Randy Couture Talks Round Five Collectibles and Likely Opponent James Toney

One would be hard pressed to find a more suitable fighter than Randy Couture to be at the forefront of mixed martial arts collectibles.

Randy "The Natural" Couture's list of accomplishments reads a mile long and with that success he has truly became a legend in the sport.

A short list of those accomplishments include UFC Heavyweight Champion, UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion, UFC 13 Tournament Winner, UFC Hall of Fame, two-time Fight of the Night Honors, and 15 UFC Title fights.   

Couture is an active UFC Hall of Famer and holds victories over the likes of Vitor Belfort(2x), Chuck Liddell, Pedro Rizzo(2x), Tito Ortiz, Tim Sylvia, and Mark Coleman to name a few.

In addition, Couture owns what has already became a legendary gym. His Xtreme Couture brand has become the home for some of the sports elite fighters such as Forrest Griffin, Gray Maynard, and Jay Hieron.

The UFC Hall of Famer was one of the initial fighters to be featured in the Round Five Collectibles series and according to "The Natural" it has been great.

“I was one of the first athletes and one of the owners of the company helped get a lot of the fighter contracts going. It’s been a great experience and we’ve got a lot of great feedback.

They represent the athletes well and they try to give the athletes a say in what the figure looks like. The shorts, the pose, and all those sorts of things so I think it works.”

Round Five collectibles have been a hit and the company has done a great job incorporating specific elements into making their product realistic which is what Couture believes the fans expect.

“I think it’s great and I think the fans appreciate that. I think that’s what the fans expect, it’s certainly cool from the athletes side. It’s almost surreal to see these (collectibles) and to see people collecting them. Especially, to see your son holding and playing with one of them.”

The company just released six new collectibles in their Ultimate Collector series and fans of the sport can find them at Target, Toys “R” Us, and Wal-Mart. Having those available at the stores help provide another way for fighters to be able to reach out to their fans. 

“We have 25 figures out now and by the end of the year we’ll probably have 40 collectibles out. We’re in all the major stores from Wal-Mart to Target.

We’re in those stores that appeal to the folks that follow our sport. They’re accessible and available to anyone who wants to buy those action figures,” Couture added.

“Being a fighter and a fan of the sport since day one, it’s cool to be involved and certainly now with the sport in its hay day, and seeing it explode the way it is. To be a part means a lot and it’s a lot of fun.” 

Speaking of the sport exploding and Couture being involved, he immediately expressed his interest in welcoming boxing star James Toney into the sport.

Toney is set to make the transition from boxing into the sport of mixed martial arts and Couture feels like he is the right person to introduce the former boxing champion to mixed martial arts.

“It looks like we’re going to get the James Toney fight signed and bridge that gap between boxing and MMA. Finally, a boxer has been willing to step up instead of just talking a bunch of crap and sign on the dotted line. I think it should be interesting and it should be a big fight for both mixed martial arts and boxing. It should be a lot of fun.”

Couture has helped place the sport of mixed martial arts where it is today, and he feels that he matches up perfect with the former boxing champion.

“I’ve worked very hard on my boxing. You don’t see a lot of MMA fighters running their mouths about boxers. It seems to be some rhetoric coming from the other side. I’m thankful that James has the courage to step up to sign and put it on the line.

I think I have the perfect background and style to match up well. I’m a well rounded fighter, and kind of give him an idea of what mixed martial arts and what MMA fighters are all about.”

The fight with Toney will mark the first time a boxing champion will transition from their realm into the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Toney will need to be aware of all facets of the sport as he steps in against a Hall of Famer that has been competing since 1997.

Don’t expect Couture to take Toney lightly heading into the bout, and expect him to be well prepared heading into fight night.

“I think you have to take everybody seriously. I have to be in just as good shape and go in there to be ready to go just as hard with James as anybody else. Obviously, James like anybody else poses certain problems,” Couture explains. 

“He’s going to be a very, very formidable and dangerous striker. I’ve got to pay close attention and use footwork and protect myself well. I have to set him up properly and hopefully I’ll be able to close the distance and get to him and put him in places he’s not used to be and be affective.”  

Couture vs. Toney has been rumored to take place later this fall in Boston, Mass. at UFC 118. The fight details are still in progress, but Couture feels confident that the deal will be signed and the fight will be delivered.

Additional information on Randy Couture and Round Five Collectibles can be found at www.randycouture.tv , www.xtremecouture.tv , www.round5mma.com