Couture, UFC drama unresolved

Even after dueling news conferences, the departure of Randy Couture from the Ultimate Fighting Championship and the circumstances surrounding that departure are a mystery.

Couture and UFC President Dana White addressed the media in separate appearances Thursday, but their words didn’t do a whole lot to clarify the situation.

Couture continues to claim his reasons for leaving UFC are more about respect than money. However, most of the problems he has cited come down to not being paid on par with other performers who have done less for the sport and the organization.

“I don’t want to make a big deal out of money. The zeros aren’t the issue here,” Couture said. “I don’t think anybody is going to feel sorry for me for the kind of money I’ve made in the sport. But how do you show an athlete that you respect his marketability and what he brings to the table — in the NFL and any other sport? By what you pay him. That’s the bottom line.”

The real discrepancies in the situation come from the length of Couture’s UFC contract. Apparently, he signed a four-fight, 18-month contract prior to coming out of retirement to fight Tim Sylvia in March.

With nine months of that deal expired, Couture insists he will be free and clear of that deal nine months from now. White claims that the two remaining fights is the more important issue.

It appears that the two sides are headed for court.

In reality, it only becomes important if the 44-year-old Couture decides to fight again, which many assume he will try to do in a potential megafight against the world’s top heavyweight, Fedor Emelianenko, who recently signed with M-1.

“I am saying that I have simply left the UFC at this stage,” Couture said. “It would be silly for me to say that I’m retiring again, nobody’s going to buy that crap anyway. I certainly have fights left in me, but there’s only one fight that makes a lot of sense and that’s with Fedor.”

Couture left the door open to that fight before making a more direct statement minutes later in response to a different question.

“I’m not trying to go fight elsewhere. That’s not my intention,” he said.

For his part, White has not removed Couture as the organization’s heavyweight champion and isn’t acting as if Couture is even gone.

“I don’t declare it vacant until Randy Couture tells me face-to-face that he’s retiring,” White said in a conference call just minutes before Couture’s news conference Thursday.

“Randy Couture is a guy who I have a ton of respect for. I truly believe we’re going to work this out. As far as I’m concerned he’s the heavyweight champion until he tells me otherwise. He’s the champ and we’ll figure out who he’s going to fight next.”

Tonight, Couture adds to his credentials outside the cage when he guest stars on the CBS drama “The Unit.” The show airs locally on KLAS-TV.

• LIDDELL-SILVA FINALIZED — Though both fighters are coming off back-to-back losses, many MMA fans got official confirmation for the match they have waited years for when White said Chuck Liddell will fight Wanderlei Silva on the UFC 79 card at Mandalay Bay on Dec. 29.

• LESNAR SIGNS — After an impressive victory in his MMA debut in Los Angeles in June, former World Wrestling Entertainment star Brock Lesnar has signed with the UFC.

Lesnar’s wrestling credentials go far beyond the scripted world of the WWE.

He was undefeated in his senior year of high school, then won an NCAA title in 2000 while wrestling for the University of Minnesota. He also took second place in 1999 on his way to a 106-5 collegiate record.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or (702) 224-5509.