Props: Amazon.com
Quoteworthy:
“Randy Couture wins fights with the seemingly effortless ease with which lesser mortals eat or breathe. He’s the only athlete to have held championship titles in both the heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions of the UFC, and he’s the only six-time title earner in UFC history.
In Becoming the Natural, Couture tells his story for the first time, beginning with a childhood spent in search of an elusive father figure, followed by the pure adrenaline rush that accompanied his first wrestling bout in grade school. In 1997, at the age of thirty-three, Couture made his UFC debut, defeating two opponents in the heavyweight class and then scoring a TKO victory against Brazilian phenom Vitor Belfort to earn the nickname ‘The Natural.’ He won his first heavyweight title that same year. At the age of forty, he defeated five-time defending champion Tito Ortiz for the undisputed light heavyweight title. Couture retired in 2006, only to reemerge the following year and seize the heavyweight championship title once again.
‘Becoming the Natural’ is the remarkable story of one of the world’s most gifted and dedicated athletes — a born fighter whose skill and showmanship have helped to lift mixed martial arts out of the shadows and into the mainstream.”
Check out the book signing tour schedule for “Becoming The Natural: My Life In and Out of the Cage” after the jump.
Monday, July 21st – NYC / Virgin Megastore Times Square (6:00 PM)
Tuesday, July 22nd – NYC / Borders Wall Street (12:30 PM) AND Bookends in Ridgewood, NJ (6:00 PM)
Thursday, July 24th – San Diego / Camp Pendleton (6:00 PM)
Monday, July 28th – LA / Virgin Megastore Hollywood & Highland (7:00 PM)
Tuesday, July 29th – Torrance, CA / Borders (7:00 PM)
Wednesday, July 30th – Long Beach CA / B&N (7:00 PM)
Thursday, July 31st – Las Vegas / B&N (7:00 PM)
Monday, August 4th – Chicago / Borders in Schaumberg (7:30 PM)
Tuesday, August 5th – Cincinnati / Joseph-Beth Booksellers (7:00 PM)
73 Comments »
WED. MORNING CONVERSATION WITH KEVIN:
THE VEGAS REPORT
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I’m not going to bore you guys too much except to say if you ever get the opportunity to take a flight over the grand canyon and hoover dam, jump at it! It was the most breathtaking experience ever. I ate at Cartoise (spelling), a wolfgang puck chinese restaurant and at Emerill’s fish house (thanks stinky(, and checked out the china grill (again thanks stinky), but it had too limited a menu for my wife. My passion is great food, and Vegas lived up to the hype. If you guys want to see any pictures, let me know, I’ll email you or my wife has a myspace, mania, I will invite you to be a friend.
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I’m very pumped about this weekend, and became even more excited when I saw that fox sports will be airing the Aleks Emelienko fight for free before the PPV. I feel he’s overrated and over hyped, but is very exciting in the beginning of most fights.
One question about the ppv, why is the Fedor/Sylvia fight 3 rounds if it’s a title fight?
I heard a rumor, and hadn’t seen it on here, did BJ Penn get arrested again?
Lastly, I agree with Adam Wagner, while Rampage probably won’t do any jail time, people don’t run from police without a reason. whether it be drinking, drugs or weapons, there is probably more to the story.
It’s good to be back guys!!!
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UPDATE, those who think the Rampage thing is no big deal, read the police report. He (allegedly) was driving on the sidewalk, forcing pedestrians to flee for their lives. This will assuredly bankrupt him. One emotional distress lawsuit is enough, never mind numerous suits!! It’s really too bad, but this isn’t your typical hit and run!
WOW!!!!
I was buisy at work all day yesterday (WTF, right?), and didn’t have time to come to mania. So this was the first I heard of the Rampage incident. I instantly went to that thread to read up. (so much for reading in order…)
I want to know what kind of contriband Rampage had on him that was worth all of that?
I also find it hillarious that the truck has “Toyo Tires” plastered all over it, and then in the pics you see a rim sitting on the road. lol
mike, did you get the email i sent you?
VM: Thanks the marketing you want for Toyo..right? What I found hilarious is the fact he decides to flee the scene in a whip that has his a hug Picture of Himself..on it?? Did Foresst ever hit him that hard?? Or are those Wandy/Shogun Knees catching up to him now? That has to be the dumbest shit I heard in a while.
Dam Kevin, Im a bit envious. I had a trip planned to Vegas last year, but it fell through. I was looking forward to the helicopter ride over Vegas at night. I’ll definatlly make it happen later this year.
Kevin-
FYI-
If you ever visit Chicago:
We have world class restaurants, ethnic “holes in the wall” that are great and local chains that are nationally recognized. Spanish, Italian, Greek, Asian, African, etc.
Anybody need recommendations I would gladly send a list via email.
Can I see the pics? I’m not a big traveler, but Vegas is one the places I’ve yet to go but still want to. Usually the pics I see are just of the strip, but your trip seems to have been a little been more cultured.
pat, email me kevjack115@yahoo, I’ll send a few pics. going for a nap now, but I’ll hit you later!
one more thing, there is a great (best I’ve seen) video “who is Fedor emelienko” by ganges kahn on sherdog in the forums. I posted this a couple weeks ago, but if you haven’t watched it, I would highly recommend it!!!
YES!!! CINCINNATI
Mania:
Just an FYI :
Schaumburg is a suburb about 30 minutes outside of Chicago.
It is NOT in the city itself.
Not a big Couture fan.
If your a MMAFan.how are you not a Randy Couture fan?
It’s pretty easy actually.
I too am not a Randy fan ladies
I was a HUGE Randy fan until he pulled all this crap with the UFC… quit being a b*tch and fight Nogueira for the UFC title. Be the champion you used to be. Settle it in the cage, not the court room!
Sorry Randy, I will not support you until you pull your head out and do the right thing.
His personal life is none of your business, so dont judge him on something that isnt your business, and i dont want to hear how thats your opinion cause i will tell you that your opinion is wrong and it sucks, and anyone who agrees with you, i will tell them the same
Dave you need to chill out, his personal life is obviously our business if he’s writing a book about it and wants us to buy and read it. His fighting career is also our business and its our right to choose whether or not we support him and since he made his dispute with the UFC public all of that is also our business. Also an opinion can’t be wrong thats why its an opinion, I think you really need to grow up and not be such a Randy nutthugger
i think you guys need to appreciate what he has done and given to the sport, and not worry about legal precedings that none of us really know about or understand. People should appreciate the memories, and quit dogging on him about something they dont understand, and i am a randy “nuthugger”, and everyone should be, hes one of the good guys
I appreciate that Bush went to Afghanistan and beat the hell out of the doodes who attacked us but I don’t appreciate that he got us into the Iraqi war. I appreciate how Randy has worked to help the sport but to be honest he ended it bad and I don’t have to appreciate him for that. I don’t have to be a fan of his especially when I think he is over rated. I don’t have to like a guy who lied to try and get more people on his side. I don’t have to like Randy Couture the actor. RIP Randy Couture the athlete
Dave, I find it funny how you mentioned his personal life. First, I never said a word about his personal life. Second, you said that on a thread where the book actually says “My life in and OUT of the cage”. The fact is Randy is a PROVEN lyer who did not honer a contract that he signed. That is not opinion, that is fact. So I choose not to support him.
BJ PENN NEWS
I called this one months ago. BJ Penn is hooking up with strength and conditioning legend Mackie Shilstone. Shilstone has previously helped Roy Jones move up to win the HW title, and Hopkins move up to win the LHW title. I was one of the guys who would give the edge to GSP in a re-match. But if Penn can put on muscle (he’s not really a big gainer) instead of fat, then I’d tile the edge in BJ’s favour.
http://mmayou.com/news-and-exclusive-interviews-with-mmayou/42-news-reports/260-bj-penn-in-new-orleans-with-
NYC BABY!!!!!!! TIME SQ..I’m there!!! After work!!!
Did anyone see about Rampage getting arrested or know what it was about?
No, I didn’t. Neither did anyone else. Nobody bothered to look about three threads down on this very web site to see anything about Rampage’s arrest.
Thanks PW, I must have missed it when it wasn’t there when I originally posted. I’ll try to be more clairvoyant next time.
Le Canadienne?
midwest always gets screwed
Nah man.. New York..North East Coast is who gets Jacked.. everything MMA related is popping off in the Mid west to the West Coast.
well I guess if chicago and Cinci are Midwest, im wrong…but i live in Kansas…nothing ever comes anyhere close…but youre right, you guys do get shafted too as far as mma, but you have super models and other stuff, so dont hang your head too low
Randy is only doing what anyone of us would do if we felt that our company wasnt treating us right! Randy is still one of the best MMA fighters ever. I really hope he gets to fight Fedor, or hopefully he comes back to the UFC. I noticed they showed him after the Forrest/Rampage fight. He was telling Forrest it was an honer to have trained him.
lol a couple million a year after coming off 2 losses isn’t getting treated right huh? where can I sign up for that? I always get a kick out of the Randy supporters, he’s like 16-8 or something crazy, but some of you hang on his nuts! Is he really that good or even relevant at this point?
How many other fighters do you know Kevin that can get destroyed, and come back and win the HW belt the way Randy won it??? Look at AA for example!!! 1 KO from Sylvia and thats it, AA hasnt been the same. I get what your saying about the money, but look at it this way, Randy will fill up a stadium with ease right? So how does Fedor who probably wouldnt even fill half get offered more money?
i agree with that jv!!!
and randy may not have the best record ill admit that, but several of those 16 wins were some of the best, most memorable, and significant fights in mma history, and he may have lost those 2 to chuck when he came back, but last i checked he beat chuck very badly once too, and there sure as hell is no shame in losing to chuck liddell
True
16-8, but has beaten some of the best fighters in the world…he has always been too old, too small, to one dimesional, but still mananges to do amazing things in that octagon…most of them more breathe taking than flying over the grand canyon
lol, coming from a guy who has never vacationed in his life!!! well said my sheltered friend!!
Remeber he is a six time champion, so at least five of those losses were title defences. Cant stay champ forever.
GO RANDY!!
haha touche Kevin, different strokes for different folks i guess. but you dont have to get on an airplane to realize the man is a real life inspirational story, time and time again….if you dont respect him thats your opinion, but youd be clueless if you dont know why other people do…my theory is you got ahold of some bad sea bass at Emeril’s and are not thinking clearly, youll come to your senses later
lol, I actually like Randy, but his record isn’t great. it’s like the people who say Fedor has fought top guys the past 2 years, they are delusional. Randy should have honored his contract and not cried!
by the way, i had a rib eye!!
good choice
how dare anyone say randy hgh wasnt treated right…how many fighters can come out of retirement and get a title shot in a class he wasnt even fighting in plus he was comeing off a ko loss,,,lets not 4get he was crying about money and stuff and dana proved mr.hgh was full of crap
and somebody posted how can u b a mma fan and not be a fan of randy easy…dana white made him and so did the ufc fans and he turned his back on the ufc fans and his friend dana white,,,i guess lucky for me i never liked him anyway
i don’t know what to say to this.
I’d say everything he says is true, good enough?
RANDY
GO AWAY!!!
Randy is a world famous professional athlete. He’s an MMA icon. He helped to build the sport to what it is today. He put in the years and the work when UFC was considered a freak show. Now it’s mainstream and he’s a legend in the sport. He needs to get paid. Is he hurting for money? No. Does he deserve to get paid a lot more than what he has? Absolutely. Did he turn his back on his friend Dana or did his friend Dana give him the shaft? He’s been an advocate for figher’s rights and fair salary for a long time now. Not just crying about his own pay. Kevin, you can “sign up” for that job at any time if you think you can do it. If you think you can fight 250 lb Tim Sylvia and BJJ Black Belt Gabriel Gonzaga be my guest (plus train 24/7, do promotional work for UFC, announce, all while keeping your family together and writing a book). You call it on his nuts I call it respect.
Amen.
Andrei fought Sylvia three times, they shafted him, he wasn’t getting paid enough and he choose to be a gentleman about it and move on to another org. He hasn’t trashed talked the UFC or slandered it with falsified numbers. Randy may be fighting for the fighters to get high salaries but all of his work has yet to show, I’m not seeing any changes from the things he is doing. Maybe he’s not done yet but it looks more to me like he has focused on his acting. Anyway Sylvia was his friend and slacking a lot during his fights. He was nothing like when he fought cabbage or Mir. Dana also calls Randy and offers him the fight then promotes him as the best HW fighter after the win, gives him the second highest income in the UFC behind the guy who clocked him twice and then tries to sign a figher who is asking for 5 times what everyone else makes just to fight. Shit happens and Randy should have realised that he was being ducked, the UFC wasn’t doing this why would they it would have been the most profitable UFC in history, Fedor was ducking Randy and Randy took it out on Dana, the UFC and its fans. I respect Randy’s talent no doubt the man is old and can strap leather but I don’t like what he’s done to my favorite org IMO.
difference between andrei and Couture is over 10 years and an established legacy…Andre has time, Couture does not…thats why he needed to get shit done right away….as far as his work to get fighters higher pay not showing, just look at what Sylvia will be getting paid to fight Fedor…and Sylvia looked bad in their fight becuase he got clocked within 10 seconds of the fight and was on queer street for the following 25 minutes (said so himself)..i dont know what you mean nothing like when he fought cabbage or mir, cabbage was his punching bag, like many other peoples, and Mir snapped his arm in 30 secs. Randy beat a game Sylvia for 25 minutes with thousands of people on their feet..the smae people went to the bathroom during Sylvia/Arlovki 3 and Arlovski/Werdum….I love Andre, but comparing the situations doesnt make sense
Being in a rush doesn’t mean you get to skip everyone and lay your claim to being the best HW in the world in the process. You can’t dodge a fighter and beat Fedor and be considered the best in the world. The reason I compare Andrei and Randy is because Andrei took the fight standing and won his next three fights with no question although the fights were not boring. Andrei has submitted Tim, gotten TKO’d by Tim and taken Tim to a BS decision. I say that Tim was nothing like he was when he was fighting Cabbage and Mir is because he was fighting to win there, he didn’t ever slow down the pace against Cabbage and didn’t tap to Mir even though the guy broke his arm. He was a beast and someone to be feared back then. The last thing I would like to point out is how does Affliction raising the fighters pay mean that its Randy’s doing? The guy complained about wages but did not actually do anything to have them raised. If you want then Tim Sylvia getting paid the money he is getting paid is also in part to Tito Ortiz as well. Credit is not something that you just hand out, just because you said something and it happened does not make you responsible for it. I predicted that Forrest would beat Rampage but that doesn’t mean that it was me who helped Forrest win. I compare Randy to Arlovski because Randy is overrated and Arlovski and Fedor would smoke him.
Your insane if you think Arlovski and fedor would smoke Randy, wait till he fights fedor and then I’ll be countin your cash in my hands.
well put Smokes. i like randy and all he’s done for putting mma out there and trying to educate the general public. i also agree that Arlovski would smoke him. not sure about Fedor though.
When you sign a contract honor it, or don’t sign it. Chances are a contract signed today is going to be worth less than a contract signed nextyear. Honor your contract, win your fights and then negotiate an even bigger contract. I’m a fan of Randy’s and wish him the best of luck but what I stated above is business 101
I agree, the worst is chad johnson. 3 years ago, he says he signed the best deal ever, now he wants more…shut up and play!!!
I am going to get the book and learn about his story.
He was born. His father was absent in his life. He found father figures in wrestling coaches. Wrestled at OSU. Started fighting. married a woman who runs his life. End of story. Sorry for any spoilers.
And he served in the military.
Lol thanks you just saved me time and money now I don’t have to read or buy his book.
I have NO RESPECT for Randy..he is a sell out, irrelevant crybaby who needs to retire and get his old ass out of the sport. He has no respect for the man and organization who made him a star. He cries about his pay..when in fact he is the highest paid athlete in his sport…and who else do you think could have come out of retirement and instantly get a title shot? How quickly he forgets all thats been handed to him. He makes me sick and I hope I never see his bald, HGH using ass in the UFC ever again!
first off where does all this HGH crap come from? Has anyone seen him fail a test for it or is it because he is the most in shape 44 year old out there. It’s called training. Secondly he is NOT the highest paid guy in the UFC. I believe that goes to Chuck Liddell, eventhough it should be Anderson Silva.
Yo spider..people choose to sip on the Haterade. 100%MMA =100% X Couture.
I can’t knock Couture, he is a legend for a reason.
Damn right he is, He is the most accomplished decorated fighter in history. He always came through and won the big fight even when everyone counted him out.
Couture is a legend above all legends there is no one who has even come close to what he has accomplished and the best part is hes not done yet
cry all you want grizzly bear, you will always be in the minority, millions will always love randy so deal with it, you can complain all you want, but he will always be a pioneer, who is a hall of famer, and one of the best ever, you, nor anyone else can change that, and i hope it eats all of you haters up inside, get over it
I think its funny how everyone says that Dana made him…opportunites came becuase of Dana, but they were no way easy and NO WAY a set up to help Couture…he was “fed” to Chuck becuase Tito wouldnt fight…he was a former hw champ who could actually make lhw on short notice..he did dana a favor to sell more tickets, in no way did Dana think he would win….He came out of retirment to fight Sylvia at HW becuase Dana asked him too becuase there was no one else worthy enough at the time (only Vera but he was having contract disputes himself), especially no one who could get you to buy a PPV, i doubt Dana thought he was going to win this one either…Couture made himself
True that..true that.true tha that that.
If he didn’t like his contract he shouldn’t have signed it, but since he did, he should honor it and fight in the UFC!!
I’d still like to see him kick Fedor’s ass though!!
Ultimately, true MMA fans want to see great fights…this could be one of the greatest ever. It would cement the victor’s status as an MMA legend – Randy the career underdog shocking the world yet again, or Fedor finally getting that marquee win over a UFC hall of famer.