thing in all of us that dies hard," Couture said.
"It's not something that we walk away from easily. He struggled with that decision that last couple years.
"He had an amazing season last season with the Jets, so I'm glad that the Vikings, it looks like, are gonna give him a chance and he's gonna get to continue to hopefully continue to put some good numbers up on the board and have another great year."
Couture gets his own opportunity to keep his career going next week as the UFC 102 lands in his back yard of Portland, Ore. He will face Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in the main event, marking the promotion's first stop in the Pacific Northwest.
We're blogging today's UFC 102 conference call with Randy Couture and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, live, beginning at 11 a.m. PT / 2 p.m. ET. Refresh the page frequently for the latest updates...
11:48 - That's it folks...
11:46 - Randy and Nog both say that it's easier to go out and do your job as a fighter when there isn't any animosity between you and your opponent. There's not so much wasted energy on emotions.
11:42 - Randy says there was no negativity around the gym due to Forrest Griffin and Gina Carano losing their fights recently. "If losing a fight is the worst thing that happens to them, they're doing pretty damn good." Says those are just good learning experiences and both of them will come back stronger.
Says that Forrest returned to the gym yesterday (Monday, Aug. 17).
Randy says his divorce with Kim is going a little easier than his last divorce, not really being a distraction.
Nog says he has had three fights in the UFC and has yet to show his best performance.
11:40 - Randy on Cain Velasquez and Shane Carwin: "I think they're both great athletes... they both deserve to be right up at the top of the weight class. It's going to be real interesting to see who comes out of that fight... and how."
Nog on Cain and Shane: "Both are top guys in the weight division. Cain shows a lot of heart in his fights and great endurance. It's going to be a great fight."
Randy, since when have you wanted to fight Nogueira?: Says he was excited about meeting him in the finals of the Rings King of Kings tournament before Randy got beat. He was "impressed with his performances (then)... He's certainly been one of the top guys in the sport and I'm happy to get the chance to compete against now."
11:38 - Randy names Martin Kampmann, Tyson Griffin, and Mike Pyle as guys in the Xtreme Couture gym to really watch for.
11:37 - Randy's hi-point and low-point in the cage: "Coming back out of retirement (against Tim Sylvia) is definitely one. If I had a low-point, probably around the third Chuck fight."
Nog on hi-point and low-point in the cage: "Like he said probably couple injuries, like last fight (against Frank Mir)... I feel like I couldn't train for this fight, that was a low-point for sure. I think submission I got against Tim Sylvia (was the high-point)."
Randy on how to beat Brock Lesnar: "I think it's gonna boil down to out-wrestling him... Using the cage and finding ways to make him fight off of his back... there's no easy way around a guy that size."
Nog on how to beat Brock Lesnar: "I think the jiu-jitsu game with him... we got to try any kind of submission, make him work on the ground, make him tired."
11:33 - Randy on 3 rounds vs. 5 rounds. It's his first 3-rounder since Van Arsdale a few years ago: "You can't afford to have a slow start in any fight, but especially not in a three-round fight..."
Randy says against Nogueira, who is only about 10 pounds heavier, this fight is more about technical issues than physical issues like his most recent fights have been.
Nog says he has been training a lot in Greco-Roman style wrestling to prepare for Randy. "He's a normal size, so I didn't train with anybody special (to emulate his body type)."
11:28 - Randy on age; he's 46: "I don't worry about it. You set benchmarks for yourself" and when you stop reaching those benchmarks, then you'll know the time is coming.
Nog is 33, is this an advantage: "No... (but) I've been doing my part, taking care of injuries (and being in shape). I think both (of us) will be in shape."
11:26 - Randy: "(Oregon) is turning into a wonderful place (to develop fighters.) It's an honor for me to be back in front of a bunch of family and friends in Oregon."
Randy on how long he wants to fight: "I'm holding up very well physically. I'm gonna continue to take it one fight at a time and doing what I do well."
11:23 - Nog: "I'm 33 years old, I think I have a lot of (fight left in me). I feel young. I feel healthy. I am still very competitive."
Nog on his brother, Rogerio coming to UFC: "Yeah, he's going to be coming soon... for sure, he's coming to UFC. Once they close the deal, he's coming to UFC for sure."
11:20 - Randy ever on Dancing With the Stars: "I did a little cameo a couple seasons ago. I think it's really cool that Chuck is gonna do that."
11:18 - Randy on longevity: "I have a passion for the sport. It's not just work, it's what I lave to do."
On leaving UFC to fight Fedor: "If it's gonna happen, I think it's gonna happen in the UFC."
Randy on looking past "It would be stupid to look past this fight."
Nog: "I feel I have to do way better than I did in my last match."
Randy: "I don't feel a lot of pressure. I feel I performed well against Lesnar... I just got caught."
11:15 - Randy on Strikeforce on Saturday: "I think it was a historical event. I think the UFC has entertained the idea (of women fighting), but they're not there yet."
Nog on whether he should get a title shot if he wins: "I need to think about this fight right now. I can't think about the future before this fight happens. I think that is a very good fight for me."
11:13 - Nog: "Bad fights happen. I couldn't be in shape," talking about how bad his knees were in the Frank Mir fight. "(Now) I feel very good. I brought all of my partners to California and I have been training very hard."
11:11 - Randy on Brett Farve: "I think Brett has a strong competitive spirit. I'm not surprised he finally made the decision to continue to compete."
Nog: "Its' going to be a great fight for me... (being in Portland) I know I'm gonna have plenty of people against me."
11:09 - Randy "It's going to be nice performing in front of my home town. It's awesome to be the main event in the Pacific Northwest, and I'm excited about it."
Randy talks about having spent a lot of time working on his jiu-jitsu/submissions and says "I have to be especially attentive there."
11:07 - Randy "I can't afford to look past Minotauro." Commenting about possible shot at Brock Lesnar if he wins this fight.
Regardless of how Nogueira performed against Mir, Randy says, "I have to prepare for the best Minotauro we've ever seen."
11:05 - We're just now getting underway. Introducing Randy and Nog.
On location at the Xtreme Couture Gym in Las Vegas, Gina Carano and her legendary trainer Randy Couture talk about her strategies for both training and taking on Cris Cyborg. Hosted by Frank Shamrock.
Couture checked in with the guys from ESPNRadio1100 to talk about what he's looking for in the future. He says he deserves the first shot at Fedor if he ever comes to the UFC.
Randy Couture talks with ESPN 1100's Steve Cofield about filming "The Expendables" with Sylvester Stallone, his pending divorce, UFC 100, staying fit, and preparing for Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 102 in Portland.
MMAInsider recently sat down with UFC Hall of Famer and former heavyweight champion Randy Couture, who's on a brief hiatus from work in Sylvester Stallone's "The Expendables," set for release next April. Couture spoke about his role in the movie, working with Stallone, and his rendezvous with the Nogueira brothers on set in Brazil.
MMAInsider: You spoke about Stallone's intensity in the filming process.
Couture: He has an intensity about him. I'm sure he's wearing a lot of hats. He's the writer, he's directing, he's starring in it. There's an intensity there. But at the same time, it's not overwhelming to the point where you don't feel comfortable. He's very in tune with the actors. "This is your line, this is how we want this to come across." So he's easy to work with, and easy to work for.
MMAInsider: He's a big fight fan, too.
Couture: Yeah. The Nogueira brothers were up there. They put on an exhibition round of fights for the guys and (Stallone) made them soldiers in the movie.
MMAInsider: Bad guys or good guys?
Couture: Well, it's all a matter of perspective in this movie.
MMAInsider: Because you're all bad guys in this move, right?
Couture: Not really, but sort of. They're soldiers, the elite band of this dictator Garza, so depending on what side of things you're standing on, they're either good guys or bad guys. We're mercenaries that are going in to overthrow the dictator, so are we the good guys going in to do that? On their side of the fence, we're the bad guys.
MMAInsider: You've got an unusual character name.
Couture: "Toll Road." If you're gonna get by me, you're going to have to pay.
MMAInsider: Is Stallone teaching you anything about film acting?
Couture: Each and every time I get to be a part of the process, it's a learning experience. To see other guys work, you're going through the whole experience again. It's just like fighting. Each and every time I fight I learn something new, and learn something in the training process. I found a new coach for this role, and some of the other roles I've been reading for lately. I'm learning a bunch of new ways to wrap my brain around the lines, and the characters and carrying that into this experience. In a couple of the scenes, me and Stallone have an exchange with the other actors. He wanted to make it flow, make it quick, to make it how it would be if you were intense and under pressure. He wanted a rhythm to the language -- just puke it out there. Because when you're under stress, you don't think about what you want to say -- it just comes out.
MMAInsider: What do you do to get yourself in that heightened state that's necessary for action movies?
Couture: I think finding something to relate to from my own personal experience. Then I have to get warmed up. I can't just jump into that. I have to think about that, go through the lines with the notes in the margins and trying it a few times on my own to get into it, and then you're there.
MMAInsider: What was it like being around the Nogueira brothers on set?
Couture: They're very nice guys. I think everybody on set was used to that boxing mentality because we were scheduled to fight at the end of the summer. I walked right up to them and started talking; they're all gunked up, their faces painted and everything else. It was cool.
MMAInsider: Did they enjoy the process?
Couture: I wondered. I didn't get a chance to spend any personal time with them. It's long days, man. Twelve-hour days, from five to five. I wondered what they think about that, sitting around a bunch.
MMAInsider: How long do you film for?
Couture: June 24th is the date that I wrap up, which is perfect time, because that's when I need to be getting into camp. I think I'm going to be bringing some of my stand-up guys to the set in Louisiana, spend some time sharpening my tools, getting into the right direction.
On Tuesday, UFC hall of famer and former heavyweight champ Randy Couture had his first day on the set of "The Expendables," the Sylvester Stallone-helmed action movie due out next April.
Couture plays a mercenary along with Stallone, Jet Li, Jason Statham, and Dolph Lundgren.
Couture's work is expected to last into early June, after which he will begin preparations to meet Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 102 in August.
On a side note, Stallone has now given roles to Nogueira brothers Rodrigo and Rogerio in addition to some of their academy teammates. MMAInsider's source tells us they're playing "bad guys."
Sherdog.com's new blog reported Stallone palling around with the fighters on set last week.
In a recent posting on the popular mixed martial arts message board, "The Underground," UFC executive Lorenzo Fertitta wrote that the yet-unannounced UFC 101 may not take place in Portland on Aug. 8, as widely reported.
Instead, the Northwest card would be moved to the final Saturday of the month, Aug. 29, with former Gresham resident and heavyweight champ Randy Couture headlining the card against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 102.
MMAWeekly.com first reported that UFC 101 would take place in August, although a date was not available at the time of publication. A subsequent report on mmamania.com stated that Philadelphia had replaced Portland as the city under consideration for the event, leaving "the city of roses" high and dry for the second time since it was passed over for UFC 91.
Not so, according to Fertitta.
Fertitta stated that a lightweight showdown between BJ Penn and Kenny Florian was in the works for the Philadelphia event. Pennsylvania recently passed legislation to legalize MMA in the Northeast state.
UFC 101 and 102 would represent the 22nd and 23rd US states visited by the UFC for a pay per view event.
Randy Couture was on a recent episode of MMA Fix on RawVegas.tv at the Cage Fashion Show. UFC Ring Girl Arianny Celeste interviewed the former UFC champion about a possible match-up with Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic. Cro Cop recently acknowledged that the UFC is one of the promotion's that he is negotiating with now that his Dream contract has ended.
In recent days, rumors have abounded about Randy Couture's next fight. In early January, the former heavyweight champ could not accept a fight with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira for the first half of 2009 due to a nagging elbow injury that needed surgery. Couture expected to eventually face the Brazilian, but was booked for the coming months with the upcoming action flick "The Expendables" starring Sylvester Stallone.
Several reports said Couture's rumored participation in the UFC's trip to Germany at UFC 99 had become a reality, with the 46 year-old fighter scheduled to face off-again/on-again UFC'er Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic in the main event of the June 13 card.
However, a source close to Couture says it is virtually impossible that the popular fighter will grace the card due to his film obligations and need for a proper 8 week training camp. Couture will, however, assist the UFC in a yet-undefined promotional role for the event.
Couture is fluent--with a little dust-off--in German from his days there in the US Army.
The source said a summer appearance was likely, but there were a number of variables that would play into Couture's eventual return. Of the "Natural"'s elbow, he is reportedly back in the gym as his hectic schedule allows.
Randy Couture discusses Fedor Emelianenko's recent fight with Andrei Arlovski, his motivations for returning to the UFC, the possibility of Fedor coming to the UFC to fight him, and more with Steve Cofield of ESPN Radio 1100 and CageWriter.com.
Former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion, Randy "The Natural" Couture, is one of the pound-for-pound greatest fighters in mixed martial arts history, but the man behind the Xtreme Couture trademark doesn't put much weight in pound-for-pound rankings.
"It's such a hard thing to really objectively look at and determine. You can make a case for a lot of the guys out there," Couture told MMAInsider.
Pound-for-Pound rankings are the most subjective rankings out there. The criteria is speculation derived from hypothetics.
"St. Pierre is firing on all cylinders right now. BJ Penn looks great at 155-pounds. I think it's the best I've seen him look. Anderson Silva, until this last fight, has been impressive in his performances," commented Couture. "For Fedor [Emelianenko] to walk through a top-five fighter like Tim Sylvia in 36 seconds was certainly a statement."
It's complicated and probably unattainable, and Couture agrees.
"How you sort all that out in a pound-for-pound equation, I don't know that it can really be done," said Couture. "But it certainly makes for good talk over the water-cooler."
In line with its usual counter programming tactics, the Ultimate Fighting Championship is scheduled to air a replay of the UFC 91 Couture vs. Lesnar pay-per-view on Saturday night on Spike TV.
Former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight titleholder Randy "The Natural" Couture has signed on for a major role in Sylvester Stallone's next action film, titled The Expendables.
Couture joins an impressive cast including action stars Jet Li, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren and Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker.
The $60 million feature centers on a group of mercenaries (Couture, Li, Staham and Stallone) sent to overthrow against a ruthless dictator.
According to Couture's agent Matt Walker, Couture's role is a major one originally conceived for Wesley Snipes and rewritten for the former UFC champ.
A source MMAInsider spoke to with intimate knowledge of UFC 91 pay per view buyrates said the industry leading promotion scored more than 800,000 orders of the Nov. 15 event and stands to produce a minimum of $35,960,000 in revenue.
The source said the final number of buys would likely be higher, but even at the 800,000 level, the event splashes a lot of black ink across the UFC's balance sheets.
A final tally for UFC91 will not be available for months, as pay per view figures come in slowly due to late ordering of the event.
Combined with over $4.8 million in live gate revenue, the event was one of the most profitable events in the organization's history. It was also one of the most expensive, with over a million dollars paid out in fighter salaries and a huge advertising push on television.
To give a small, superficial example of the extravagance present at UFC 91, look at the pre-fight press luncheon. Usually, they are modestly catered, with a buffett style lunch for the handful of journalists who attend them. Not so at UFC 91. A multi-course steak dinner awaited scribes at the MGM Grand's Craftsteak, in a feast that certainly would have run up a $500 tab if paid for by itself. UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and co. "crashed" the festivities, no doubt looking to pack on some weight for an upcoming fight at light heavyweight.
Next up is UFC 92 on Dec. 27, an event typically promoted as the year's best. Without a Couture, Liddell, Ortiz, or Lesnar even, it remains to be seen whether revenue will match the Nov. 15 card, and whether it will be steak, or pizza, for lunch.
Randy Couture is cleaning out his closet for the troops.
The beloved MMA heavyweight is auctioning off a pair of his Affliction boots and several t-shirts on Ebay. Proceeds will go to his Xtreme Couture GI Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicating to assisting wounded veterans.
Bidding ends next Monday, Dec. 1. At the time of this writing, his boots were still cheap at $26, while his Afflcition t-shirts were a steal at $10.
Last week, a report from BloodyElbow talking about a fourth fight between Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture spurred a mixture of excitement and confusion among MMA fans. The duo had been responsible for one of the most successful trilogies in UFC history, with Liddell coming out ahead in the final two meetings. The proposed bout, reportedly scheduled for June 13 in Cologne, Germany at UFC 99, would pit the two against each other in the heavyweight division, where Couture has spent the majority of his career.
After speaking with sources from the camps of both fighters, it now appears the fight is merely an idea amongst many for the future of the MMA superstars.
Couture's fluency in German has made him a front-runner for the show, although sources from within his camp have told MMAInsider he has not been offered a fight against Liddell, nor is he thrilled about taking it.
On the other side of the coin, a rep from Liddell's camp also confirmed that the bout hadn't been floated by them.
"This is the first I've heard of it," the rep said.
While the fight would certainly garner excitement in the new market of Germany, doubts exist about its ability to draw stateside fans.
So far, the UFC has been mum on the bout happening.
Still, it might be interesting to see how both men rebound from their prospective losses, and if Couture's familiarity with the weight class will be the key to avenging his losses.
Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer has released the final gate numbers for last weekend's UFC 91 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
The final tallies are in line with UFC President Dana White's post-event quote of $4.8 million, making it the third biggest earner in Nevada's list of top MMA gates. Chuck Liddell's second encounter with Tito Ortiz at UFC 66 remains at the top of the list with $5,397,300 in revenue, trailed by Georges St. Pierre's rubber match with Matt Hughes at UFC 79 with $4,994,050.
Here are the final numbers for UFC 91:
Live Gate: $4, 815, 675
Tickets Sold: 10,845
"Comp" Tickets: 3, 427
Early pay per view numbers have not been released on the show, but speculation has indicated the UFC may miss its anticipated figure of 1.2 million buys.
Still, $4.8 million is nothing to sneeze at, especially in this wintry economy.
UFC President Dana White presents the 6th edition of his video blog for UFC 91.
In this episode, Dana attends the UFC weigh-ins, talks to ESPN.com's MMA Live crew, follows an unfortunate trip by a UFC owner, and talks to Everlast and DJ Lethal from House of Pain.
Wow! According to Lance Pugmire of the L.A. Times, the Nevada State Athletic Commission already released the salary figures for UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture and challenger Brock Lesnar.
Both fighters are guaranteed a base of $250,000. If Couture wins, he gets an additional $250,000 in win money. For Lesnar, he would earn an extra $200,000.
Remember, this is the salary information that is required to be filed with state athletic commissions. There are often other types of performance and/or pay-per-view bonuses and other forms of compensation that are not required to be reported. Plus, with a fight of this magnitude, both are likely scoring big with sponsors.
ESPN's MMA Live was live at the UFC 91 weigh-ins on Friday, broadcasting with the Octagon as the backdrop for the show. They discussed the Randy Couture vs. Brock Lesnar and Kenny Florian vs. Joe Stevenson bouts with UFC president Dana White.
ESPN has been all over UFC 91, providing an unprecedented amount of coverage for the event. We'll see if this an anomoly or if the venerable sports network is committed to now cover MMA.
UFC President Dana White presents the 4th edition of his video blog for UFC 91.
In this episode, Dana does an episode of "Jim Rome Is Burning" on ESPN, a few more media interviews getting ready for UFC 91, and presents a very special tombstone littered with the promotions that have gone head to head with the UFC.
Dana proclaims "I'm the grim reaper mother (expletive)."
ESPN's MMA Live is at UFC 91 and host Jim Anik and guest host Frank Mir are on the scene to break down the main event between UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture and challenger Brock Lesnar.
UFC President Dana White talks to famed sports talk show host, Jim Rome, about the upcoming UFC 91 event, as well as Kimbo Slice, and the sport of MMA in comparison to the sport of boxing.
UFC President Dana White presents his second video blog for UFC 91 weekend.
In this edition, Dana visits THQ, the makers of the new UFC video game, and gives an inside look as some of the graphics involved with the new game. Also catch Dana giving his breakdown of Couture vs. Lesnar in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.
UFC lightweight contender and MMA Live correspondent Kenny "KenFlo" Florian provided his expert opinion to MMAWeekly Radio breaking down the UFC 91 main event between Randy "The Natural" Couture and Brock Lesnar, and picks Couture to be the victor.
"It's going to come down to Randy's experience vs. Brock's size and power game." said the Bostonian. "First of all, I have to say this, you can never bet against Randy Couture. I think it's a sin and you're probably going to lose a lot of money. Randy's been proving people wrong since day one. I love him for that because I've kind of been in the same boat. You've got to love the underdog.
"Randy is undersized. He's coming back. He's an older guy. But I think his experience is going to win out. I really believe that," further commented Florian. "I think with his wrestling ability, again, as much as Brock has been an All-American wrestler, Randy has wrestled at the international level. He's on Olympic teams. I think that says a lot.
"The guy, since day one, has faced big guys. He's fought in the heavyweight division. He's fought in the light heavyweight division against tremendous competitors. I think that's just a tremendous amount of experience," added the 32-year-old lightweight fighter. "So, for Brock, if he wins, I think that's a huge upset despite the age difference, despite the size. I still think it's a huge upset. I expect Randy to win it out. I think he's got more experience. I think he's got the better all-around skills.
"I don't think he's as powerful as Brock," conceded Florian. "I don't think he's going to hit as hard as Brock, but overall I think he has the better skills. It's going to be a very, very interesting fight. Randy's going to have to use a lot of tools to win, but I think it's going to be his experience that wins out."
ESPN First Take sat down with UFC president Dana White to break down UFC 91, where UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture will defend against Brock Lesnar. They talk about the UFC's expectations for 1.2 million pay-per-view buys, Brock Lesnar's moodiness, ESPN's coverage of the UFC, Kimbo Slice, steroids, and more.
UFC President Dana White returns for his UFC 91 video blog.
In this edition, Dana visits the Tony Hawk Foundation and talks with Anthony Kiedes from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, WEC fighter Urijah Faber, and rapper 50 Cent, while talking Randy Couture vs Brock Lesnar along the way.
UFC lightweight contender Joe "Daddy" Stevenson takes on Kenny Florian at UFC 91 in a No. 1 contenders match. Stevenson weighed in on the main event between two-time UFC light heavyweight and three-time UFC heavyweight titleholder Randy "The Natural" Couture and WWE superstar turned mixed martial artist Brock Lesnar.
"I'm picking Randy Couture," Stevenson told MMAWeekly Radio. "Taking nothing away from Brock Lesnar, I'm not the guy who says he's a WWE wrestler. I'm a guy that says he's a national champ wrestler in division one college... I think he's going to be a dominating force. But I just don't know if this is his time right now. But you never know until someone makes that great appearance.
"He's (Lesnar) got a lot of attributes. I think he's still a little bit young in the sport" added Stevenson. "And I think Randy has the experience to be able to take this fight whereever it ends up. Even if Randy gets on his back, I think he's changed so much as an athlete that he can either scramble to get up, or look for submission opportunities to make himself stand up, or to even reverse the position.
"I know he's (Couture) comfortable in there. There's not a position there in that fight that Randy's going to feel overwhelmed. Randy's been fighting forever."
The gang at FOX News Fight Game weighs in on Randy Couture vs. Brock Lesnar at UFC 91. Despite Lesnar's inexperience, the pundits are going back and forth on this one and the guys at FOX are no different as they get pretty intense in their discussion.
In the latest edition of InsideMMA on HDNet, Kenny Rice and Bas Rutten welcomed UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture, Mask from the Tapout Crew, and UFC welterweight Mike Swick to break down some of the fights from UFC 90, as well as discuss the title potential of Thiago Alves.
November 15 is the day that Randy Couture, UFC heavyweight champion, finally returns to the Octagon. Despite his challenger, Brock Lensar's lack of professional experience, Couture is taking his much larger opponent very seriously and it shows in this training video from Xtreme Couture.
UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture recently addressed Michael Bisping with U.K. newspaper The Sun, saying he came away from the Brit's UFC 89 bash with Chris Leben impressed enough to believe that Bisping could one day challenge for the middleweight title.
"I really like him at 185 pounds, I think he looks really explosive," Couture told The Sun.
"He looks great at that weight class. He was impressive in his last fight against Chris Leben, who's not an easy guy to deal with."
Couture was especially impressed with Bisping's maturity in the Octagon. Despite Leben constantly moving in on him, and the ground going nuts, looking for a throwdown, Bisping didn't bite. He remained calm and stuck to his counter attacking gameplan. It paid off in the end with unanimous decision victory.
Bisping now steps into a coaching roll on Season 9 of The Ultimate Fighter on Spike TV. He will lead a contingent of British lightweights and welterweights against their American counterparts, likely to be coached by the winner of Rich Franklin and Dan Henderson at UFC 93.
Georges St. Pierre was a guest recently Fox News Fight Game. The UFC welterweight champion discussed his thoughts on rematching B.J. Penn on Super Bowl weekend, the upcoming bout between UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture and Brock Lesnar at UFC 91, Matt Hughes, gorwing up and his beginnings in mixed martial arts, and much, much more.
This is a really good interview with St. Pierre that especially goes in depth about his training and various aspects of martial arts and how things apply to MMA.
At the Nevada State Athletic Commision meetin on Wednesday, the Commission determined that Mario Yamasaki would be the referee in charge of the action when UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture defends his belt against Brock Lesnar at UFC 91 on Nov. 15 in Las Vegas.
Also called to work for the bout were judges Jeff Mullen, Cecil Peoples, and Tony Weeks.
The bout marks Couture's return to the Octagon following more than a year mired in legal battles with the promotion.
The winner between Couture and Lesnar will face the winner of the bout between interim champion Antinio Rodrigo Nogueira and challenger Frank Mir, who are fighting on Dec. 27 at UFC 92. That unification bout will likely take place in early 2009.
Brock Lesnar on Tuesday night appeared on ESPN's magazine show E:60. The segment on Lesnar provides some great background on the man who is challenging UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture at UFC 91 on Nov. 15 in Las Vegas.
EliteXC star Gina Carano and UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture are part of an impressive cast of actors that take part in the upcoming release of Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3. Above is a pre-release look at the women and men that portray various characters in the game slated for release on October 28. (Courtesy of GameTrailers.com)
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