UFC News: Randy Couture Responds to Steven Seagal's No Holds Barred Challenge

UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture has responded to actor Steven Seagal's challenge regarding a potential no holds barred fight where no bystanders are present.

Cage Potato got an exclusive phone interview with "The Natural" to get his reaction to Seagal's unexpected comments during Ariel Helwani's "The MMA Hour."

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“I’m the one that started the joke as an off-handed comment I made to Jay Glazer — that I’d only come out of retirement if it were to fight Seagal. Obviously now somebody has talked to him about it and it has gotten some legs,” he said. “I’m not surprised that he wants to do it in private, remote location where nobody could see it happen. Obviously I intended it as a joke. I don’t think it would really happen.”

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While the former two-divisional UFC champion saw the humor in the situation, Seagal's comments on Monday seem to indicate that he felt disrespected by Couture's joke from several months ago: 

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"I really have to kind of wonder what his intentions and motivations may have been in saying that. I always thought that Randy was my friend and a gentleman. I'm kind of confused as to why he would say that. All I can say is, I'm here. Anybody can find me anytime and anyplace. If Randy really wants to fight me, he can fight me anytime he wants. It'll be for free, and it'll be some place where there are no witnesses."

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For those wondering, Couture indicated in the Cage Potato interview that he didn't think the no holds barred stipulation "changes the nature of the fight at all."

Couture last fought at UFC 129 in April 2011, getting knocked out by a devastating crane kick in the second round by former light heavyweight title holder Lyoto Machida. 

To the shock of many fight fans, "The Dragon" credited Seagal as one of the people in his camp who led him to a victory over Couture. 

Seagal was also mentioned shortly after UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, a Black House teammate of Machida, knocked out Vitor Belfort at UFC 126 in February 2011 with a similar kick.

The star of dozens of action films in the past three decades has never competed in a mixed martial arts bout, but to his credit, does have a seventh degree black belt in Aikido.

So is there any chance the 60-year-old Seagal takes on the 49-year-old Couture? "Hey, it could happen organically I suppose,” Couture stated at the conclusion of his Cage Potato interview.