When Randy Couture steps into The Octagon, he has a plan. It might not seem as such, as mixed martial arts fights often look like little more than a lot of grappling, flailing and snarling. But there is a blueprint to all that violence.
Usually, it’s take out the body, and the head will die. Or vice versa.
In the 13 years he’s fought in MMA, Couture has gained a reputation as one of the sport’s craftiest fighters, able to recognize an opening and pounce. For real.
Couture uses the same sort of overarching plan of attack in his nonfighting projects. One sets up the next. For example, taking on a role as one of the more than dozen stars in The Expendables helps advance his film career (there will be a sequel to the film that begins shooting in March).
The Expendables experience helped lead to Bruce Willis recruiting Couture for Willis’ next film, Setup, which starts shooting in the film-friendly state of Michigan next month.
And Couture’s stint as host of the World MMA Awards holds a greater purpose, too. His appearance at the black-tie event will boost the popular combatant’s attempt to reinvent himself as a personality comfortable in front of an audience while wearing something more formal than tight fight shorts and padded leather gloves. A tuxedo, for instance.
“It’s a new experience for me, knowing how to work with a TelePrompTer, where to find your marks and how to keep things moving,” the 47-year-old MMA and movie star said in a phone interview last week. “I’m excited about doing it. It’s a great atmosphere, a great opportunity to try something different.”
The show is at 7:30 p.m. at The Pearl at the Palms. Tickets are $71.10 to $112.15 (fees included); call 944-3200 or go to Ticketmaster.com.
Arianny Celeste at the 2009 World Mixed Martial Arts Awards at The Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel on Dec. 30, 2009.
Among the award categories in Wednesday’s show are Fighter of the Year, Submission of the Year, Ring Girl of the Year and Knockout of the Year. I expect that Ring Girl of the Year and Knockout of the Year are separate awards, though Arianny Celeste could be nominated for both (oh stop me!).
The show is to be broadcast at 9 p.m. Thursday on Versus. Couture’s co-host will be Molly Qerim, former ESPN reporter who has just joined the rival all-sports network. This pairing of Couture and Qerim will be something to watch. Officials are eager to see how the chemistry between the two plays out onstage, and Couture is seeking to broaden his image so he can portray characters that bring more to a story than the ability to strafe a village with automatic weapons.
“I absolutely would love to play a comic role, or be in a Western, or a romantic comedy,” Couture said. “Everything I’ve done has been action-drama, so far, so there is a hurdle there to get past with casting directors and even fans. You have to get over the stigma that you are only an athlete.”
The problem Couture has is he really looks like an athlete. He’s in great condition for any age, especially 47, and as Sylvester Stallone noted on the red carpet for the Las Vegas premiere of The Expendables at Planet Hollywood, “Having Randy Couture, who is a true, legendary badass — no one can say we were pretending, because this is a guy who can jump off the screen and do it for real.”
With such a reputation as a physical force, Couture will likely be viewed as an athlete for as long as he insists on keeping his primary job, which is hammering his MMA opponents into submission. Even as his athletic career is winding down, Couture is far more comfortable with an arm triangle in The Octagon (which he used to subdue James Toney in his most recent fight in August, a first-round submission victory) than a love triangle on the big screen.
“That’s the problem when you’re known as an athlete,” Couture said. “They know I’m going to kick somebody’s ass. Until they see the other skills or show some emotions and play some characters, you’re going to be seen as just that.”
As much as Couture would love to one day act alongside Sandra Bullock, to name one favorite actress, he says he’s patient and won’t make a move in his career that would impede his greater goal of earning credibility as a film star.
“I think you have to make smart decisions, certainly,” he said. “I’ve turned down a number of pictures, straight-to-DVD type of stuff. I’m not interested in another reality show (playing himself on The Ultimate Fighter gained him popularity but did little to hone his acting techniques). I’d like to show some other skills, try something new that is revolving around something new. That’s never going to change about me.”
Couture is currently watching a series that is, by any definition, to die for.
“I’m following Walking Dead, and it’s stellar,” he said of the post-apocalyptic AMC series centered on nonliving entities taking over a lifeless city. “There is some great acting in it. My wife is a huge zombie fan, and she was really excited about it. I’ve opened up to it, too.”
Randy Couture as a zombie? It could happen. Just give him a crisp script, and tell him what to wear.
Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at twitter.com/JohnnyKats.
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