Randy “The Natural” Couture is one of the most beloved MMA fighters to ever step foot inside the octagon. The former multi-time UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion was known for legendary performances against the likes of Kevin Randleman, Pedro Rizzo, Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, Vitor Belfort, Tim Sylvia — and who can forget that submission win over former boxing great James Toney.
It was sometime around 2009-2010 when Couture was cast for a role in the Sylvester Stallone movie “The Expendables” that we began to see “The Natural” showing up to press conferences and out in public wearing scarves. It was quite odd to see the Affliction wearing hard-nosed mixed martial arts champion known for battling behemoths like Brock Lesnar suddenly switch up his fashion sense like that. Fans didn’t quite know how to take it. The forums lit up of what this could mean. Had the quintessential tough guy suddenly gone soft?
Not a chance. Randy just got a starring role in a major Hollywood film and the scarf was a statement that there was more to him than ripped jeans and a tight T-shirt with skulls on it. It was a daring flair-filled statement about his softer side, that you couldn’t put him in a box. Much like his poetry.
Who knows what kind of fashion statement we could see next from “The Natural”? Maybe he will start walking with a cane while sporting a flamboyant hat. Maybe he’ll start adding vivipins to his ensembles.
Randy went on to star in The Expendables 2 & 3, had a recurring role on the Hawaii Five-O series, made a great showing on Dancing With The Stars and continues to make movies. He was actually one of MMA’s first stars to crossover into big budget films and will always hold a spot in the hearts of fight fans around the world.
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