Former MMA champion Randy Couture remains a fan of the sport

Randy Couture had just finished hiking at Garden of the Gods in Colorado when he answered his phone, still trying to catch his breath. You can add that to the list of things the 52-year-old five-time former Ultimate Fighting Championship champion stays busy with.

Four years removed from the final fight of his mixed martial arts career, it’s hard to find anything that Couture doesn’t do.

“I’ve focused more on my other stuff,” Couture said. “Acting, getting better acting jobs, my gym, and the clothes.… Sometimes, trying to relax and enjoy life a little more rather than be in a training camp or getting ready for a fight is nice.”

Between his gym — Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts Training Center in Las Vegas, Nev. — his acting career and being a dad, he doesn’t have a lot of time to budget for mixed martial arts events anymore. Since his career with UFC and promoter Dana White ended on bad terms, he doesn’t have a relationship with the largest MMA promotional company in the world, save the for the occasions his Xtreme Couture-trained fighters are in the octagon.

Bellator, however, is a different story. Couture signed a two-year deal with Bellator’s majority stakeholder SpikeTV, which expired in January. Since then, Couture has made appearances at a handful of Bellator events, just as he will at Bellator 139 at the Kansas Star Casino in Mulvane this week. Though he’s never been officially employed by Bellator, his association with the promoter is indisputable.

“I get excited to watch Bellator, especially because I know (Bellator president Scott Coker), and I know his vision is kind of going back to the old model that a lot of people dig: the bigger, a lot of cooler fights, that people talk about,” Couture said, mentioning a recent Kimbo Slice event as an example. “I definitely think there’s some room for these other brands to flourish, largely because the marketplace is big enough for more than one brand, and the UFC has kind of stepped on itself in a few ways.”

Couture’s says the UFC is over-saturated compared to the days when he fought, with an event every two months or so. He’s also criticized the UFC’s lack to distinguish the levels of their fighters.

“Fights every week now on FOX now with the UFC, and it’s kind of hard to track and keep track of,” Couture said. “There’s a lot of new fighters, a bunch of different shows, a lot of different places on three FOX networks.… That opens up, I think, for the other brands like World Series of Fighting and Bellator, to grow strong brands on a singular platform like NBC or Spike, where fans know where to go.”

The UFC has a handful of stars, but two of its biggest stars have been sidelined by outside problems. Jon Jones was stripped of his light-heavyweight title in April after being charged in a hit-and-run incident in New Mexico. Former champion Anderson Silva was suspended for failing multiple drug tests. Like any professional in the sport, Couture has condemned the out-of-the-octagon antics of some of UFC’s top fighters.

“I think there are some issues there,” Couture said. “The UFC’s biggest star right now is Ronda Rousey, she’s done an amazing job, both in and out of the cage.”

Though the UFC is undoubtedly the top fight promoter in the world, its recent stumbles have given other brands — including Bellator — a chance to grow.

“The door has been opened,” Couture said. “These other brands are doing very, very well, and they’ve got some great fighters, and great people running their programs that are lifelong martial artists, and interested and have the integrity to take care of the fighters and do a better job there. I think that’s what it’s all about, at least to me as a fighter.”

Couture will be at the Kansas Star Casino this week in preparation for Bellator’s event. His first meet and greet will be at the weigh-ins on Thursday. He’ll do some promotional bits during the fights on Friday, as well as keep tabs on his fighter, Jon Alessio, who will take on local fighter David Rickels in the co-main event.

He’s looking forward to returning to the Midwest, where he wrestled for Oklahoma State.

“It’s going to be a great show. There’s some great fighters on the card,” Couture said. “(Alessio) was the natural before I was the natural. He’s a tremendous fighter out of Canada, obviously he’s got his hands full with Rickels. He’s not only the local favorite, but he’s had [seven] fights in Bellator and he’s done a very, very good job.”

This story was originally published June 23, 2015 at 6:00 PM with the headline "Former MMA champion Randy Couture remains a fan of the sport."