When Randy Couture steps in the cage against Lyoto Machida at UFC 129 at the end of this month, the fight may mark the end of his legendary mixed martial arts career.
Couture has hinted at the move in recent days, telling Josh Gross of ESPN.com, “I believe this is my last fight.” Today on the UFC 129 media call today, he was more than open about the possibility, reiterating that the decision to head off into the sunset is the likely one.
“It’s been an ongoing transition for me,” Couture said. “I just kind of wanted to go out on my own terms and decide when enough is enough. I think that time has come.”
“(The magnitude of UFC 129) really played no factor in the decision,” he continued. “It’s really been coming for a while. I wanted to go out on my own terms.”
Couture’s career, which has spanned over a decade, includes 29 professional contests, 19 of them wins, and a pair of UFC titles. However, it also includes retirement announcements that never lasted.
Following his loss to Chuck Liddell in a light heavyweight championship bout at UFC 57, it seemed Couture’s career had officially come to a close. He would return to earn and once defend the heavyweight championship, but then elected to leave the UFC, once again parting ways with the promotion.
Now, the question is, will Couture stick to his word this time? At 47 years of age, it certainly seems that his mind is made up. According to him, simply the time has come to work on his film career, gym, and everything else he has going on in his busy life outside of the Octagon.
“It’s just time to focus on other things I’ve got going on in my life after this fight, and I’ve pushed it pretty far,” Couture said. “I don’t think anybody is going to push it as far as I have the last 14 years.”
If and when Couture follows through with his retirement plan, one thing is for certain, and that is the fact the hundreds of thousands of fans watching him take on Machida on the main card of UFC 129 April 30 will spend a few moments immediately following the fight to reminisce on one of the sport’s greatest careers.
And the 55,000 watching live from the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada will display their appreciation, sending him out with a bang, regardless of the result of the fight.
“I’m sure they’re going to blow the roof off the place.”
