UFC 129: Shouldn't Randy Couture Be Allowed To Retire on His Own Terms?

Randy "The Natural" Couture , a living legend in the sport of mixed martial arts, prepares to do battle for what he believes will be the very last time in his storied career.

What better stage for Couture to make his last stand then at UFC 129: St-Pierre vs Shields in front of 55,000 screaming fans at the Rogers Center in Toronto. UFC 129 is the biggest event not only in UFC history, but in North America as a whole.

Couture's foe this Saturday night will be former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida. Machida suffered some setbacks, having lost the title and his last two fights inside of the octagon against Mauricio Rua and Quinton Jackson, respectively.

Don't be fooled by Machida's losses; Rua may have knocked him out, but the fight with Jackson was a very close fight and arguably could have gone his way—in fact, he thought it did.

Coming off a two-fight losing streak is stressful for any fighter under the UFC banner, and fans can expect Machida to do anything in his power to get back in the win column even if it means retiring Couture with loss number 11.

At 47 years old, Couture is an anomaly not only in MMA, but in all of professional sports. To step into the cage against a 32-year-old Machida takes courage for anyone, especially a man approaching the half century mark.

One thing that Couture has made clear come Saturday night is that, win or lose, it would take a lot of convincing and a lot of incentives to get him to come back out again. He has re-iterated this point in the last couple of weeks on numerous occasions and as recently as yesterday to MMAfighting.com's Ariel Helwani.

Despite what Couture has said, UFC president Dana White isn't so sure that Machida is Couture's retirement party, as White discussed Couture's retirement with Helwani.

Fans can see where White is coming from. Couture has retired from the sport in the past only to come back again, and even though he is 47 years old, he is currently on a two-fight winning streak. He is a competitor at heart, and when you are as passionate about something as he is, it always has to be tough to walk away.

All that being said, the fans, media and UFC should let Couture go out on his own terms, and if he wants to call it a career after fighting in one of the most storied events in UFC history, let him go.

Of course, there will always be potential fights for Couture, but the fact of the matter is that the man is getting older and as much as he is an anomaly, the human body does slow down eventually and there is always a future to think about after fighting.

Nobody wanted to see Chuck Liddell get knocked out for the fourth time in his last six fights when he fought Rich Franklin. it was one knock out too many for the "Iceman".

Couture has won his last three, and win or lose against Machida, isn't it better for him to go out with all his neurons firing and his body intact?

He has held the heavyweight and light heavyweight titles on numerous occasions and has fought top guys in the sport throughout his career. What is there really left for Couture after UFC 129?

It's not like he has to fight to make a living anymore. Couture has plenty of projects on the side.

Although not everyone may share the same appreciation for his skills in front of the camera, Couture has made a little bit of a career for himself in the movie industry. In addition to his movie career, he also owns his gym Xtreme Couture.

Just because he won't be setting foot in the octagon doesn't mean we won't see Couture around the sport anymore. There will be plenty of opportunities for him to stay involved without having to fight.

No matter what happens come Saturday, if Couture wants to fight again he will fight again, but there is no need to goad him back into the fight game. People should let him ride of into the sunset for one last time if that is what he truly wants.

I will be live on site for the UFC Fan Expo and UFC 129 in Toronto, so keep an eye out for updates and news straight from the events.

Leon Horne has been contributing to Bleacher Report for three years now. He focuses mainly on mixed martial arts, but he has also written about tennis, football and hockey. Just send him a message if you want to talk sports or discuss any opportunities. You can follow him on Twitter for updates: http://twitter.com/Leon_Horne