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Interview w/ Randy “the Natural” Couture (part 1)
Reported By: Chris Colderley - 07.16.2003 02:45 AM
On June 6, Randy Couture secured his place in mixed martial arts lore with a third round TKO over Chuck Liddell. The victory gave him the interim light heavyweight championship to add to his collection of hardware, which already consisted of a tournament championship and two heavyweight titles. Soon after the accomplishment, Couture was being hailed as the greatest champions UFC ever.
In September, Couture will face light heavyweight champion, Tito Ortiz to decide the rightful owner of the title. Couture, the senior by more than ten years, is considered the pre-fight underdog again. But, he flourishes in that role. In what could be the biggest fight in UFC history, the 40 year old, Couture will be out to verify the claims that he is the greatest UFC champion ever.
In part one of this two part interview, Couture discusses his recent victory over Chuck Liddell and his upcoming fight with Tito Ortiz, as well as his development as a fighter.
In part two, Couture reflects on the marketing of mixed martial arts, his role in the development of the UFC, and his involvement with Team Quest fight club.
Naturally Speaking
Boxing Insider talks with Interim light heavyweight champion, Randy “the Natural” Couture
By Chris Colderley ©
BoxingInsider.com: First of all, congratulations on winning the interim title. How does it feel?
Randy Couture: It feels great. Anytime your game plan comes off to the letter, it’s pretty nice. It doesn’t happen very often. The reaction after the fight, being a 3 to 1 underdog, has been astounding. It feels really good.
Photo: Joshua Hedges/UFC.tv
BoxingInsider.com: You mentioned your game plan; what do you think was the most successful part of your game plan?
Randy Couture: I think just putting pressure on Chuck [Liddell] and not letting him control the tempo of the fight – hunting him down and getting off [strikes] first.
Whenever we came into range, I kept Chuck off balance. I don’t think he expected me to try and stand-up and punch with him.
BoxingInsider.com: Were you surprised at how well you were able to stand and strike with Chuck?
Randy Couture: I was surprised it was as effective at it was. I expected Chuck to be able to answer back and bang with me. It just didn’t happen.
BoxingInsider.com: As it stands right now, you have beaten three of the best strikers in the UFC. What do you credit this success to?
Randy Couture: I think having an open mind and being willing to step out and find people to help me improve. I have been fortunate to work with some good coaches, most recently Mo Smith, who has been sharpening up my kickboxing skills. I also have a kickboxing coach named, Dave Hagen. I have been working with him on a daily basis and built up the things that Mo started. It has been working really well this last year.
Photo: Joshua Hedges/UFC.tv
BoxingInsider.com: I spoke with Matt Lindland a couple of weeks ago and he basically said, I don’t think you can call Randy a wrestler anymore. He’s a mixed martial artist. How do you want people to see you? How do you want to be thought of in the sport?
Randy Couture: Well certainly, I will always be a wrestler with my background. I spent 30 years wrestling, and I think the biggest part of my game is wrestling. That background allows me to do everything else. Because I am a wrestler, I can take the fight to the ground or keep the fight on my feet and take advantage of the [striking] skills that I have learned.
I just want people to think of me as a well rounded fighter, and someone who goes out and works hard to get the job done.
BoxingInsider.com: What is your wrestling background?
Randy Couture: I started wrestling when I was ten years old and I wrestled all through junior high and high school. I wrestled for six years in the army, was on the national team for Greco-Roman wrestling for about twelve years, and wrestled for four years at Oklahoma State University.
BoxingInsider.com: You also won the Pan-American championships?
Randy Couture: Yes, when I was on the national team. [In my career], I was on four world teams, was alternate on four Olympic teams, won the Pan American games in 1991, and was the national champion four times in Greco.
BoxingInsider.com: A lot of wrestlers who are involved in the sport of MMA, including Matt Lindland and yourself, but others also like Dan Severn, Mark Coleman, and Kevin Randleman (maybe a little less so), all tend to be very modest. They don’t often do a lot trash talking. They tend to give their opponents a lot of credit and be respectful of their abilities. Do you think a wrestling background influences that sort of behavior?
Randy Couture: I definitely do! Just about all the wrestlers I know – from the high school level to the gold medalists – at one time or another had their butts kicked. They have had that match where they were on the short end and got worked over. That’s a humbling experience. You know every time you walk out there that [same thing] could happen so you have a tendency to be a little more conservative with your mouth and let your actions on the mat – or in the ring as it were – speak for themselves.
BoxingInsider.com: You will be facing Tito Ortiz in September, who is notorious for his trash talk and calling out his opponents. How are you going to deal with Tito’s trash talk?
Randy Couture: It doesn’t bother me at all. I know he’s going to be cocky and talk about beating me down and all that stuff. It just makes me laugh. If anything this motivates me to train hard and make sure that I am prepared.
It doesn’t really bother me and the fact that it doesn’t bother me makes it more difficult on my opponents. They aren’t sure how to get to me or they know they can’t fluster me and get me in that game. It actually works against them in many respects.
BoxingInsider.com: Is that one of your strategies, to use your soft spoken nature to intimidate your opponents and get into their heads?
Randy Couture: I guess it’s more just my approach. It’s just kind of who I am and how I choose to approach the sport. That’s how I was in wrestling and that’s the way I am [now].
If it is a strategy, for some guys, especially guys like Tito who tend to talk trash, it does seem to bother them – that they can’t get to me in that way. That’s fine with me.
BoxingInsider.com: I remember when I was younger; I heard a story about tennis player, Bjorn Borg. During an interview, he was asked how he developed such great sportsmanship. And, of course, he was often compared to John McEnroe. He told a story about being a young boy and having his parents lock up his tennis racquets for six months after he threw a temper tantrum on the court. Do you have a similar experience, growing up, that helped develop your sense of sportsmanship?
Photo: Joshua Hedges/UFC.tv
Randy Couture: I was in a similar situation, in that I was a state champion my senior year. They held an all-star meet between the state champions for the AA and the AAA schools. I was in an AAA school, and I was feeling pretty good about myself at the time, and pretty cocky. My Mom had made a note of that fact, and I went out and got my ass whooped! She was quick to note that as well. I think, at that point, I learned anytime you walk out on that limb and act that way, someone is going to cut the limb off behind you. I never made that mistake again.
BoxingInsider.com: A little bit about the fight with Tito Ortiz. At the press conference, a few times, Tito’s camp went out of their way to refer to you as the “interim” title holder. You took some offence to that. Do you feel that you have earned the title light heavyweight champion because of Tito’s absence?
Randy Couture: I definitely do. I wasn’t really upset. It didn’t irritate me that they wanted to call me the interim light heavyweight champion, but if Tito and his management had their way, they would call me the number one contender. They wouldn’t call me the light heavyweight champion at all, and I don’t think that’s fair. I stepped up and I fought the number one contender, which Tito wasn’t willing to do. Therefore, I earned that belt and I earned that spot. If he wants that title, he’s going to have to come and take it away from me.
BoxingInsider.com: Do you think that Tito will try and grapple with you or try and strike with you?
Randy Couture: I think Tito is going to try and take me down. He has watched the two losses I had in the UFC and those came from being on the bottom. I know he is going to want to put me on the ground. That’s his strongest game – his top game – using the cage and landing elbows.
I know he’s going to try and catch me and get me extended to try and take me down. I am preparing for that, and I am hoping that’s what he tries to do because I think I will have the answer for him.
BoxingInsider.com: Have you been working on submissions specifically?
Randy Couture: That has been an ongoing process since my first fight. It’s just a matter of timing and having the where-with-all when opportunities present themselves to be able to secure those submissions. It’s not always an easy thing to do.
BoxingInsider.com: I know B.J. Penn was at the Team Quest Camp. Did he give you any pointers?
Randy Couture: B.J. is a phenomenal grappler and we were fortunate to have him around for the week. We picked up some stuff from B.J. Definitely!
For information on Team Quest and upcoming events, visit TQFC.com
Stay tuned for part 2 later this week.
Chris Colderley is a boxinginsider.com contributor.
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