Couture retires from MMA

Randy Couture, the 44-year-old heavyweight champion of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, announced his retirement Thursday, a day after learning prized free-agent heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko had rejected UFC’s advances in favor of a deal with a Russian-based mixed martial arts organization.

UFC President Dana White said he maintained negotiations with Emelianenko, 31, and was hopeful the fighter considered by most MMA publications as the top heavyweight in the world would sign.

When the Russian Emelianenko opted to sign with the M-1 Mixfight Championship, Couture, who’s in South Africa filming a movie, responded with his retirement.

“That was the fight Randy wanted,” said Sean O’Heir, a spokesman for Couture’s MMA apparel company. “Without that fight, he felt what did he have to prove. Everyone always says Fedor is the best. Randy wanted to show he could beat him. Fedor was Randy’s last big challenge. Right now, he’s retired. He’s an actor. The movies are going well, and he has more offers on the table.”

O’Heir added in a statement: “His heart will always belong to the sport, and I doubt he will wander too far away from it, but it was a matter of respect and Randy felt the need to move on.”

Couture won the heavyweight belt for a UFC record third time in March when he defeated Tim Sylvia by decision. His first title defense was even more impressive, a third-round technical knockout victory over 28-year-old Gabriel Gonzaga accomplished with a broken arm suffered in the first round.

White responded in a prepared statement and said he “was not surprised by Randy’s decision.”

“I talked to Randy several weeks ago and he said that if he couldn’t fight Fedor, then he has nothing left to prove in the sport of mixed martial arts. He has been doing a lot of acting . . . I think it’s a great move for Randy’s acting career to retire from fighting while he is on top.”

Couture, however, has quit UFC before, in 1997 after a contract dispute, and again in 2006 after losing by knockout to then-light-heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell. Couture announced his retirement, and was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame before being lured back for the Sylvia bout.

When asked if Couture’s retirement is permanent, his company spokesman said, “Well, you never know. You know the UFC would welcome him back.”

Said White: “As we all know, Randy retired before. The landscape in MMA changes every day. So when he is ready to come out of retirement again, he is still under contract with me, and I’m ready to promote him.”

In the interim, White has to fill his heavyweight title vacancy, and probably will consider Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Cheick Kongo, Andrei Arlovski and Brandon Vera for a title shot, probably early in 2008.

lance.pugmire@latimes.com