Tag: Randy Couture

Bjorn Rebney Speaks Out on Randy Couture, Eddie Alvarez, And the Real ‘Toughest Tournament in Sports’


(Red rover, red rover, we call Captain America on over! Pic Props: MMAFighting.com)

By Jason Moles

Between preparing to launch a new mixed martial arts reality television show on Spike TV, to selecting venues for 2014, Bjorn Rebney‘s time for small talk is sparse. But the Bellator MMA CEO always seems to have a moment to discuss his favorite topic — how much he loves running the second-largest MMA promotion in the world, and what the future holds in store.

Early Friday morning, just after the Bellator 87 post-fight press conference concluded at the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort in frigid Mount Pleasant, Michigan, I had the opportunity to speak with Rebney about some of the important topics that have developed in the past few weeks, and the impact they would have going forward for the ever-expanding fight promotion.

You could tell the man was tired by the look in his sleep-deprived eyes. Sitting on stage, and probably still laughing on the inside after having watched lightweight contender Lloyd “Cupcake” Woodard shave his facial hair after losing a stipulation match to David “Caveman” Rickels not more than five minutes prior to our conversation (the clippings were still on the table next to him), the most powerful man in the building finally had a fleeting moment to collect his thoughts while resting for the first time that day…

On Randy Couture Signing with Spike TV/Bellator:

“Randy’s a great addition to the team and is known to fans everywhere. We’re excited for the role he’ll play in helping Bellator reach the next level. I know you and the other media want more info than that, but wait until Tuesday [February 5th] — that’s when we’re holding the big press conference and that’s when you’ll have all the details of what’s going on. That’s when all the questions will be answered.”

On the Controversial Stoppages Earlier in the Night:

“I have an unfair advantage; we’ve got probably the best sound team in all of MMA production. What I’m able to do is, when there’s any kind of controversial stoppage, I can go back into the truck, super slo-mo things and listen to things. I can hear the things the fighters say because our sound design inside the cage is so spectacular. You can literally hear what the fighter’s saying and what the referee is saying — you can hear everything. I think they were great stoppages. I think Dan [Mirgliotta] did an amazing job and when you see it in slow motion, for example on the knee lock, you hear him scream and then see his head go back and ultimately see one tap. Now it’s a super soft tap, but you see it. Inside the truck, in super slo-mo, you can hear the screaming and see his head go back and that’s a verbal submission. According to the Unified Rules, when your head goes back and you scream out — it’s over whether you tap or you don’t tap. But I thought he did a great job.”


(Red rover, red rover, we call Captain America on over! Pic Props: MMAFighting.com)

By Jason Moles

Between preparing to launch a new mixed martial arts reality television show on Spike TV, to selecting venues for 2014, Bjorn Rebney‘s time for small talk is sparse. But the Bellator MMA CEO always seems to have a moment to discuss his favorite topic — how much he loves running the second-largest MMA promotion in the world, and what the future holds in store.

Early Friday morning, just after the Bellator 87 post-fight press conference concluded at the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort in frigid Mount Pleasant, Michigan, I had the opportunity to speak with Rebney about some of the important topics that have developed in the past few weeks, and the impact they would have going forward for the ever-expanding fight promotion.

You could tell the man was tired by the look in his sleep-deprived eyes. Sitting on stage, and probably still laughing on the inside after having watched lightweight contender Lloyd “Cupcake” Woodard shave his facial hair after losing a stipulation match to David “Caveman” Rickels not more than five minutes prior to our conversation (the clippings were still on the table next to him), the most powerful man in the building finally had a fleeting moment to collect his thoughts while resting for the first time that day…

On Randy Couture Signing with Spike TV/Bellator:

“Randy’s a great addition to the team and is known to fans everywhere. We’re excited for the role he’ll play in helping Bellator reach the next level. I know you and the other media want more info than that, but wait until Tuesday [February 5th] — that’s when we’re holding the big press conference and that’s when you’ll have all the details of what’s going on. That’s when all the questions will be answered.”

On the Controversial Stoppages Earlier in the Night:

“I have an unfair advantage; we’ve got probably the best sound team in all of MMA production. What I’m able to do is, when there’s any kind of controversial stoppage, I can go back into the truck, super slo-mo things and listen to things. I can hear the things the fighters say because our sound design inside the cage is so spectacular. You can literally hear what the fighter’s saying and what the referee is saying — you can hear everything. I think they were great stoppages. I think Dan [Mirgliotta] did an amazing job and when you see it in slow motion, for example on the knee lock, you hear him scream and then see his head go back and ultimately see one tap. Now it’s a super soft tap, but you see it. Inside the truck, in super slo-mo, you can hear the screaming and see his head go back and that’s a verbal submission. According to the Unified Rules, when your head goes back and you scream out — it’s over whether you tap or you don’t tap. But I thought he did a great job.”

On Whether or Not the UFC’s Insistence That The Ultimate Fighter is the “Toughest Tournament in Sports” is an Attempt to Create Brand Confusion Among New Fans:

“[Laughing] No, I don’t think so. What we do is, we let the fighters make their next fight. You win or you go home. That’s a real sport. You won’t see anyone sitting in a chair in some luxurious office somewhere saying, “I think I can sell that fight.” No, we’ve got the tournament format — something that has been around in sports for ages — and when one fighter wins, he gets one step closer to a title shot. That’s it. You have to win to get a championship opportunity. No one here is going to be able to talk their way into a title shot. That’s how a real sport works.”

On the Latest Developments Regarding Eddie Alvarez‘s Contract Situation:

“You know, we won in court last week so that’s a step in the right direction. There’s still a lot that needs to be sorted out. We still have to meet again [in court] to see what the judge says about the rest of the case. You know, Eddie’s been with us for a long time and I’m hopeful that we can come to terms and work something out. This doesn’t have to be a lengthy process, nor do I hope it to be one. I know what we want and I know what Ed wants, it’s just a matter of getting it down on paper and signing on the dotted line. Will it happen? I’m hopeful, but we’ll just have to wait and see.”

You Knew This Was Coming: Dana White Blasts Randy Couture for Signing Deal With Spike/Bellator


(Go on. Ask him if he gives a f*ck.)

The odds of Randy Couture getting a cushy no-show desk job with the UFC have officially dropped to zero. In the wake of Couture accepting a position to be the new superstar face of Spike TV and Bellator, UFC president Dana White tore into the Natural, blasting his lack of loyalty and even questioning his character as a human being. Here’s what DW had to say about it yesterday:

“I’ll say my peace on Randy Couture, and after today, I’ll never mention him again. The bottom-line is this: When that whole thing went down with Randy years ago, we weren’t on the best of terms. Now, before that happened, Randy Couture was on the Matt Hughes, Chuck Liddell deal. He was getting a salary, he was in with the company, he was one of those guys. Then he tries to do all this stuff, pull all this bullshit with Affliction, loses and comes back. So, it took me a long time to warm up to him. His lawyer, who I can’t stand, calling our lawyer every day, saying, ‘We want to come back, we want that job again, we want to work for the UFC,’ and all this stuff. Finally, I just say, ‘yes,’ and give him the FOX [commentary] deal…


(Go on. Ask him if he gives a f*ck.)

The odds of Randy Couture getting a cushy no-show desk job with the UFC have officially dropped to zero. In the wake of Couture accepting a position to be the new superstar face of Spike TV and Bellator, UFC president Dana White tore into the Natural, blasting his lack of loyalty and even questioning his character as a human being. Here’s what DW had to say about it yesterday:

“I’ll say my peace on Randy Couture, and after today, I’ll never mention him again. The bottom-line is this: When that whole thing went down with Randy years ago, we weren’t on the best of terms. Now, before that happened, Randy Couture was on the Matt Hughes, Chuck Liddell deal. He was getting a salary, he was in with the company, he was one of those guys. Then he tries to do all this stuff, pull all this bullshit with Affliction, loses and comes back. So, it took me a long time to warm up to him. His lawyer, who I can’t stand, calling our lawyer every day, saying, ‘We want to come back, we want that job again, we want to work for the UFC,’ and all this stuff. Finally, I just say, ‘yes,’ and give him the FOX [commentary] deal…

He doesn’t even finish his contract — he’s got one more fight left — and he bails on the contract to go do this. Randy Couture has this ‘Captain America’ image and stuff like that, but he is not a good guy. He has never been a good guy. And I’m actually, and I mean this, I couldn’t mean it any more: I am happy that he went there. I’m happy he is there. I never have to deal with Randy Couture ever again…. Talk to 99 percent of the people who know him and you’ll see [he’s not what people perceive him to be].”

Yes, it’s easy to make Dana White out to be the bad guy when the UFC has disputes with fighters, but this Rampage-caliber public venting isn’t really helping Dana’s case either. The only slam on Couture’s character that we’ve ever heard is that he likes women — like really likes women — to the extent that it occasionally affects his judgment. (New theory: Randy Couture jumped ship to Bellator in an attempt to get into Jade Bryce‘s pants. Just throwing that out there.) Stay tuned, and we’ll see if this latest falling-out turns into something nastier…

UFC: Dana White Let’s the First Blow Fly Against Randy Couture

So the bell has rung and Dana White has come out swinging. As reported by mmamania.com, White is making it known that he is happy he no longer has to deal with Randy Couture and has noted that since their first falling out, Couture has been a hard man …

So the bell has rung and Dana White has come out swinging.

As reported by mmamania.com, White is making it known that he is happy he no longer has to deal with Randy Couture and has noted that since their first falling out, Couture has been a hard man to deal with.

White opened up about the subject and promised he wouldn’t discuss Randy Couture ever again. Here’s what he had to say.

“I’ll say my peace on Randy Couture, and after today, I’ll never mention him again. The bottom-line is this: When that whole thing went down with Randy years ago, we weren’t on the best of terms. Now, before that happened, Randy Couture was on the Matt Hughes, Chuck Liddell deal. He was getting a salary, he was in with the company, he was one of those guys. Then he tries to do all this stuff, pull all this bullshit with Affliction, loses and comes back. So, it took me a long time to warm up to him. His lawyer, who I can’t stand, calling our lawyer every day, saying, ‘We want to come back, we want that job again, we want to work for the UFC,’ and all this stuff. Finally, I just say, ‘yes,’ and give him the FOX deal. He doesn’t even finish his contract — he’s got one more fight left — and he bails on the contract to go do this. Randy Couture has this ‘Captain America’ image and stuff like that, but he is not a good guy. He has never been a good guy. And I’m actually, and I mean this, I couldn’t mean it anymore: I am happy that he went there. I’m happy he is there. I never have to deal with Randy Couture ever again…. Talk to 99 percent of the people who know him and you’ll see [he’s not what people perceive him to be].”

Most who have followed the sport, and know anything about Dana White, knew that it was only a matter of time before the UFC President began to attack the man who left his company to join Spike TV and Bellator; we just didn’t know how White was going to attack.

He can’t very well question Couture as a fighter simply because to do so would slander the UFC; as a fighter, all of Couture’s accomplishments have come in the octagon, including multiple championships at heavyweight and light heavyweight.

Stay tuned to see how Couture and his new partners, Spike TV and Bellator, respond, if at all.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC President Dana White on Randy Couture Signing with Bellator: ‘I Love It’

Apparently, Dana White isn’t too worried about one of his most famous former fighters going to work for his biggest business rival.While UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture is widely recognized by the public as a UFC personality, that hasn’t stopped the no…

Apparently, Dana White isn’t too worried about one of his most famous former fighters going to work for his biggest business rival.

While UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture is widely recognized by the public as a UFC personality, that hasn’t stopped the now-retired fighter from signing a major deal with Bellator MMA and SPIKE.

As originally reported by Sports Illustrated journalist Loretta Hunt, Couture will be working closely with his new partners in a variety of programs on the SPIKE cable channel—not least of which is being a coaching stint on Bellator’s upcoming reality TV series.

White broke his silence on the issue in a response to a fan question on Twitter, surprisingly giving his approval of Couture’s new opportunity:

 

Such a stance may be a shock to those familiar with the vitriolic promoter, who recently had several negative things to say at length about Bellator, SPIKE, parent company Viacom and their business practices—specifically stemming from a legal battle over the contract of top-ranked lightweight Eddie Alvarez (via MMA Fighting):

I saw in their argument where they said, ‘Oh, Spike launches pay-per-views.’ No, actually they don’t. That’s not true. We did. What they’re doing is, they’re saying — not as much Spike, as Viacom — has been saying, ‘We built the UFC.’ No you f–king did not. No you did not, you arrogant, pompous jackass. You did not build the UFC. We’ll see if you did.

But you better think long and hard if you’re a manager or a fighter and you’re about to do a deal with Bellator. Think long and hard about how you negotiate that contract.

However, Couture is one of the unique MMA athletes who has the latitude to sign with Bellator MMA and not worry about contract issues.

For one, Couture has been retired since a second-round knockout loss against former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida at UFC 129. That definitively spelled the end of his active fighting career after 13 long years in MMA, stemming back to his first appearance at UFC 13.

Moreover, Couture’s had his own legal issues with the UFC in the past (via Yahoo Sports and MMA Weekly), as the two-division light heavyweight and heavyweight champion had temporarily left the company in 2007 due to salary disputes.

Additionally, the UFC’s inability to arrange a bout with then-No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter Fedor Emelianenko played a part in Couture’s departure. Eventually, “The Natural” returned to Zuffa in November 2008 for a title match against WWE star Brock Lesnar at UFC 91, marking the legend’s 15th and final championship fight.

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Randy Couture Signs Multi-Year Deal With Spike TV, Will Appear as a Coach on Bellator’s Reality Series


(Bellator’s new MMA competition show unveils its wrestling coach and “swag advisor.” / Photo via Getty)

UFC legend Randy Couture — who helped usher the UFC into the mainstream as a coach on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter in 2005 — will be returning to his Spike TV stomping grounds this year. Except this time, it’ll be in the service of a different MMA promotion looking to build their own brand on the guy-centric cable channel. No, this is not going to sit well with You Know Who. SI.com’s Loretta Hunt has the details:

SI.com has confirmed through multiple sources that UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture has signed into a multi-year deal with Spike TV, a property of Viacom, to appear in multiple projects for the cable channel, as well as other possible ventures within the media conglomerate’s family of networks.

As a part of the multi-faceted agreement, Couture’s first role will be as a coach in the forthcoming Bellator MMA reality series, which begins shooting in February and airs later this year.

Spike TV will unveil this industry-shifting announcement on Feb. 5 during a press conference in Los Angeles, where Couture and Spike TV president Kevin Kay will discuss details of the agreement and what the 49-year-old retired fighter’s role will be on the Bellator series and possibly other Spike-broadcasted projects. The series is expected to feature a number of current and up-and-coming Bellator fighters.


(Bellator’s new MMA competition show unveils its wrestling coach and “swag advisor.” / Photo via Getty)

UFC legend Randy Couture — who helped usher the UFC into the mainstream as a coach on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter in 2005 — will be returning to his Spike TV stomping grounds this year. Except this time, it’ll be in the service of a different MMA promotion looking to build their own brand on the guy-centric cable channel. No, this is not going to sit well with You Know Who. SI.com’s Loretta Hunt has the details:

SI.com has confirmed through multiple sources that UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture has signed into a multi-year deal with Spike TV, a property of Viacom, to appear in multiple projects for the cable channel, as well as other possible ventures within the media conglomerate’s family of networks.

As a part of the multi-faceted agreement, Couture’s first role will be as a coach in the forthcoming Bellator MMA reality series, which begins shooting in February and airs later this year.

Spike TV will unveil this industry-shifting announcement on Feb. 5 during a press conference in Los Angeles, where Couture and Spike TV president Kevin Kay will discuss details of the agreement and what the 49-year-old retired fighter’s role will be on the Bellator series and possibly other Spike-broadcasted projects. The series is expected to feature a number of current and up-and-coming Bellator fighters.

Sources told SI.com that the deal with Spike and Viacom was executed in late December, much to the disapproval of Couture’s former employer, UFC president Dana White. Since his retirement in April 2011 at age 47, Couture has turned his attention to Hollywood with supporting roles in The Expendables and its summer 2012 sequel, and had most recently served as an on-camera analyst for the UFC’s live events on Fox. However, Couture was absent from the UFC on Fox 6 broadcast on Jan. 26, replaced by one-time teammate Chael Sonnen…

The as-yet unnamed Bellator series is being helmed by seven-time Emmy Award-winning producer Bertram Van Munster (The Amazing Race, Cops).

Man, and we thought Spike’s counter-programming tactics were nasty. Poaching Randy Couture — a man who has become synonymous with the UFC — is an aggressive move, and it’s one that Dana & Co. will certainly view as a personal attack from their former pals at “Spuke TV.” Time to type up a new lawsuit?

We’ll update you next week when more details emerge…

MMA: So, What Does Couture’s Deal with Spike TV and Bellator Really Mean?

For anyone who has been following the sport for any amount of time at all, the news that Dana White has butted heads with fighters in the past is nothing new. But for sure, with news breaking that Randy Couture has signed a deal with Spike TV and will …

For anyone who has been following the sport for any amount of time at all, the news that Dana White has butted heads with fighters in the past is nothing new.

But for sure, with news breaking that Randy Couture has signed a deal with Spike TV and will be acting as a coach for Bellator (in what looks to be a spinoff of The Ultimate Fighter), White will no doubt be making his opinions known of this development in the career of the UFC Hall of Famer.

One has to wonder what this can do for Bellator. For sure, it is a kind of moral victory given that Couture has long been one of the UFC’s greatest champions and will now be lending all the dignity and popularity of his name to its brand.

One also has to wonder how White is going to deal with this. Granted, Bellator is still in a distant second to the UFC, but with Couture as a coach on its new series, fans are going to turn in.

Couture and White have clashed before over company policy and contractual obligations and rights, which eventually ended with Couture resigning from the UFC.

Now, with Couture taking the next step in his career—working for a hated rival no less—it will be very interesting to see how White proceeds.

It’s not likely that White will be able to criticize the credentials of Couture without slandering his own house, but there is bound to be some kind of retaliation. After all, Couture has been with the Zuffa-led UFC since the beginning, and he has not only fostered good relationships with many great fighters, but he knows how the UFC machine works. Having a man with that kind of influence and information eating lunch with the big boys at Spike TV and Bellator has to have White feeling uncertain to say the least.

Now that he is no longer contractually tied to the UFC, it begs the question: Is Couture just taking advantage of a good deal, or is he doing this for personal reasons that speak to the past problems he had with Dana White and the UFC?

No doubt, we will be finding out much more very soon. But here are some things we do know…

From this point forward, Randy Couture and Dana White (and the UFC) are rivals at best and enemies at worse.

As far as White and Zuffa are concerned, Couture is bringing not only his experience as a fighter and his presence in the media into the Spike TV/Bellator fold, but he is bringing his understanding of the inner workings of the UFC machine and laying it all out on a table for the enemy to examine.

And in truth, they may be right, although we don’t know for sure; Couture has always been ethical about any kind of professional conduct, but he’s not longer beholden to the UFC in any way.

Secondly, Couture’s connections in the MMA fraternity of fighters and coaches cannot be underestimated. He’s made far more friends than enemies, and that could see him becoming every MMA fighters “friend at Bellator.”

That could lead to fighters taking a stronger stance for their own interests when dealing with the UFC on a variety of topics, and that is just the beginning.

Lastly, we know that in the eyes of some, seeing a fighter as estimable as Randy Couture working for a company so clearly aligned against the UFC is going to get them to asking questions.

What is going to happen when people begin to associate Couture’s past problems and battles with the UFC to those of other fighters? Will there be a connection made in the fanbase that gets people to criticizing how the UFC treats their fighters?

For years now, people have been claiming that there is simply no way another organization could rise up from the scorched earth where countless other organizations—Pride FC, Strikeforce, etc.—have all been buried.

But in truth, all it takes is a catalyst; that one thing that sets the wheels in motion.

For as many people who are happy and cozy within the UFC fold, there are a good number who are not, be it for reasons fair or unfounded; unrest is unrest, no matter the reason.

Add to that the fact that White has never been shy or bashful about voicing his opinion (no matter what toes he steps on) and you end up with a powerful ocean that is more stormy than scenic.

Now, who among us wouldn’t find the face of Randy Couture to be a warm and welcoming sight?

Especially when he knows of a perfect port to wait out the storm.

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