An athlete carrying the weight of an important last name is not a new phenomenon in professional sports. Michael Jordan’s sons bore the weight of their last name every time they stepped on the basketball court. Ken Griffey Jr. had to play with the same exact name of his major league All-Star father. In mixed martial arts we’ve seen the accolades and expectations heaped on the many individuals who carry the Gracie last name. And though their stable isn’t as large, the Couture family has another individual looking to make his mark in the MMA world.
At 6-1, Ryan Couture is quietly trying to make his way in the UFC’s lightweight division after being brought up through the Strikeforce ranks. However, that name makes it hard for him to do anything within the mixed martial arts world quietly. For the longest time, the accusation of favorable matchmaking followed him around while he competed in Strikeforce, and the controversial judges’ decision against KJ Noons earlier this year at the Strikeforce Finale did not help either.
At the same time, the relationship that his father, UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture, has had with the Ultimate Fighting Championship also looms over his career. Since Randy has involved himself with an upcoming Bellator project, the UFC has cut all ties with their former two-division champion. Immediately after the news became public, UFC President Dana White verbally lashed out at Randy, and asserted that he was banned from cornering or accompanying his son to UFC events. While the question of if he truly has the power to ban someone from being a licensed corner man still remains to be answered, the fact that White is willing to make that statement is enough of a story.
All the while, Ryan continues to strive to follow in the footsteps of his father, but right now, many experts and fans are skeptical of his chances of doing so. This weekend at UFC on Fuel TV 9, he is charged with facing the very experienced Ross Pearson, who has the ability to fight with a similar style to the one that Noons used back in January. He has the better striking skills of the two, while his defensive wrestling can keep the fight standing for long enough periods to cause damage to Ryan.
Ryan’s style isn’t like his father’s; instead of using the clinch for dirty boxing and the occasional takedown, Ryan is more of a “wrestling first” fighter, who seeks to use his ground grappling to control the fight. That style is going to be tough to use against Ross, who recently stopped a great grappler in George Sotiropoulos at UFC on FX 6 using striking and defensive wrestling.
In his first UFC bout Ryan Couture has a very tough test in front of him. He’s the underdog going into the fight and not only does he have to worry about the competition, but he has more than his fair share of distractions swirling around his career just due to his last name. A loss, and especially a bad loss, could cause Couture to meet the axe that is going to relieve a hundred UFC fighters from their jobs at some point this year. Then, question would change from whether his last name has protected him to whether his last name caused him to be sent packing earlier than others. Naturally.
UFC on FUEL TV 9 is due to take place on April 6, 2013 at the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden.
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