Randy “The Natural” Couture. 3-Time Heavyweight Champion. UFC Hall of Famer. Wrestler. Soldier. MMA Warrior. Actor. Businessman. Philanthropist. Captain America. Among all of these titles, the one that struck me the most is businessman. And after talking to Randy, it became clear that he is as wise a businessman as he is a fighter.

That’s why in 2005, after filming Spike’s The Ultimate Fighter, Randy couldn’t help but recognize Las Vegas as the center of the UFC universe. So he decided to move here and set up shop. I had the chance to sit down and talk to Randy about his elbow injury,  his latest movie role, his chain of gyms and when he’ll fight next.

THE FIGHTER
A few days prior to our interview, Randy had elbow surgery. ”The elbow’s fine. Old, kinda nagging injury. I had a couple loose bodies in there, irritating me at every turn. So I just had to go in and get them taken out,” said Randy. “I nursed the elbow all the way through the Lesnar camp. I got through fine. It didn’t really bother me.”

Dana White, President of the UFC and Sin City celebrity, approached Randy about fighting Antonio “Minotauro” Noguera on March 7. And as much as he wanted to get in the ring with Noguera, “I had to decide whether I could make it through another eight-week camp and go into the Noguera fight with the potential of the arm swelling up. (I was) kinda waiting for it to settle down, and it wasn’t settling down. And the honest evaluation was ‘I gotta pull the trigger and get these things out.’ Decline the Noguera fight for now and hopefully we’ll get back on track this week and hopefully . . . maybe by June.”  Although we need our dose of Randy stet, it looks like we’ll be waiting a few short months to see this battle between these two titans of the UFC. They’re scheduled to hit the mat for UFC 103!

In 2007, Randy briefly left the UFC. Curious but tentative I asked how his relationship with Dana had weathered the media battle that was all over the news a year ago. ”We had business differences. It was never personal for me and Dana Everything’s fine now. We buried the hatchet and let bygones be bygones.  We get along fine.”

And that’s good news for Randy’s fans. Those same fans that watched him come out of the announcing booth, after already being inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, to win the Heavyweight title a record 3rd time, this time from Tim Sylvia. It sounds like a story line better suited to the WWE than to the UFC, but sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction.

THE ACTOR
Randy’s story sure has the makings of a movie, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it up on the big screen sometime soon. And if they hurry up with that script, Randy could even play himself. He’s been quite the actor lately, and I couldn’t help but kid him about being listed as an actor first, and an MMA Fighter second in his Wikipedia entry. He responded with a shocked and nervous laugh. “That had nothing to do with me. Thanks . . . that’s very flattering.” But regardless of what success he has on the silver screen, he never forgets that his success outside the octagon wouldn’t exist without what happens inside it.

“I’ve been acting now for five years, and the door opened up because of athletics. The first movie I was in was Cradle 2 the Grave as an underground fighter. I got the chance to do some episodes of OZ, and that’s what put me in the position to have a SAG card in the first place. I got interested in the process of making films and playing characters. I knew I could play thugs and tough guys with my eyes closed. So, I started taking some classes and taking it a little more seriously.”

He appreciated working with David Mamet on Redbelt and learned a lot from him on the set. He expects to learn even more now while filming The Expendables with Sly Stallone.

Accompanying Randy & Sly are Jet Li, Mickey Rourke, Jason Statham and Dolph Lundgren. They shot in Brazil focusing on the “jungle battle scenes.” He is currently wrapping up several weeks of filming in Louisiana. The film is about a group of mercenaries who undertake a near-impossible operation to overthrow a dictator in South America. The film is slated for an April 2010 release. As his acting career continues to blossom, Randy says he is excited to be learning from these guys; another class of heavy weights in a different discipline.

THE TEACHER

Of course, acting is just one part of Randy’s life. His ‘day’ job is running his gym, X-treme Couture and he spends as much time there as his busy schedule will allow. It’s no surprise to see him offering a little advice or just checking to see how the fighters are progressing. It’s easy to see that Randy still enjoys coaching and misses it from time-to-time. In fact, after serving 6 years in the Army, Randy decided that what he wanted to do in life was teach German and coach high school wrestling. He had already received his degree in Foreign Language and Literature when he landed the coaching job at Oregon State.

I asked Randy who’s looking good right now at the gym and who we should be looking out for. “We got a whole crew of guys that are all up-and-coming guys [and] are all doing a great job. We seem to attract a lot of like-minded guys that are willing to check their egos at the door and enter the training environment with nothing to prove. And push each other and have fun beating each other up.”

THE BUSINESSMAN
His duties as a gym owner don’t stop here. Randy has licensed his Xtreme Couture gyms and now has four locations, the last of which takes his brand international. “I own the Xtreme Couture gym here in Vegas. The other three are all licensees: Kansas City, Kansas; West Palm Beach, Florida; and Toronto, Canada opened last May. [It’s a] huge facility, biggest of all the Xtreme Coutures. It’s 30,000 square feet, massive. Canadians are crazy about our sport and Ontario is one of the last provinces in Canada that won’t allow mixed martial arts competitions to take place. It’s like the proverbial candy you’re not allowed to eat. They’ve got 1200 members there already. It’s amazing.”

THE GYM EXPERIENCE
I didn’t know what to expect when I entered Randy’s gym. Although I am a fan who enjoys watching all the UFC pay-per-view fights on TV at home, they cannot capture the intensity of live action. I now understand how they sell out arenas and why people pay the big bucks to see fights live. But even then, with crowds cheering and drunks heckling, you do not get to hear the raw sounds that echo in this gym. Hearing a punch landing on someone’s face gave me an entirely different perspective on just how tough these fighters are. And this is training; a process that goes on for months and months. These takedowns and kicks cannot possibly have zero repercussions. There is no doubt this is the real deal. I have seen fighters training hard on camera, but seeing and hearing it right outside of the cage demands a new respect. The crispness of the smacks and cracks make it obvious why MMA is taking over what boxing used to be.

There are over 500 members at Xtreme Couture MMA. Several of them are professional fighters ranging from rookies to belt-holding champions. Some include a father and son that travel from Victorville, CA, (almost three hours away) every week to train with the staff at XCMMA. Many trainees of all levels and all walks of life. Male or female, this gym is for SERIOUS enthusiasts who are ready to get BUSY. A sign hangs in the bathroom that says, “If you bleed or vomit, please clean up your mess.”

THE OPPORTUNITY
Besides the classes and training offered at XCMMA, Randy also holds a quarterly training camp program where fighters can come work out with him personally for about three days. It’s most definitely something you should check out of if mixed martial arts is your passion.

The UFC has proven itself to be a star-making machine. Kids can come to Vegas and become superstars virtually overnight. Since the early days of the UFC, it can be argued that no fighter’s star has burned brighter or more consistently than Randy Couture’s.

Take advantage of the fact that you live in this MMA mecca. You are a hop, skip and a jump away from a facility where the baddest fighters in the world train. Whether you are looking for a way to get in shape or you strive to be the next MMA champion. You never know, Maybe one day your victory photos  will hang next to Randy’s, but be sure to check your ego at the door, meathead behavior will be punished accordingly.