Couture leaves UFC

[Guest]

Well, UFC's greed finally caught up to them. Randy Couture has left UFC and vacated the 265 belt.

UFC has done almost everything wrong, made almost every wrong move since buying PRIDE.

US interest in MMA is about to go into decline.

 

[Poacher]

WHAT!

I'm going surfing.

 

[White Shogun]

Couture said that the UFC's inability to sign Fedor played a major role in his decision.

Fedor signed with M1, Couture to follow? How big a coup would it be for M1 to sign what would have to be considered one of the greatest fights in MMA history -

Couture v Fedor in '08!

 

[DixieDestroyer]

Randy's a class guy and a great champion. Let's hope he eventually squares off against Fedor for that dream fight. I think Dana White and the Fertittas are great businessmen, but I question their integrity sometimes.

 

[guest301]

Stupid business decision, with Liddell seemingly on the decline, Couture was the main star of the UFC. I hope this tempest gets worked out just like the one with Tito got worked out.

 

[White Shogun]

Couture said that the Dana and Lorenzo told him he was the highest paid UFC fighter on the payroll, at $250k per fight. He knows this is not true and called them on it. Rampage, Hughes, Franklin, Wanderlai, and a few others were mentioned by name as making more money than Randy. He was also upset with how much money they were offering Fedor in comparison to his own salary.

As I understand it, the UFC also likes to sign fighters to contracts where they (the UFC) control and profit from the fighters name and image, without compensation paid to the fighter. This was supposed to be one of the sticking points in the UFC's failure to sign Fedor.

The UFC is raking in millions of dollars in profits every year, but still pays the fighters peanuts. We're talking less than $25k per fight for some of the guys. When guys like Randy are making only $250k per fight, you know the majority of the rest of them are making chump change in comparison.

 

[nopictures]

This is f**king ridiculous...Im gonna miss couture big time, he seems like a swell enough guy and a fantastic fighter, particularly at his advanced age (I was looking forward to seeing how long he could solidify his dominance against wave after wave of potential champion) and while it seems kind if greedy of him to just leave like that I definitely don't think a heavyweight champion should be subjected to anything resembling financial controversy.

 

[White Shogun]

I should add the caveat that the information I posted about salaries is what Couture himself said and other internet-based sources. They seem pretty reliable, but who knows? Dana said in an interview that Couture is the second highest paid fighter in the UFC, second only to Chuck Liddell, but Randy didn't believe him because of misleading information and outright fabrications of fighter salaries that have been posted on the 'net.

Lots of people are predicting the demise of the UFC because of Couture's retirement and their failure to sign Fedor, but I don't see it. Most of the guys I know who watch the UFC are casual fans who know who Randy is, but they do not see Couture as the face or even the main draw of the UFC. Most of them are familiar with several fighters, and just want to watch a good fight on the occasion when they do order a PPV.

Will anybody who was going to order the Silva-Franklin rematch decline to do so because Couture retired? Or Serra-Hughes? I doubt it.

 

[white is right]

No the huge growth of the UFC is off new fans. Guys like me who watched the original one and the early ones are barely part of the landscape now. If the UFC stuck to those fans they still would be fighting in Davenport Iowa...

Edited by: white is right

 

[Maple Leaf]

White Shogun, the info you have been reading about salaries appears to be true. I listened to a talk show broadcasted from Toronto featuring Royce Gracie, the original ultimate fighter. The HOST introduced Gracie as the fighter with the distinction of having earned the highest purse in UFC history, that purse was 300,000.00. After deductions, that purse is f#ck-all.
The host asked Gracie what he thought about the situation whereby star boxers are getting million dollar purses while UFC fighters are getting lunch money. Gracie said the answer is simple: the owners are taking advantage of the fighters.

Solution for fighters: fight elsewhere, and tell Dana White and his Fahita boyfriends to go suck an egg. After Dana White who is the highest paid UFC "performer"? Why that little queer Joe "Blo" Rogan.

Fight fans and the fighters alike have been cheated by UFC buying Pride. Less cards, fewer fights, and less pay for the fighters. Competition is good, bring on the other organizations. Fair play to M-1!

 

[dkr77]

It's rumored now that billionaire Mark Cuban is the finance muscle behind M1 and he may have had something to do with Couture leaving the UFC. The UFC needs some competition and it will bring the fighter's more money.

 

[Guest]

White does not accept Couture's resignation and will hold him to his contract. UFC considers Couture to still hold the 265 belt and will not make matches for other fighters to claim the belt.

Expect a legal battle.

 

[White Shogun]

Bodog is sponsoring Couture and Lindland's next "Sportfight"
event, October 27, 2007 in Portland, Oregon:

Bodog Fights Present: Sport Fight: Homecoming

No doubt Couture had this lined up well in advance of his 'resignation.'

 

[dkr77]

I wonder how that contract language would fare if the bout took place in Russia? I have a feeling Couture may come to regret leaving the UFC.