MMA’s Greats of the States | Washington: Randy Couture

Mixed martial artists come from every corner of the globe, bearing a variety of styles. Sometimes, fighters are products of their environment, favoring disciplines prevalent in the country or state from which they hail. Various regions of the United States are considered factories for great fighters, though that certainly is not the case with each state. In this weekly Sherdog.com series, the spotlight will shine on the best mixed martial artist of all-time from each of the 50 states. Fighters do not necessarily need to be born in a given state to represent it; they simply need to be associated with it.

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Washington has produced a number of top-flight mixed martial artists, none more accomplished than former two-division Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder Randy Couture. There was not much “The Natural” failed to achieve during his remarkable career.

Couture was a three-time NCAA All-American wrestler at Oklahoma State University and parlayed those skills into long-term success in MMA. He won the UFC heavyweight championship on three different occasions and captured the light heavyweight crown twice; he remains one of only three fighters in history -- B.J. Penn and Conor McGregor are the others -- to win UFC titles in two weight classes. Couture fought well into his 40s, with victories over Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, Vitor Belfort (twice), Pedro Rizzo (twice), Kevin Randleman and Tim Sylvia highlighting his hall-of-fame resume.

A native of Everett, Washington, Couture has his fingerprints all over the UFC record book. The oldest man to ever win a UFC championship at 43, he has competed in more title fights and headlined more events than any other fighter. Couture was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame on June 24, 2006.

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