Garcia
01-08-2008, 15:37
http://www.sherdog.com/thumbnail_crop.php?image=http://www.cdn.sherdog.com/_images/headers/20080801010200_big_couture.JPG&width_size=570
The legal chess match between UFC parent company Zuffa LLC and three-time heavyweight champion Randy Couture (http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Randy-Couture-166) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/pictures/gallery/fighter/166/)) shows no sign of imminent resolution, as neither side appears willing to budge.
The four-time Olympic wrestling alternate resigned from the UFC last October in a move that shocked the mixed martial arts world and touched off a firestorm of controversy. Battle lines were soon drawn.
“From our interpretation, the fight contract expired on July 19 and we’ve entered into a 30-day, good faith renegotiation period with Zuffa,” Couture told Sherdog.com Thursday.
During this period, as outlined by his promotional (or fight) agreement, the company can attempt to renegotiate Couture’s deal with him.
Thus far, though, talks have not transpired, while Couture said Zuffa representatives have responded with their own reiteration that the fighter still has two outstanding bouts remaining on his agreement. It is their belief that the contract has no time limitation and that it remains functional until Couture fulfills his original four-fight obligation.
Meanwhile, the arbitration process has begun in Nevada with the hope of resolving the dispute. UFC president Dana White and Couture were deposed within the last three weeks as part of the process. Others are expected to be called to speak in the coming weeks.
Additional litigation in Texas related to Mark Cuban’s HDNet Fights promotion remains at a standstill after Zuffa was awarded an emergency stay that postponed a June 2 hearing. Had it been allowed to proceed, the hearing would have reviewed and possibly ruled on HDNet Fights’ motion for a summary judgment on Couture’s promotional contract. In its Feb. 13 suit, the rival promotion announced it was ready to enter into a business agreement with Couture once he had fulfilled his contract with Zuffa and requested that a Texas court decide exactly when the UFC Hall-of-Famer’s obligations would be satisfied.
Briefs from both sides are under review by a Dallas appeals court that has decided to forgo any oral argument on the matter and could render its own decision at any time within the coming days or weeks. If the court grants Zuffa’s appeal, Cuban’s motion for summary judgment will dissolve in the state, clearing the way for an eventual resolution on Zuffa’s home turf in Las Vegas. However, if the court denies the appeal, a new date will be set on which HDNet’s motion for summary judgment would be heard in Texas. Whichever verdict prevails, either side is expected to fervently appeal the decision to Texas Supreme Court, which will commence another waiting period for all parties.
In a separate matter, Couture’s employment contract, which he signed in December 2006, rests at the heart of a breach of contract lawsuit filed by Zuffa on Jan. 14 in Las Vegas. The suit alleges Couture’s name and likeness were used to advertise a rival promotion and that he made “false claims” that damaged the company. The contract places a one-year restricted period, set to expire in October, on the 45-year-old associating himself with, or working with, a promoter of any non-UFC event.
The legal battle has done little to overshadow Couture outside the cage, where he maintains a loyal following of admirers.
One of the sport’s most beloved and revered figures, he will be featured on an installment of A&E’s “Biography” next week. The Emmy-award winning series has profiled some of the world’s most influential people, from statesmen and Supreme Court justices to activists and pop-culture icons. Soon, Couture’s name will placed alongside those of Princess Diana, Oprah Winfrey and Christopher Columbus. His hour-long episode -- scheduled to premiere at 10 p.m. on Wednesday -- will be sandwiched in between similar pieces on professional wrestling superstars Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan, though it will be remiss of any fight footage which Zuffa refused to grant to the show.
“Biography” is the longest-running single-topic documentary series on television and profiled enough figures by 1999 that A&E spun the program off into an entire network -- The Biography Channel.
Couture’s episode includes interviews with his two oldest children, his mother, former referee “Big” John McCarthy and a host of others closest to the only five-time champion in UFC history. The list includes Sherdog.com news editor Loretta Hunt, the collaborator on Couture’s memoirs, “Becoming the Natural – My Life In and Out of the Cage,” released through Simon and Schuster Inc. on July 22.
Couture has not competed since he successfully defended the heavyweight championship against Gabriel Gonzaga (http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Gabriel-Gonzaga-7306) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/pictures/gallery/fighter/7306/)) at UFC 74 in August 2007.
The legal chess match between UFC parent company Zuffa LLC and three-time heavyweight champion Randy Couture (http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Randy-Couture-166) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/pictures/gallery/fighter/166/)) shows no sign of imminent resolution, as neither side appears willing to budge.
The four-time Olympic wrestling alternate resigned from the UFC last October in a move that shocked the mixed martial arts world and touched off a firestorm of controversy. Battle lines were soon drawn.
“From our interpretation, the fight contract expired on July 19 and we’ve entered into a 30-day, good faith renegotiation period with Zuffa,” Couture told Sherdog.com Thursday.
During this period, as outlined by his promotional (or fight) agreement, the company can attempt to renegotiate Couture’s deal with him.
Thus far, though, talks have not transpired, while Couture said Zuffa representatives have responded with their own reiteration that the fighter still has two outstanding bouts remaining on his agreement. It is their belief that the contract has no time limitation and that it remains functional until Couture fulfills his original four-fight obligation.
Meanwhile, the arbitration process has begun in Nevada with the hope of resolving the dispute. UFC president Dana White and Couture were deposed within the last three weeks as part of the process. Others are expected to be called to speak in the coming weeks.
Additional litigation in Texas related to Mark Cuban’s HDNet Fights promotion remains at a standstill after Zuffa was awarded an emergency stay that postponed a June 2 hearing. Had it been allowed to proceed, the hearing would have reviewed and possibly ruled on HDNet Fights’ motion for a summary judgment on Couture’s promotional contract. In its Feb. 13 suit, the rival promotion announced it was ready to enter into a business agreement with Couture once he had fulfilled his contract with Zuffa and requested that a Texas court decide exactly when the UFC Hall-of-Famer’s obligations would be satisfied.
Briefs from both sides are under review by a Dallas appeals court that has decided to forgo any oral argument on the matter and could render its own decision at any time within the coming days or weeks. If the court grants Zuffa’s appeal, Cuban’s motion for summary judgment will dissolve in the state, clearing the way for an eventual resolution on Zuffa’s home turf in Las Vegas. However, if the court denies the appeal, a new date will be set on which HDNet’s motion for summary judgment would be heard in Texas. Whichever verdict prevails, either side is expected to fervently appeal the decision to Texas Supreme Court, which will commence another waiting period for all parties.
In a separate matter, Couture’s employment contract, which he signed in December 2006, rests at the heart of a breach of contract lawsuit filed by Zuffa on Jan. 14 in Las Vegas. The suit alleges Couture’s name and likeness were used to advertise a rival promotion and that he made “false claims” that damaged the company. The contract places a one-year restricted period, set to expire in October, on the 45-year-old associating himself with, or working with, a promoter of any non-UFC event.
The legal battle has done little to overshadow Couture outside the cage, where he maintains a loyal following of admirers.
One of the sport’s most beloved and revered figures, he will be featured on an installment of A&E’s “Biography” next week. The Emmy-award winning series has profiled some of the world’s most influential people, from statesmen and Supreme Court justices to activists and pop-culture icons. Soon, Couture’s name will placed alongside those of Princess Diana, Oprah Winfrey and Christopher Columbus. His hour-long episode -- scheduled to premiere at 10 p.m. on Wednesday -- will be sandwiched in between similar pieces on professional wrestling superstars Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan, though it will be remiss of any fight footage which Zuffa refused to grant to the show.
“Biography” is the longest-running single-topic documentary series on television and profiled enough figures by 1999 that A&E spun the program off into an entire network -- The Biography Channel.
Couture’s episode includes interviews with his two oldest children, his mother, former referee “Big” John McCarthy and a host of others closest to the only five-time champion in UFC history. The list includes Sherdog.com news editor Loretta Hunt, the collaborator on Couture’s memoirs, “Becoming the Natural – My Life In and Out of the Cage,” released through Simon and Schuster Inc. on July 22.
Couture has not competed since he successfully defended the heavyweight championship against Gabriel Gonzaga (http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Gabriel-Gonzaga-7306) (Pictures (http://www.sherdog.com/pictures/gallery/fighter/7306/)) at UFC 74 in August 2007.