Randy "The Natural" Couture

Biography
Before entering the UFC, I served in the U.S. Army from 1982–1988. Upon discharge, I was a three-time Olympic team alternate (1988, 1992 and 1996); a semifinalist at the 2000 Olympic Trials; a three-time National Collegiate Athletic Association D-I All-American; and a two-time NCAA finalist.
I debuted in the UFC on May 30, 1997 as part of UFC 13: The Ultimate Force. At the time, the event consisted of two four-man tournaments: one in the lightweight (under 200 lb) division and one in the heavyweight (200 lb and over) division. I fought in the heavyweight tournament, defeating Tony Halme and Steven Graham to win it. My next match was an elimination bout for the heavyweight title against the young Brazilian "Phenom", Vitor Belfort. I scored a TKO victory.
I won my first Heavyweight title via decision in a 1997 match against kickboxer Maurice Smith. Afterwards I was stripped of my title when contractual terms with the UFC and its parent company at the time, Semaphore Entertainment Group, could not be reached. After leaving the UFC, I signed with the RINGS organization, a fightsport promotion primarily based out of Japan. My tenure with RINGS would prove to be short-lived. I returned to the UFC in 2000, where I recaptured the Heavyweight title from Kevin Randleman at UFC 28 on November 17 of that year.
After two consecutive losses in the heavyweight division to larger opponents (Ricco Rodriguez and a title loss to Josh Barnett) I moved down a weight class to fight at 205 lbs in the UFC's light-heavyweight division. In my light-heavyweight debut, I took on long-time number one contender Chuck Liddell for the Interim Light-Heavyweight Championship. I shocked the world when I won by TKO in the third round, and became the only UFC competitor to win championship titles in two weight classes. My next match was billed as a "Champion vs. Champion" fight in order to settle who was the rightful, undisputed champion of the division; I faced the five-time defending champion Tito Ortiz for the Undisputed Light-Heavyweight title. I scored a unanimous decision and became the undisputed UFC Light Heavyweight Champion at age 40.
On April 16, 2005, I lost my title and suffered the first knockout loss of my career in a rematch with Chuck Liddell. I came back in August with a win over Mike van Arsdale to reestablish myself as a top contender. I faced Liddell again for the third and final time in a championship match on February 4, 2006 at UFC 57; unfortunately I did not succeed, and lost due to knockout. Immediately after the match, I announced my retirement from the sport.
On June 24, 2006, during the Ultimate Fighter 3 Finale broadcast on Spike TV, I was honored to became the fourth fighter to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, joining Royce Gracie, Dan Severn, and Ken Shamrock.
After retiring from the professional fighting circuit, I began embarking on a variety of activities, including appearing at UFC events as a regular broadcast commentator and as co-host of Before/After The Bell on The Fight Network. I will also appear in the upcoming Rob Schneider comedy Big Stan, along with fellow mixed martial artists Don Frye and Bob Sapp. I will still compete athletically; on November 17, 2006, he faced Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza in a submission wrestling match. The bout ended in a draw.
On January 11, 2007, I appeared for an interview on the Spike TV magazine show, Inside the UFC to announce my return from retirement. In a conversation with Joe Rogan, I confirmed that I would be facing Tim Sylvia for the UFC Heavyweight Championship title on March 3, 2007 and revealed that I had signed a four-fight, two-year deal with the company.
I was featured on Spike TV's reality show "Pros vs. Joes" Season 2, which premiered on January 25, 2007. My teammates on the episode were Michael Irvin, Kevin Willis, and Jose Canseco.
On March 3, 2007, at UFC 68, I defeated then-champion Tim Sylvia by unanimous decision to claim my third UFC Heavyweight Title, at the age of 43. My first punch, at :08 of the first round, sent the 6'8" Sylvia to the mat. I controlled the pace of the fight for the remainder of the 5 rounds. My performance earned him a 50-45 score on all of the judges scorecards, making me the first five-time champion in UFC history.
UFC President Dana White has stated that My next fight may be against Mirko Cro Cop in the summer of 2007, with the stipulation that Cro Cop is not defeated by Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 70 (which should be an great fight!).
I would like to thank all the men and women who are fighting for our freedom in Iraq. May you come home safe and sound. I would like to also thank my wife and family for sticking by me and giving me strength and courage through my life and career. Finally I would like to thank all my MMA fans and friends. Thank you for your support
Randy
RANDY COUTURE RESIGNS
Randy Couture has resigned from the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Not only has he relinquished his heavyweight title, he will also no longer be providing on-air fight analysis for the mixed martial arts juggernaut.MMAWeekly on Thursday confirmed the resignation, first reported by The Fight Network’s Brian Knapp, through both Sean O’Heir and Valerie Haney, representatives of Couture’s Las Vegas-based Xtreme Couture training facility.The focal point of his resignation appears to be the reports that Fedor Emelianenko, highly regarded as the No. 1 heavyweight fighter in the world, has agreed to forgo offers from the UFC and fight elsewhere.A statement released by Haney, Couture’s personal assistant, read, “Fedor Emelianenko was Randy's last great challenge and with that prospect gone, he feels he's accomplished all that he can in mixed martial arts.”Although indications are that he would still remain active in MMA in some capacity, Haney also said, “… it was a matter of respect and Randy felt the need to move on.”“I’m tired of swimming upstream at this stage with the management of the UFC.”"Randy is very excited to embark on a promising career in acting, as well as spending more time with his wife and family. He's currently shooting a lead role in Universal's "The Scorpion King - The Rise of the Akkadian" in South Africa, and has more offers on the table.
To find out more about myself or upcoming events please feel free to visit my official website at www.thenatural.tv
Check out this awesome background that was created by Scott Blair. Scott is a talented artist who designed this exclusively for my website thenatural.tv .To download Click here or to check out more of Scott's art work go to www.scottblairart.com