IFL to use Team Tompkins as team name instead of Xtreme Couture
Posted by Adam MorganAdam Swift of MMAPayout.com is reporting that the IFL will use Team Tompkins as the name of the Tompkins-coached team in the IFL at tonight’s event instead of using the team name of Xtreme Couture. He was able to obtain the following statement from Joe Favorito, Senior VP of Communications with the IFL:
Given the ongoing litigation between Extreme Couture and the UFC, we were asked by Extreme Couture Wednesday to not use the Extreme Couture camp name in our event this Friday. Out of respect for Randy and his team in this difficult situation, the camp will take the name Team Tompkins. Shawn Tompkins is coaching this Friday as already announced for this Friday’s event. The IFL is not in any way involved in this litigation, we are doing this out of professional courtesy for Randy and his group.
Has it really come to this? A bunch of Randy Couture’s guys are fighting in the IFL and they can’t even fight under his banner? What a joke. Props to Couture for being the bigger person and yanking his name from the event before it got any uglier. Wouldn’t want to do anything to upset the big, bad UFC.
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Where is the coverage for the IFL event? Haven’t seen much on it this week or ever. Good thing there is a Randy issue associated with the event or we might not have known there was actually going to be one. Caplan used to be pretty pro-IFL. Did I miss something?
Gimme a break. Couture signed the contracts, took a lot of money and decided he didn’t want to hold up his end. Like any other business or person, UFC, which has fulfilled its contractual obligations, took exception to Couture’s attempted screw job and sued. Couture had to back down, not because he’s being all manly and honorable, but because he knows (or has been told) that using his name in a rival org. violates his contracts, weakens his legal position in the pending lawsuits and exposes him to damage claims. It’s also possible that he lost at the hearing that was scheduled to occur before the IFL fight and had to back down because the court made him.
Regardless of why he backed off, this kind of “little guy getting pushed around by the big bad corporation” rhetoric is naive and silly.
Perfectly said Mike. The judge did also let them know, in a small way, she did see it as a violation of contract. Honorable…this from the guy that wouldn’t take a picture to help the sport without getting paid for it first. I trully believe it is more about Randy protecting his new found God status. Face it, while he was and will always be Randy Couture, he was no where close to where he is now after his two knock out loses to Liddell. If he lost to anyone but Fedor right now he won’t be so revered as he is now. Randy nore Kim will let that happen. Bizness not honor. God/Randy forbid that he actually have to honor his contract.
Maybe Randy knew about this
http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=5804&zoneid=13
I’m sick of this whole thing. Randy needs to honor his contract or retire, he knew what he was getting into when he signed. As soon as he retires he can coach all he wants. It has turned into a pissing contest that he WONT win, nor should he. I’d love to see what happend if A-Rod resigned from his contract with the Yanks and tried to play in Japan or somehting like that…
No. 3 Tommy
I haven’t read anything about the hearing or the judge’s ruling? Where did you pick that up? Got a link?
Ditto on the sick of this crap.
As for the name, how about …Team Extreme?
Only surprised they didn’t call it team Kim Couture.
Never mind myquestion about a link. defsteve had it in post no. 4.
As for new names, how about “Team uh oh” or “Team I wish I hadn’t picked a fight with UFC”
lol at #8’s names!
They can’t make him fight. If Randy hadn’t said anything. Hadn’t announced his retirement. Didn’t speak about his soured relationship with DW and Zuffa. And simply turned down all the fights that they offered him until the end of his contract. He could have fought Fedor and nobody would have said anything(publicly). He knew Zuffa’s track record, as far as suing anything with a pulse similar to the UFC’s, and STILL went very public with this. So I ask, “What is Randy Couture’s/UFC’s agenda? Are his/their actions noble or born out of greed? What will come from these events in regards to MMA , good or bad? Both? All of the above?”
Good questions bubbafat. I am sure it’s a mixture of everything.
Couture acted in haste, and is learning to regret it. Like Forrest Gump’s momma said, “stupid is as stupid does.”