"I'm getting a big kick out of the attention it has garnered, but at the end of the day, I still have to get in there and fight and I'm doing this because I want to. It's got nothing to do with who he is or I feel like I need to follow in his footsteps or any of that. I think I would be crazy to expect to accomplish some of the things that he's done. It's just something I'm doing because I really enjoy it and I have a passion for it," stated Ryan Couture, son of former UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture, as he talked about his desire to fight as he prepares for his next amateur fight this Sunday against Art Martinez. Check out what he had to say about the fight, his future plans and much more.
PC: How is training going for your fight this Sunday?
RC: It's going great. I feel sharp and ready to go.
PC: How was it for you to be able to jump into a situation where you're training with some of the best fighters in the world?
RC: It's been amazing. It's been a great experience. It's given me a chance to see up close what those guys go through and what they put themselves through. Working out at the gym makes me where I can do those 2-a-days and has given me a good perspective of what a fighter's about and what it takes to be in an elite group with those guys.
PC: Is this something you've always kind of wanted to do or were you around the sport so much it was just a natural, no pun intended, fit?
RC: It's only recently that I've come around to actually wanting to compete and pursue it as a career. I've had a passion for the sport for as long as my dad has been doing it. I've been watching and following the sport for 10 years now and fell in love with it that way. I trained in Jiu Jitsu a couple of years ago and then that snowballed into the kickboxing as well and I kind of put it all together. I was having so much fun doing it, I kind of owed it to myself to try and compete in it.
PC: If things go well, would you like to turn pro after this fight?
RC: I don't think my next fight will be a pro fight after this one. I just want to take it one at a time and see how I'm feeling and work the jitters out now while the records are not important and the stakes are not quite as high. Especially for this fight, seeing all of the attention it has garnered, I think if I turn pro, it's going to be that much crazier. I want to get some of the in-ring things ironed out and get over some of those issues and jitters that someone that's new to fighting is going to have while I'm still an amateur. That way, when I turn pro, I can really make a run at it.
PC: Do you know much about your opponent and are you a fighter that likes to watch a lot of footage before fights?
RC: You don't really have that luxury at this stage in my career. The guys that you're going to be fighting are not going to have more than a couple of fights here or there. The guys name is Art Martinez that I'm fighting. I have seen one of his fights. He came out and was real dominant and got the takedown and the submission within the first minute of the fight. I couldn't get a whole lot as far as his tendencies or his habits off of that. I'm really just trying to focus on what I'm good at and getting myself in the condition I need to be in and trusting the fact that I'm training harder than anybody I'm ever going to fight for sure. I think, from what little I do know about Art, I'm going to have some technical advantages over him, particularly in standup. He might possibly be the stronger, more explosive fighter. He's fought at 170 before and is coming down to 155. I think it's going to be interesting. It should be a good challenge for me.
PC: We've watched your dad drastically improve his striking even late in his career. What do you feel you need to improve on the most?
RC: I think if I really want to take this serious and pursue it, I think I have to improve in everything. I think I'm intermediate, at best, in all of the disciplines. I'm going to have to really focus on everything for this fight. I've really been focused on my kickboxing for the last 5 months or so. I've really been focused on my striking. That was by far my weakest point when I moved to Vegas and I think I've done a good job of getting it up to a comfort level to where my wrestling and Jiu Jitsu is at; those are kind of my strengths. But going forward, I kind of want to focus on all of the areas and eventually put it all together; the wrestling, submissions and my striking.
PC: I understand you're a pretty tall lightweight with good reach. Do you think that poses a problem to a lot of guys, especially at this level? Are you comfortable at 55?
RC: I definitely think I will stay at 155. If anything, I think I will have to put on a little more mass and increase my horsepower so to speak to be at the elite level of 155 pounds. That's what I will gun for, but I definitely think I will have a height and reach advantage over most of my opponents at 155 pounds. That's something that I rely on and will use a lot standing and on the ground.
PC: Are you looking to accomplish certain things in this fight that maybe you couldn't in your debut because it ended early?
RC: Hopefully a little more time in the ring. I'm happy with the quick win, but I need the experience right now. The first fight went great and the finish couldn't have ended any better, but I definitely wasn't planning on ending up on my back in that fight. The guy got the takedown easier than I would have liked him to be able to so obviously I want to avoid that in this fight. I want to dictate where the fight takes place a little bit more than I did in my first fight so I guess that's the thing that I'm hoping I improved since that first fight.
PC: I'm sure you've answered this question a thousand times, but how do you not let the pressure of being Randy Couture's son get to you?
RC: I try to keep a sense of humor about it. I'm getting a big kick out of the attention it has garnered, but at the end of the day, I still have to get in there and fight and I'm doing this because I want to. It's got nothing to do with who he is or I feel like I need to follow in his footsteps or any of that. I think I would be crazy to expect to accomplish some of the things that he's done. It's just something I'm doing because I really enjoy it and I have a passion for it. I just sort of get a kick with all of the hoopla that comes with it.
PC: Kim Couture took a lot of heat at first for allegedly coat tailing off of Randy. Do you think you will have to deal with that eventually or are you already dealing with it?
RC: I haven't caught heat for it yet. I'm sure at some point I will. I acknowledge 100% that we wouldn't be having this conversation if I wasn't Randy's kid. That's a blessing and a curse because it's a lot to deal with for my second fight, but it's also a blessing because down the line, I may get opportunities that other people wouldn't. I couldn't do anything about it either way. I didn't ask for it, but I have to take the good with the bad and I'm okay with it.
PC: Good luck Sunday Ryan. I hope to speak to you afterwards. Is there anything you would like to say in closing?
RC: I want to thank my whole team out here at Xtreme Couture. Everyone has been great. It's too many to name individually, but we have an excellent staff and a very supportive group of people here. They have been awesome.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]