EFN

Just hours before going to war with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira on Saturday night, Randy Couture allegedly signed a new six fight contract with the UFC. Given that he’s 46 years of age already, this is largely a job ending contract, and he’s not that sure to fight 6 more times before retiring.

Though details weren’t released, Couture’s agent Matt Walker called the new deal “a great showing of respect to an icon of the sport.” Couture said he would let the dust settle before he would make a choice on his next adversary in the heavyweight division, but also hinted he could probably return to light heavyweight. It’s safe to presume that unless Couture scores a dominant knockout or submission victories in a row over 2 credible opponents, he will not be wearing the title belt around his waist any time soon. But that does not imply he will not take good fights, take home a ton of money, and help the UFC keep growing.

Make no mistake about it, Couture is still a great fighter at 46 years old. the UFC light heavyweight division is full of younger “Chuck Liddell’s”, the previous UFC light heavyweight champ that brutally KO’ed Couture twice. Couture was dropped twice by Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, a fighter that isn’t famous for giant power in his hands. Couture also wasn’t able to implement much of his Greco-Roman wrestling against Nogueira, nor did his cardiovascular seem to be nearly as good as it once was. Granted, his fight against Nogueira was fought at a particularly high pace for heavyweights. In all possibility, we can expect Couture to return as a light heavyweight since he lost his last two fights as a heavyweight.