• UFC

'I'm kind of over Fedor Emelianenko' - Couture

Randy Couture has confessed he is "over Fedor Emelianenko", even though Captain America is arguably closer than ever to a superfight with the Strikeforce star.

Couture and Emelianenko have been two of the biggest MMA figureheads of the past decade in the sport, winning belts in the UFC and Pride. The two have often been linked, but political obstacles such as Dana White's dealings with Emelianenko's M-1 Global management have so far seen the bout fail to materialise.

However, following the purchase of Strikeforce by the UFC's parent company Zuffa, negotiations have a smoother terrain on which to be based than ever, particularly with Emelianenko's stock considerably dented by two straight losses to Fabricio Werdum and Antonio Silva.

Couture claims his forthcoming clash with Lyoto Machida at UFC 129 could well be his last, but a Randy Couture v Fedor Emelianenko bout would be a huge money-earner for all involved, even if The Natural admits the window may have passed.

"I had to come to terms with the Fedor fight when I was chasing it a few years back. Now it's probably closer to being a reality than it ever has been with the purchase of Strikeforce and the aligning of the two entities," Couture said on the ESPN UFC Podcast.

"There's still a lot of hurdles there. M-1 Global has a large and vested interest in Fedor's career and who he fights, and I still see some huge issues in making that fight happen regardless of who owns Strikeforce.

"To be honest, I'm kind of over it. I've got other things in my life that I want to do. Obviously I'm very excited to fight Lyoto [Machida], Fedor was on that list as well as a guy I'd really enjoy competing against, but at some point you have to say enough is enough."

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