Why Randy Couture turned down an offer to fight Fedor Emelianenko

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The search for Fedor Emelianenko’s New Year’s Eve opponent in the upstart Rizin Fighting Federation promotion briefly led to Randy Couture.

While the money was good, the UFC Hall of Famer told MMAjunkie Radio, the prospect of getting back into fight shape after a four-year layoff was enough to make him pass.

“It’s not a huge money issue,” Couture said. “The kind of money they’re talking about is significant. But it’s more about doing the sport justice and doing myself justice.”

As for any encumbrances with his former promoter, which took him to court in 2008 and shunned him after an entertainment deal with Spike, Couture maintains he would be “contractually free” from the UFC to pursue other opportunities. The bigger issue is whether he feels up to them.

At the very least, he said, he would need a few tuneups before facing Emelianenko.

“At 52 years old, to put my body back through all that and do the things I know I need to do to do it right is a lot to ask,” he said on Monday. “I’m more worried about sustaining an injury that’s going to affect the rest of my life.”

The Japanese promotion wound up coming back to an opponent rumored early for Emelianenko’s return, settling on former kick boxer Jaideep Singh in a headliner at “Rizin Fighting Federation 1: Day 2,” which took place Dec. 31 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

After three years of retirement, Emelianenko steamrolled Singh, then a 2-0 fighter in MMA. The Russian ex-PRIDE champ is now expected to continue his comeback later this year after initial reports targeted an April date.

In an interview with ESPN.com, Rizin chief Nobuyuki Sakakibara said he would consider an attempt to make a fight between Emelianenko and Couture if it attracted sufficient buzz, but he stressed the promotion wanted to give new MMA stars a platform opposite Emelianenko.

As for Couture, he knows well the grind of an MMA camp, and that remains the most significant barrier to a return to competition. He referenced a recent eye injury to UFC heavyweight Matt Mitrione in a UFC Fight Night 81 bout with Travis Browne as an example of the potential damage a fighter faces in every trip to the cage.

At UFC 46, Couture once lost the promotion’s light heavyweight title when his eyelid was slashed by Vitor Belfort’s glove. So he’s been down that road.

“This is not an easy sport,” Couture said. “There’s a serious possibility that, not just in the fight, but in the training process trying to get my body back into the shape that I need, (I sustain a serious injury). I’m not sure that it’s up for that challenge, to be honest.”

Since stepping away from the cage following a 2011 loss to now-former UFC champ Lyoto Machida, Couture has pivoted to a career in entertainment, starring in the action franchise “The Expendables” in addition to other film and TV roles. Soon, he will take a stab at comedy, appearing on the CW’s “Who’s Line Is It Anyway.” On Feb. 18, he will appear on Spike’s recent hit series “Lip Sync Battle” opposite Gabriel Iglesias.

“I’ve been focused on acting and traveling a lot,” Couture said. “I’m in decent shape, but that’s not the same as being in fight shape. So for me to come out now after four years of layoff, it would be a big challenge.”

Emelianenko (35-4) undoubtedly was aware of the the same issues, which is likely why he wound up facing Singh and not a more well-known MMA fighter. At least on an intellectual level, Couture (19-11) is not opposed to the same approach if a future meeting with Emelianenko were on the table.

“If I was to seriously consider it, and they were to come up with a number that made that worth it to me, to put all the other stuff that I’m doing in my life on hold and get back into the gym and get back on the fight path, I would need some time, and I’d want to run in and do a tuneup, or two, before I fought a guy like him,” Couture said.