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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
At 47 years old, Randy "The Natural" Couture has been a freak of nature in the world of mixed martial arts, performing at an immensely high level for his age and continuing to put on impressive performances.
But his UFC 118 victory over boxing's James Toney may have been the last time UFC fans see him compete in the Octagon.
At least, that's a possibility according to his lawyer Sam Spira. In comments made to MMAFighting.com, Spira said that they're still sorting things out between Couture's fighting and acting careers.
"I'd say right now it's a toss-up," Spira said. "If something came up that was interesting, he would fight irrespective of whether he got a meaningful Hollywood role. But there's other stuff for him to do that's MMA-related. I think many would be surprised at some of the things we are working on. So he doesn't have to be actively fighting in the ring to remain active.
"Is it possible he may not fight again? Yeah, it's possible. I'd say it's a toss-up."
Although it's still possible that Couture could take a fight if the right one is presented, fans will need to prepare for the possibility that "The Natural" is done.
Penick's Analysis: It would be a shame if his final career fight was that bout with Toney, as even in a win not much was accomplished. I'd expect him to fight at least once more next year, but as time rolls on there will be a point where he simply has to say, "this is it." He's been past what has typically been viewed as the "athletic prime" since he began his MMA career, so everything he's accomplished in 15 years in the sport is remarkable. Hopefully we can see him get into the Octagon once again against a more worthy opponent than James Toney, but if he goes out off of a win that will have been more than a lot of fighters can say at the tail end of their careers.
[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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