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Champion Couture says 'lack of respect' forced resignation
Mixed martial arts fighter says he was unhappy with money, other issues.
Friday, October 26, 2007
The Ultimate Fighting Championship's "lack of respect" is what eventually convinced its heavyweight champion, Randy Couture, to resign from the organization earlier this month.
That's the reason the 44-year-old UFC hall-of-famer gave, anyway, in a nationally televised press conference that took place Thursday at his training center in Las Vegas.
Extras
On Oct. 11, Couture — a longtime UFC fighter and one of mixed martial arts' most popular fighters — abruptly resigned his post as a UFC fighter, broadcaster and legislative ambassador.
Couture's cut all ties with the organization, alleging:
• Fedor Emelianenko, a former free agent, had been offered a signing bonus that would have paid the Russian more than anything Couture received for an entire fight purse — despite Emelianenko being a UFC newcomer and Couture an 11-year veteran of the organization.
• When Emelianenko, a top-ranked heavyweight, decided to sign elsewhere, Couture could no longer fight the one opponent he wanted to face.
• After his final fight in August, Couture didn't receive a "locker-room bonus" that the UFC often awards its top fighters. In addition to his base pay and a portion of pay-per-view revenue, Couture usually received an additional "off-the-books" bonus after his fights. Despite a decisive victory over Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 74, Couture didn't get the bonus. When he asked for a reason, he never got one.
• New fighters, including those from a rival organization the UFC bought out earlier this year, were being signed to deals worth more than his.
• Ticket and hotel-room requests for his friends, family and nonprofit organization often went unfulfilled.
• And finally, when Couture spoke to UFC officials about his concerns and even his potential resignation, he never got a response.
Couture hasn't ruled out a return to action with another MMA organization, but his contract could present problems. Couture said it expires in nine months, but UFC President Dana White said it doesn't expire until Couture fulfills the final two fights left on the deal. In any manner, the matter will likely be settled by the courts.
