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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Though UFC President Dana White has welcomed Ryan Couture into the UFC, his issues with Ryan's father, UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture, remain. He said that while Ryan would be brought in without any lingering issues because of his father, one key thing could still lead to some problems.
White said that Ryan would be welcome in the UFC, but that Randy would not be allowed into events, not with a ticket, and not to corner his son. However, that's something he's done throughout Ryan's MMA career, and he said this week that he's prepared to take other avenues if his son wants him to be in his corner.
"My only real concern is my son and I've been a big part of Ryan's career, certainly a big part of his last three training camps as he's moved up in competition," Couture said in an interview with MMAWeekly's Knockout Radio. "I've helped him formulate some of those game plans in some of those camps and cornered him for his last three fights, so if that's what Ryan needs and that's what Ryan wants, then I am certainly willing to walk across that and address that issue, if Dana tries to preclude me from being a part of Ryan's career."
"I think at the end of the day it's a commission issue. Commission licenses the athletes and licenses the seconds and so, I don't know, I want to make whatever the best decision is for Ryan. I don't want to cause any more trouble for Ryan with the organization."
Ultimately, Couture's optimistic that things will cool off as he moves on with Spike TV, but he understands full well the grudges held by White.
"I think the dust will settle and some of this will go away, but I also know that Dana is one to hold a grudge. He's not one to forget things and that's probably why he's had such the strong reaction that he's had. He's still hanging on and harboring some of the old animosity that he's had from the issues that we had in the past, so it will be what it will be."
Penick's Analysis: I think ultimately it might depend on where the event is at for Couture. If it's a stateside event with commission oversight, White probably won't be able to bar him from being a cornerman for one of Ryan's fights. However, if it's an international event, like the one in which Ryan will make his UFC debut this April, then it's the UFC handling things from a regulation standpoint, and Couture might be out of luck.
[Randy Couture art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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