Couture Exclusive: 'Never Say Never'

Faced with the potential of spending the remaining years of his competitive career fighting in a courtroom instead of a cage, Randy Couture (Pictures) was left with one decision.

The 45-year-old heavyweight champion finalized an agreement Tuesday to return to the UFC and defend his title, ending 11 months of well-documented legal jockeying between himself and the world’s most prominent and successful mixed martial arts organization.

An eventual fight with World Association of Mixed Martial Arts heavyweight king Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures) remains a top priority for Couture, though his next appearance inside the Octagon will come in a title bout against former World Wrestling Entertainment superstar Brock Lesnar (Pictures) at UFC 91 on Nov. 15 in Las Vegas.

“I said all along, ‘Never say never,’” Couture told Sherdog.com. “When I sat down, looked at the legal situation and how long it was going to take for me to fight this battle [in court] and to be in position to fight Fedor, that was kind of a turning point.”

Reality has a way of changing uncompromising men. Couture has not competed since he stopped rising Brazilian contender Gabriel Gonzaga (Pictures) on strikes at UFC 74 in August 2007. He resigned from the UFC in October in a move that shook the MMA world to its foundations and touched off a firestorm of controversy and debate. With two fights remaining on his contract, battle lines were soon drawn, and Couture went to war with the UFC in court.

Couture cited pay and unfair treatment for his resignation, along with the UFC’s inability to secure Emelianenko’s exclusive services. While he stopped short of declaring those issues resolved, enough progress has been made for the two sides to strike a deal.

“We still have a long way to go as fighters as far as getting our fair shake in relation to the income [promoters] garner,” he said. “I still feel there are lingering issues, like health insurance for fighters, but the UFC at least seems willing to discuss those issues.”

The road to compromise began, Couture said, with a meeting between himself and Emelianenko last month in Los Angeles. Couture made contact with UFC President Dana White soon after, and the wheels were set in motion.

“After that meeting, I kind of had the wild idea that the path of least resistance would be to go through the UFC,” Couture said. “I texted Dana, and that opened up the dialogue. He immediately wanted to meet. Both sides had certain things they wanted. We let the attorneys do their work, and it got finalized [Tuesday].”

Always a fan favorite, Couture also addressed the issue of how the public might perceive his latest move. Some had viewed him as a trailblazer whose decision to leave the UFC and expose MMA’s darker side could alter the landscape of the sport. Might his popularity suffer now that he has agreed to return?

“I don’t like to live life that way,” Couture said. “I have to do what’s right for me, my career and other people in my life. Hopefully, I raised some awareness and brought some attention to fighters, to what we need and where we need to be.”

Couture sought the advice of many confidants during the legal process, including outspoken Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. His HDNet Fights promotion had also filed suit against the UFC in an attempt to get Couture released from his contract. In its Feb. 13 lawsuit, the rival promotion announced it was ready to enter into a business agreement with Couture once he had fulfilled his contract with UFC parent company Zuffa LLC. The suit -- against which the UFC was later granted a stay -- requested that a Texas court decide exactly when his contractual obligations would be satisfied.

“Mark is still someone I consider a friend,” Couture said. “He’s been very generous and forthcoming. He was certainly the first person I went to about going in this direction instead of traveling down the same path. He was OK with that.”

Couture admits the legal fight with the UFC had begun to wear on him. Talk of depositions and injunctions grew old quickly.

“It wasn’t a lot of fun,” he said. “I’m a fairly positive person, but I felt like I had been walking around beneath a dark cloud. Having that go away is a relief.”

Now, his attention turns back to what he does best.

Long layoffs are not unfamiliar to Couture, who will have been away from competition for almost 15 months when he meets Lesnar in November. He retired following a second knockout loss to Chuck Liddell (Pictures) in February 2006 and did not fight again until March 2007, when he regained the heavyweight championship in a unanimous decision over 6-foot-8 Tim Sylvia (Pictures).

“I think the time off was good in a lot of ways,” Couture said. “I still spent a lot of time in the gym, but, physically and mentally, the break wasn’t bad for me.”

Couture, it could be argued, has never tackled an opponent with Lesnar’s frightening blend of size, strength and agility. A former national wrestling champion at the University of Minnesota, the 6-foot-4, 280-pound Lesnar rebounded from a submission loss to Frank Mir (Pictures) and dominated veteran Heath Herring (Pictures) at UFC 87 in August.

“Obviously, the only fight I’ve been pining for is the Fedor fight, but that’s not going to happen right away,” Couture said. “In the interest of resolving our differences, I agreed to fight Brock. He’s a huge man and a formidable opponent. I’m not overlooking him by any means.”

When asked whether or not Lesnar -- who has three professional bouts under his belt -- was worthy of a title shot, Couture left UFC officials to answer the question.

“That’s not for me to decide,” he said. “The UFC is interested in making huge fights, and this is a huge fight.”