Couture done with UFC

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In a move that has stunned the MMA world but maybe not so much UFC president Dana White, UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture is finished with the company vacating his title as a deal to bring in Fedor Emelianenko for an upcoming fight fell through.

Couture informed White regarding his decision in a letter as he's in South Africa filming "The Scorpion King - The Rise of the Akkadian".

White's commented on the situation: “I’m not surprised at all by Randy’s decision. I talked to Randy several weeks ago and he said that if he couldn’t fight Fedor, then he has nothing left to prove in the sport of mixed martial arts.

He has been doing a lot of acting, and I know he is in South Africa right now filming a movie. I think it’s a great move for Randy’s acting career to retire from fighting while he is on top.

As we all know, Randy retired before. The landscape in MMA changes every day. So when he is ready to come out of retirement again, he is still under contract with me, and I’m ready to promote him.”

Couture made comments to the Fight Network: “I appreciate this opportunity the sport of MMA and the UFC has given me,” the UFC Hall-of-Famer said. “However, I’m tired of swimming upstream at this stage with the management of the UFC. It only makes sense at this point in my career to fight Fedor Emelianenko, and since he’s now signed with another organization, I feel like it’s time to resign and focus on my other endeavors."

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