After suffering the first loss of his professional career in June 2011 to Matt Ricehouse, Couture rebounded to pick up a majority decision win over Maka Watson this past September. The son of MMA legend Randy Couture, Ryan is 3-1 as a pro with two of his three victories coming by way of submission.

Couture will have his toughest fight to date in March when he meets Heun, a 32-year-old veteran with thirteen bouts under his belt. Following back-to-back decision losses to Jorge Gurgel and K.J. Noons, Heun rebounded in June to defeat Magno Almeida by unanimous decision. Despite the victory, “Hurricane” suffered a dislocated arm in the bout which has kept him out of action since his win.

News of the bout was first reported by MMAFighting.com.

Scheduled for March 3 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey will be headlined by a title-fight between 135- pound champ Miesha Tate, looking to make the first defense of her strap, against the undefeated top contender Ronda Rousey. Also on the card is a light heavyweight title eliminator bout bnetween Gegard Mousasi and Mike Kyle.

PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE

Though no opponent has been lined up yet for the 155er, who turns 29 later this month, Couture’s involvement on the card was reported by MMAJunkie.

Assuming things go as planned the show will mark the fourth Challengers event for Couture since his MMA debut a little less than a year ago. Prior to his stumble against Ricehouse, Couture had choked out Lucas Stark and Lee Higgins.

PHOTO CREDIT – FIVE OUNCES OF PAIN

An area product, “The Future” has been brilliant as of late with eight wins in his last nine fights including a third round TKO of David Douglas last April at Strikeforce Challengers 15. The showing marked Fodor’s first career victory by way of strikes with six submissions in his seven previous instances of success.

Though Terry is in a similar position professionally, having also exited the evening with his hands raised in three straight outings like Fodor, he is certainly different from a stylistic standpoint with four TKOs to his credit including opening round finishes in his last two fights. However, the 10-2 Californian has yet to tap an opponent out in any of his ten total wins.

In earlier action, Couture looks to continue his winning ways against Matt Ricehouse (4-0) who also has yet to taste defeat in his young career. The son of MMA legend Randy Couture is 2-0 thus far since turning pro a year ago.

Additionally, the aforementioned Larkin will go for his eleventh straight win after wowing fans at Strikeforce Challengers 15 with a unique arsenal of strikes en route to a second round smashing of Scott Lighty. The dynamic 24-year old will take on 7-2 Gian Villante who has finished all seven of the opponents he’s defeated including five TKOs.

Also set for a Strikeforce Challengers showdown in June, 13-3 Danillo Villefort will make his promotional debut in the form of a fight against powerful Strikeforce veteran Antwain Britt and female Muay Thai champion Germaine de Randamie will look to improve her MMA record to 3-1 against Julia Budd.

PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE

“I think the only reason I was on the main card (for my first professional fight) was because of my last name. People were interested in seeing what I could do because of dad. That’s opened a lot of doors for me but it’s also open up for criticism. It’s my job to fight well and earn those spots and make Strikeforce not regret putting me on the main card. I can’t put the pressure on myself to live up to what dad has done because who can fill those shoes? Only pressure I put on myself is to perform to the level I’m capable of. If I had a good showing then win, lose, or draw I’m happy,” said the younger Couture in an interview with FiveOuncesofPain.com

Ryan made his professional MMA debut on August 13, 2010, defeating Lucas Stark in the first round via triangle choke. While his father is known for his grinding wrestling in the clinch and on the ground, fans and opponents shouldn’t expect to see the same thing from Ryan once the cage door closes.

“They wonder why I don’t fight like dad and I them that if I had the option to use 30 years of wrestling experience then things would be easier but I don’t so I had to find things that work for me.”

What works for Ryan is the art of Jiu-Jitsu. With all five of his amateur victories coming by way of submission and his first professional win coming by submission, Couture is quickly becoming known for being a wizard off his back, something never associated with his dad. In fact, in 29 professional fights, Randy only has four submission victories.

When asked how many more fights it would take Ryan to catch his dad in submission victories, Ryan laughed and said, “I’m dying to knock somebody out so I hope to do that one of these days but at the rate things have been going, I would have to say another five fights or so before I catch him.”

While his father is nicknamed “The Natural” and some have called Ryan, “Natural Light,” he says that the nickname has nothing to do with his dad and doesn’t even like being called by it. “College buddies used to joke around and call me that because I drank that beer all the time but I don’t have a nickname that I acknowledge because I think they’re silly.” If the head of Natural Light Beer is reading this though,” Ryan says, “I wouldn’t be opposed to a sponsorship and free beer between fights.”

Originally scheduled to fight November 19, 2010, Ryan was forced to pull out of his fight with a staph infection. 100% healthy now, Ryan is eager to get back into action this Friday. “It was awful to pull out (of the November fight). I was feeling great and camp was right on track. I’m 100% ready to go now.”

Lee Higgins, Couture’s opponent, holds a 2-0 record and while his last name is most commonly linked to the dog that played “Benji,” Couture doesn’t expect Higgins to just roll over. “I’ve seen footage of both his pro fights. He’s a hard-nosed guy who likes to grapple and wrestle. I know he wants to get on top of me so I can’t give up my back. I’m comfortable wherever the fight ends up though. I’m working on my strengths, trying to add new tools, and improve on the ones I have,” said Couture.

Training at Xtreme Couture, Ryan has plenty of good craftsmen to help him with his tools. “Gray Maynard, Tyson Griffin, Martin Kampmann, Jay Hieron, Mike Pyle. All these guys are good at what they do and it’s no fun getting tagged by them. Pyle is the resident ground bully. He gives me fits and just toys with me,” said Couture about his high-level training partners. In closing Ryan thanked all of his training partners at Xtreme Couture for helping him during camp.

Strikeforce Challengers 14 is headlined by a lightweight showdown between Lyle Beerbohm and Pat Healy while Couture meets Higgins in the co-main event. The event takes place this Friday, February 18, and will air live on Showtime.

News of the pairing was announced in an official press release from Strikeforce.

Couture, son of former double-divisional UFC champ Randy Couture, won his MMA debut this past August by submitting Lucas Stark a little over a minute into their match-up at Strikeforce Challengers 10. He was originally set for action in November but was forced to withdraw due to a staph infection.

His opponent, Higgins, should provide a good test for Couture on the ground as both of the 30-year old’s victories are the result of Rear Naked Chokes. The fight with Couture will mark his third bout in four months with the previous wins having occurred in November and December.

Couture and Higgins will join another undefeated lightweight, Lyle Beerbohm (15-0), at next month’s event. Beerbohm is set to face well-versed veteran Pat Healy in the evening’s main event.

PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE

The change was made due to a staph infection Couture picked up while training that will apparently keep him out of action for about a month. “”I was really looking forward to fighting so this is a big disappointment, but I’ll be back,” said the 28-year old. “As soon as I’m cleared, you can bet I’ll be back in the gym preparing for my next Strikeforce fight.”

However, while Strikeforce may have lost a match-up based on Couture’s ailment, the card also gained a pair of bouts according to an official statement from the promotion.

Jan Finney, who had won four consecutive fights before falling to women’s champ Cris “Cyborg” Santos last June, will take on the debuting 4-0 Liz “Girl-Rilla” Carmouche. The pairing will also mark the return of Finney to her natural competitive weight of 135-pounds.

In addition, newcomers Caros Fodor and Derek “The Pretzel’’ Getzel will also face each other at the event.

Strikeforce Challengers 12 is headlined by a bout between 155-pounders Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro and Justin “The Silverback” Wilcox, and is also scheduled to feature light heavyweights Antwain Britt and Ovince St. Preux mixing it up.

PHOTO CREDIT – STRIKEFORCE

Though the 31-year old has stumbled three of the last four times he’s stepped into the ring, the losses came to a trio of highly-respected foes in the form of Shinya Aoki, Lyle Beerbohm, and JZ Cavalcante, and only dropped his overall record to 20-4. Comparably, Wilcox is currently riding a four-fight win streak and earned a decision win over Shamar Bailey in his previous Strikeforce appearance at a Challengers event this past May.

Also slated for the event, Ryan Couture will compete for the second time in his official MMA career against a yet-to-be-named adversary. Couture submitted opponent Lucas Stark a little more than a minute into his professional debut this past August.

Miesha “Takedown” Tate won two fights on the night, both by unanimous decision, to hoist the inaugural Strikeforce Women’s Welterweight Tournament belt and became the No. 2 contender behind Marloes Coenen in the competitive 135-pound division. She also may have earned a possible future date with current Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Sarah Kaufman.

“Sarah Kaufman, you’re amazing,” Tate announced loudly to the near sold out Dodge Theatre crowd, seeking out Kaufman from the other side of the cage. “I can’t wait to fight you again.”

She later added, “It’s a dream come true. I came here on a mission and I accomplished my goal. And now it’s on to step two and getting that championship belt and getting another shot at Sarah Kaufman.”

Tate used her world-class grappling to control both fights. She beat Maiju Kujala in the first two-round semifinal, rested for a good 35 minutes and then went back at it, beating the scrappy Hitomi “Girlfight Monster” Akano in the final by controlling the ground position and simply out-muscling her Japanese opponent.

Akano submitted Carina “Beauty But the Beast” Damm at 1:48 of the second round to earn her final shot at Tate.

Female 145 pound champ Cris “Cyborg” Santos liked what she saw from Tate on a night that celebrated women’s MMA. “This was a great opportunity for women’s fighting and I’m looking forward to seeing Miesha fight Sarah in the future,” she said.

But Cyborg wasn’t the most visible of fighters watching cage side. That distinction would have to go to Couture’s famous father, MMA legend Randy Couture, who proudly took his spot in his son’s corner for his successful MMA pro debut. “I’m very proud of him and he has a great passion for the sport,” Couture told the nationally televised Showtime audience.

Strikeforce fans will undoubtedly be seeing more of Las Vegas ’ Couture in the near future. He used his signature triangle choke move at 1:15 in the first round to beat Lucas Stark in a 155-pound lightweight match.

“It’s kind of a load off to get the first win and I hope there won’t be a long wait for the next one and I can show some new things next time,” Couture told the media afterwards. “I thought once it hit the ground I would catch him but I didn’t expect it to be that quick. I just lucked out that way I guess.”

Couture said he couldn’t find his jab early against the shorter Stark. “I decided to get where I was comfortable and get it to the ground,” he said. “I’m a slow starter when it comes to the striking. I just locked it in and got the tap.”

The night was also kind to Arizona product Joe Riggs. Down on the judges’ scorecards early in his 182-pound catch weight fight, Riggs knew he would have to come up with something special in the third round, and did just that by pinning Taylor against the cage before the ref stopped the fight at 2:07. “Diesel” was awarded the win via submission by punches.

“I felt great fighting and winning in front of Phoenix ,” Riggs said. “I love my fans.”

He said Strikeforce fans haven’t seen the last of his tough opponent. “He’s a prospect. He’s a big guy. His stand-up was very athletic and he’ll be a dangerous guy for anyone.”

Photo Credit: Esther Lin / STRIKEFORCE

Also set to unfold from Phoenix’s Dodge Theatre on Showtime at 11:00 ET / 8:00 PT, Ryan Couture makes his professional MMA debut after notching a number of wins in his amateur career with opponent Lucas Stark looking to prevent the 27-year old from following in his famous father’s footsteps. Also, Joe “Diesel” Riggs will face 6-1 striker Louis Taylor in hopes of rebounding off a decision loss to Jay Hieron in his last bout.

Before I get into the actual “pick em” part of this article let me preclude the breakdown of bouts by saying one of the things about Mixed Martial Arts I’ve always loved is its unpredictable nature. I’ll do my best to steer you in the right direction with a little insight/opinion included in the deal, but readers would be wise to avoid laying down money on my attempts to glimpse into the future. Beyond that, please don’t hesitate to share your own thoughts on any or all of the scheduled fights in the “Comments” section below, and let’s get this show on the road…

Miesha Tate vs. Maiju Kujala (Tournament Semi-Final)

Kujala is a relative unknown, as are the four opponents she’s beaten in her career, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing where her success is concerned. If it’s difficult to find tape on her, then it’s difficult to know exactly what to expect then the cage door closes. However, I think Tate is experienced enough to handle anything her Finnish adversary offers and will at minimum use her wrestling ability to take Kujala down, then look for submissions while smothering her for the duration of the bout if necessary. I’m positive she’ll try to finish things as quickly as possible to both avoid damage and reserve energy rather than letting either affect her in the tournament final.

Winner – Miesha Tate via Submission Round 1

Carina Damm vs. Hitomi Akano (Tournament Semi-Final)

The result of this bout will depend on where the bulk of its action takes place. Damm has a definite advantage where striking is concerned while Akano is a solid grappler. That being said, the Brazilian is more apt on the ground than Akano is on her feet, and I believe her jiujitsu ability and takedown defense should be enough to make the overall difference in eventual outcome. I don’t expect her to finish Akano, as six of the Tokyo native’s seven losses have come by way of decision with the lone exception being a third-round TKO to Cris “Cyborg” Santos, but I do think Damm will do enough in all facets of the game to win a very close decision.

Winner – Carina Damm via Decision

Ryan Couture vs. Lucas Stark

Couture will clearly be the fan-favorite based on his last name and success as an amateur. However, Stark shouldn’t be dismissed simply because his father isn’t a Mixed Martial Arts legend. He may only be 2-4 in his career but six fights’ worth of experience still counts for something when considering Couture is only making his professional debut. I expect Couture to play it fairly safe in hopes of grinding out a decision win, though it’s possible he could attack with basic jiujitsu since Stark has shown a past vulnerability to ground-based submissions. Look for him to stay active with jabs while looking for takedowns to play off his wrestling pedigree without ever pressing the action to the point he’s at risk of catching a clean shot on the chin.

Winner – Ryan Couture via Decision

Miesha Tate vs. Carina Damm (Tournament Final)

Like most one-night tournaments, this bout will likely be influenced by which of the two fighters escapes the semi-final match less-scathed than the other. An earlier knockdown, cut, broken bone, or even cardio-testing battle could spell disaster for either talented lady. Based on how I predict their previous fights unfolding, I definitely think Tate will have an advantage where her general physical state is concerned. I expect “Takedown” Tate to focus on taking Damm down (surprise, eh?), working from the top, and trying to press the pace in order to soak up the last of Damm’s conditioning. It might even be enough to open up an opportunity for a well-timed, TKO-inducing combo in the third round or submission on the ground.

Winner – Miesha Tate via Decision

Joe Riggs vs. Louis Taylor

Taylor will be looking for his third consecutive win but has yet to face an opponent with Riggs’ familiarity of the ring or overall skill-set. Riggs is 4-1 in his last five bouts and beat a number of respectable opponents earlier in his career like Chris Lytle, Kendall Grove, Joe Doerksen, and Nick Diaz. Don’t surprised if Taylor tries to keep things upright as often as possible based on Riggs’ wrestling ability in addition to his previous success on the TKO-front. Taylor’s last three wins have come by way of knockout and if his head-kick of the ironically-named Ryan Sturdy at Bellator 14 last April was any indication of his overall ability it’s clear his best chance for beating Riggs is in the stand-up department. However, I think “Diesel” will be able to score enough takedowns to do damage from the top and either pound Taylor out or cover him for the bulk of the bout’s fifteen minute time limit.

Winner – Joe Riggs via TKO Round 2

photo by: Carla Duran

While the Shamrocks and Gracies feud over who is the “First Family of MMA” like the Hatfields & McCoys, many MMA fans will point to the Couture clan as equally deserving of that honor.  Ironically enough, as a household which is known for its quiet humility, they’d probably be the last ones to lay claim to it.

But amid a capacity crowd of near 2,500 at Sunday night’s Tuff-N-Uff amateur MMA event at the Orleans Casino & Hotel in Las Vegas, NV, Ryan Couture, son of Randy “The Natural” Couture, took the family name one step farther down that path. Facing Art Martinez of Team Fubar in a lightweight bout, the younger Couture scored a second-round submission win.

“I really enjoyed myself out there. . . I got to work my standing a little bit. I got to show I’m pretty slick on the ground too. I’m happy with the way it went,” Couture said after the match.

In the first round, Martinez had no problem pushing the attack on Couture, firing with hard punch combinations. Couture tried to keep the distance with low kicks before the fight went to the ground.  From there, Couture worked for both a triangle choke and armbar, surviving a short slam by Martinez.

“I thought I’d get the tap with the triangle, but he was tough,” he began to explain. “I kept debating back and forth between the arm or the triangle – I think if I’d have gone with one or the other, I would have got the tap. But you live and learn.”

Round two opened up with a flying knee from Martinez, who followed up with a takedown attempt. Couture was able to mount Martinez’, sinking his hooks in and claiming a submission victory by rear naked choke at the 29-second mark.

photo by: Carla Duran

Couture’s Tuff-N-Uff win takes him to 2-0 as an amateur, as his debut match took place late last year at an amateur event in Bellingham, WA.

Carrying such a family name and deciding to compete in MMA, it’s inevitable that a certain parade of media buzz and hoopla would follow. But this isn’t the first time that father and son have faced this scenario, as Ryan dealt with the same pressure during his high school wrestling career of following in the footsteps of his highly-decorated father. As such, it should come as no surprise that the family has treated Ryan’s foray into MMA with the same discretion and humility.

“[Wrestling] was too hard of a sport to get in and feel pressure from me, especially with the accomplishments and things that I’ve always achieved, so I always stayed out of it. If he was gonna wrestle, it had to be because he wanted to. If he came to me with anything, I was always there, but I stayed away from coaching. I wanted him to have the same passion and fun that I had, and didn’t want to be a distraction for him. And I feel the same way about fighting,” said the elder Couture.

As for Ryan, he notes that although his own MMA aspirations and accomplishments will inevitably reflect on the family name, he’s perfectly comfortable with creating his own legacy.

“I’m doing this 100% because it’s something I’m passionate about, and that I enjoy,” said Couture. “Hopefully I’ll have my own legacy some day to look back on. Obviously that’s going to be part of my dad’s legacy, and I’m proud of that too. I’m 100% proud of everything he’s accomplished. I can only hope to do a fraction of as much as he’s done for this sport. Really, I don’t spend too much time thinking about that, because I’m doing this for me. It’s something that feels right.”

If anything, Ryan’s sense of self-awareness may be the trait he’s inherited the most from his father.  Throughout his career, Randy, while being a world-class wrestler and six-time UFC champion, has continued to demonstrate an easygoing, assured confidence under even the most personal of public headlines. As such, it should come as no surprise that even as comparisons between father and son come up, Ryan considers them more of a coincidence than a pre-ordained destiny.

“I definitely inherited a lot of personality traits from him.I see it all the time. Some of that has led to a similar world view. I think we both think in similar terms. But I feel like I’ve come to all these conclusions on my own. I haven’t spent a ton of time sitting down and talking about it with him. It’s all just kinda happened naturally,” he explained.

That “Natural” progression began almost three years ago when Ryan was working as a bank teller in Bellingham, WA and training in MMA on a part-time basis. He moved down to Las Vegas in late-2007, taking a job in the front office of Xtreme Couture and dedicating more time to training. In November 2008, Ryan fought his first amateur MMA bout, winning by submission about two minutes into the first round.

“It was a hobby up there and it had to take a backseat to my day job… I’d wanted to compete at some point, but I wasn’t dead serious about it at that point.”

None of this is to say that the Coutures aren’t having fun with making MMA the family business.  Randy’s wife Kim, herself a fighter who debuted under a barrage of media attention, noted that having both Ryan and Randy’s daughter, Aimee, at the gym has been a blessing both personally and professionally.

photo by: Carla Duran

“The whole family dynamic, with Aimee working at the gym… Ryan’s one of my best training partners.  It’s fun because we go at each other pretty good.  It’s cool, because we have Randy over there cheering for both of us,” she commented.

As for father and son training together, Kim noted “The first time they ever sparred, the whole gym was peeking out of the corner of their eye. [Everyone] were sparring too, but nobody was really throwing punches, because they were just watching Randy and Ryan.”

For the night, Xtreme Couture went 3-1, as teammates Nick Fekete (heavyweight) and Kenny Marazolla (middleweight) also notched wins. Marazolla, who spends his time between Xtreme Couture and Warrior Training, scored a first round knockout over Ernesto Martinez, while the debuting Fekete went to a unanimous decision against Shawn Fyre.

Tuff-N-Uff amateur MMA action returns to the Orleans Casino & Hotel in Las Vegas on March 27.

MMA Junkie’s got the scoop:

Former World Wrestling Entertainment performer and decorated amateur wrestler Bobby Lashley is the latest signing for the Kentucky-based American Fight League.

A source close to the 31-year-old told MMAjunkie.com that Lashley will be introduced as an AFL signee — perhaps the organization’s biggest to date — during tonight’s “Bulletproof” show at Phillips Arena in Atlanta.

Good for Lashley. Signing with a smaller organization like the AFL will allow him to get some MMA experience on a mid-level show, become familiar with the fight game, and then hopefully parlay that success into a larger career in MMA. He’s got the amateur wrestling tools and he’s been training with a good camp at American Kickboxing Academy. He also didn’t spend too much time in the WWE so his body hasn’t taken the punishment of oh, say, Brock Lesnar. I look forward to following his career in MMA as I think it will be a good one.

Dave Meltzer is reporting on the Wrestling Observer website that Bobby Lashley’s non-compete clause with World Wrestling Entertainment ended yesterday.

Many readers of this site are hardcore MMA fans who hate it when pro wrestling and MMA coverage cross paths, but the undeniable truth is that Lashley could be an impact player in MMA — should he choose to go down that path.

Being a former WWE U.S. champion and ECW heavyweight champion is meaningless when it comes to MMA, but I think his credentials as a former NAIA wrestling champion in college and his past training at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Calif. are very relevant. The fact that he also served the U.S. as a member of its Army is also a plus for him.

At age 31, time is against Lashley. However, he has an existing fanbase thanks to his WWE background and he’s really a great athlete. He’s without question someone who could really make some money for an MMA promotion if he was managed properly.

According to Meltzer, Lashley’s first non-WWE appearance will be for Booker T’s PWA promotion on May 23 in Pasadena, Texas. While getting to wrestle on a smaller show in order to help out your buddy is nice, Lashley is eventually going to have to decide what he wants to do long-term. My assumption that he has two options: continue wrestling and sign with TNA, or train full-time in MMA.

Personally, I’m hoping he chooses MMA. Like Brock Lesnar, I think he can bring a lot of new fans to the sport.