Morning Report: Randy Couture blames Dana White for son’s quick UFC exit

After seeing his son Ryan receive his UFC release last September, Hall of Famer and former five-time champion Randy Couture believes his son’s Octagon career was cut short due to a longstanding grudge held by Dana White. Brought over from …

After seeing his son Ryan receive his UFC release last September, Hall of Famer and former five-time champion Randy Couture believes his son’s Octagon career was cut short due to a longstanding grudge held by Dana White. Brought over from Strikeforce with a record of 6-1, Ryan Couture was cut following back to back losses to Ross Pearson and Al Iaquinta.

Speaking with Submission Radio and transcribed by MMA Mania, Couture says his son never got a fair shake in the UFC.

“I don’t think that any 7-0 fighter was being handled appropriately or properly in putting him in with a Ross Pearson who has 30 plus mixed martial arts fights,” said Couture. “That’s not a real fair match up on the experience side of things. Was Ryan capable, technically and tactically of winning that fight? I think he proved that. He went out and won the first round, but Ross is a very, very experienced fighter. He stuck to his guns, he knew where he needed to be and he found a way to win and I think that was Dana poking at me, trying to get back at me for signing a deal with Spike and again trying to villainize me, not allowing me to corner my son, to be involved with my son when he made the transition to the biggest fight of his life; and I think that showed after the Pearson fight his confidence was in the toilet, and that second kid, he was more than capable of beating, but I think coming off the Pearson fight it was tough fight for him. It didn’t go well, and again, I wasn’t allowed to be there to do the things that I’ve been doing for him in every other fight that he had up to that point and that all falls on Dana’s shoulders. I think that’s where he really went and stepped over the line. You start messing with somebody’s family and that would be like me messing with his sons and he’s got a couple sons so, that puts it in perspective but that’s how Dana operates. I know Dana well.”

Couture and White have had their issues dating back to 2007. In an effort to fight the fabled heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, Couture tried to break his contract with UFC. The matter ended up in court and Couture returned to the promotion over a year later, losing his heavyweight title to Brock Lesnar at UFC 91. Couture spurned the promotion again in 2013, leaving his UFC on FOX commentating duties in favor of signing on to co-star in Spike TV’s ‘Fight Master’ reality series with Bellator. Couture was subsequently banned from all UFC events, including cornering his son.

Prior to Ryan Couture’s debut at UFC on Fuel TV 9 last April, White said he would have even allowed the lightweight to leave and join his father.

“I called Ryan Couture, I said, you signed a deal for us to fight in the UFC,” White told media prior to UFC 156. “I want you here if you want to be here. But I need you to understand this: Me and your dad are not good, me and your dad are never going to be good, ever, ever again, as long as I walk this f– planet. … I want to be honest, I want to be upfront, if you want me to release you from your contract so that you can go do a deal with Bellator and have your dad, maybe work with him and go up and do whatever, I would do that.”

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5 MUST-READ STORIES

$500K. Nick Diaz is planning on staying retired unless he can renegotiate his current contract or get a UFC welterweight title shot. “The UFC wants me to fight. The people want me to fight. I don’t want me to fight. So if we’re going to need me to fight, we’re going to have to work out the right deal.”

Next? Dana White and Ronda Rousey agree that Gina Carano deserves an immediate title shot in the UFC.

Chat Wrap. Luke Thomas talks fighter pay, Jon Jones hate, Jake Shields being cut, Nate Diaz and more in this week’s live chat.

‘The wrong way.’ Dana White says Nate Diaz isn’t making money by sitting out and turning down fights.

Switching camps. Alistair Overeem is considering a move to Team Jackson-Winkeljohn in Albuquerque.

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MEDIA STEW

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Matt Grice with an update on his recovery.

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Nice profile on Roy Nelson.

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TTTHS.

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Ross Pearson talks Diego Sanchez.

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Dan Henderson shows how to setup the H Bomb.

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Cage work with Ryan LaFlare and Joe Stevenson.

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Long watches.

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TWEETS

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Success.

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Sounds good.

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Get well soon.

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Settle in.

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Congrats.

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Crazy.

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Do people still hitchhike?

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FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Announced yesterday (Apr. 9 2014)

Caio Magalhaes vs. Luke Zachrich at UFC on FOX 11

Kelvin Gastelum vs. Nico Musoke at UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs. Stephens

Demetrious Johnson vs. Ali Bagautinov at UFC 174

Demian Maia vs. Alexander Yakovlev at UFC Fight Night: Dos Santos vs. Miocic

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FANPOST OF THE DAY

Today’s Fanpost of the Day comes via Spartachris.

The excitement of a B.J. Penn fight.

“I’m in the best shape of my life”.

We’ve all herd it before, then they go on and tell you what they are doing now that they didn’t do before and why this will make the difference. Every time a fighter mentions this I always think to myself “that’s so cliché”. And for me there’s a face that always works its way into my mind to go along with it… B.J Penn. That’s not a bad thing (sort of)

B.J Penn is known for coming into fights “unprepared” and “out of shape”. Even when Penn won the UFC lightweight Title by choking out Joe Stevenson on January 19, 2008 at UFC 80 or when he knocked out Sean Sherk at UFC 84 the thought was still in the back of my mind. When would Penn lose the motivation? UFC 94 he the potential to make history as Penn would try to be the only man to hold two belts in the UFC simultaneously. It didn’t happen, not by a long shot. Penn was out worked against the fence which tired the Hawaiian out. That’s when I thought to myself, “Ok, that was a fun ride but now its over”

Check out the rest of the post here.

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