Randy Couture has accepted the deterioration of his relationship with Dana White. But he believes the UFC president went too far when he said Couture cannot be in the corner of his son Ryan at UFC events.
“For Dana to act the way he’s acted, I think it’s crossing the line,” Couture told The Post on Thursday.
Couture, a UFC Hall of Famer and pioneer of MMA, had been working as an analyst for UFC broadcasts on FOX before leaving for Spike TV in January. Spike is the home of the UFC’s top rival Bellator and Couture is working in conjunction with Bellator on the “Fight Master” reality show, which premieres Wednesday at 10 p.m.
That did not make White happy and he, as he is known to do, made it public, saying Couture “stops being a man when his big toes step out of the cage.” The attacks weren’t just verbal either. White called Couture’s son Ryan and told him that his father could not corner him in his UFC debut, which was April 6 in Sweden, or in the future.
“I said, ‘Ryan, this is probably the weirdest conversation you are ever going to have with me,’” White said. “‘You signed a deal with us to fight in the UFC. 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 again as long as I walk this f—— planet. I know he’s your dad and I don’t want to call you up and tell you how much I don’t like your father, but, if you want to leave the UFC,’ because he, Randy, is not cornering him. Randy Couture can’t buy a ticket to this mother f—— event.”
Ryan accepted that fact with Couture’s blessing and fell to Ross Pearson on the card. He remains on the UFC roster, though Couture is concerned Ryan could be punished just because of who is father is.
“I understand that dragging around my last name and being involved in the same sport as me has created a burden for him,” Couture said. “Now, that burden has taken on a whole new face, a whole new level. It’s really not necessary. It doesn’t serve any purpose.”
Couture wants his son to fight at the highest level of MMA – “he deserves his shot” – and doesn’t want anything to get in the way of that. Couture’s relationship with White has been tenous at best. The two have bickered for years over contracts and Couture even left the UFC in 2007 for a year to try and pursue a superfight with Russian MMA superstar Fedor Emelianenko.
But the former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion is adamant that he doesn’t want Ryan to be in the middle of this feud.
“The last thing I want to do is create any issues for my son,” he said. “I’ve wanted to do nothing but support him.”
