Couture wants Hatton to join UFC !

RICKY Hatton has been told to quit boxing and become a cage fighter in the UFC!

And one of the legends of the Ultimate Fighting Championship has even offered to train the Hitman to make him a star in the brutal mixed martial arts phenomenon.

Five-time world UFC champion Randy Couture believes Hatton, who hasn't boxed since losing to Manny Pacquiao in May, would be a sensation in the cage.

"I am a big fan of Ricky Hatton," said Couture. "He is a fantastic fighter. I could get him up to speed on the ground wrestling part of it, while he could take advantage of his boxing talent.

"He could make a big difference in the lighter categories."

Major figures from around the boxing world have urged Hatton to retire from boxing for his own safety - but he won't be rushed into a decision.

And although the 31-year-old is currently concentrating on his promoting career, he is known to be a big fan of UFC and suggested earlier this year that it could one day over take boxing in popularity.

"It is all action, proper fighting," he said. "They are going the right away about it to get people interested.

"There is a concern in boxing that UFC is taking its place. People seem to get more value for money.

"UFC would be right up my street, I used to kick box so maybe I would be all right."

Couture, who fights at what is set to be a sold-out MEN Arena on November 14, is convinced the UFC, which has a huge worldwide following, would be an ideal option for Hatton should he decide to continue his fight career.

He said: "A lot of boxers have trouble putting themselves in the situation where they are going to get choked and taken down. But if he can learn the ways of UFC then he could go a long way.

"He is a tremendous fighter and has a lot of heart. There is no doubt he could make a tremendous impact with his heart and determination in the ring."

..................................................
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/boxing/s/1179706_couture_calls_for_hatton_to_join_ufc

I have always been a big fan of Ricky Hatton, and if he does decide to quit boxing i would love to see him have a go with MMA. Who knows maybe after training with Couture, he could well be a "natural" in MMA.

Pardon the pun

Natural

It'd be interesting to see how Ricky would get on. He'd have to spend some serious time training with Randy before taking a fight if he wants to reach the top. No pies or booze.

I like Hatton but lets face it, he'd be fighting either at 145 or 155, meaning either Mike Brown or Gray Maynard is simply going to put him on his back and elbow him to sleep.

would love to see this but i doubt it will happen hes is only versed in boxing he doesnt no any other striking and wouldnt have the time imo to improve enough in all aspects of the game but i would be happy if he did and proved me wrong

I think Hatton is a pretty good fighter but I hate his lifstyle for a proffesional athelte. I think Anfield said it best, he would fight at 155 and Maynard would have a pretty easy day. So would Sherk, Edgar, Griffin ect. Hatton vs Guillard would be fun to watch though.

Shanemc wrote:would love to see this but i doubt it will happen hes is only versed in boxing he doesnt no any other striking and wouldnt have the time imo to improve enough in all aspects of the game but i would be happy if he did and proved me wrong

he used to do kickboxing!!

but the real problem would be when randy said "i could get him up to speed on the wrestling and ground part of things"

MUCH easier said than done!

he would probably fight at 155, which is a division with alot of wrestlers and ground specialists. but if he has a good sprawl (possible to develop with the great wrestlers at XC) then he could "crocop" the division.
KOing the strikers, and forcing the grapplers to stand, and KOing them aswell.

Not Enought money in lighter MMA, Hatton is too small for 155lbs, He would be a 145er and theres no money in the lower weights, Torres, MTB and Faber are the big 3 and a fight with any of them wouldnt earn him that much.

Its a nice thought though Id love to see him make a go of it! Id rather see Vitali Klitschko fight in K-1 if a boxer was going to change sport. Id love to see him vs Bonjasky.

That reminds me Ben,

What happened to the reports that UFC wanted to merge with WEC? It all just seemed to disappear in last few months.

Fuck knows mate, I dont think anything ever came of it! I dont think they were planning it any time soon... It still might happen down the road. I dont see the point in keeping the big guys and the little guys seperate. Id much rather see WEC be used as a B-league for UFC.

Fighers who they cut after a loss that seem a little harsh would have a place to go. Id rather see WEC used like that. Its a real shame to see fighers like Torres and Faber not get the eposure they diserve

It comes down to operating costs. The UFC can only have X number of sponsors. By having the UFC and WEC operate separatly they can maximize that and hold so many events. If they merge them they would have to significantly reduce the roster because they wouldn't be able to afford to stage as many events as they do now.

I'm not sure the validity of the article (where's the story from?), but Hatton would be interesting in MMA.

He'd be ideally suited to Featherweight though, and he wouldn't want to waste his time in WEC. If he's going to fight MMA it has to be the UFC. So it would be a good time to fold the WEC into the UFC and have a Featherweight and Bantamweight class.

Hatton'd bring a lot of mainstream attention and legitimacy to fighting in the UFC (obvious critics not withstanding) and Dana White would make sure not to put him up against a competant grappler. After all Kimbo is rumoured to be facing Houston Alexander who poses no threat on the ground, so Hatton wouldn't be thrown to the wolves either.

If he got special training from a fighter like Couture he may become a decent Sprawl'n'Brawler, and he'd get to fight from the clinch without a boxing ref trying to break it up every 10 seconds.

The story was in The Manchester Evening News.

Moose Stuff For Money... wrote:The story was in The Manchester Evening News.

Thanks, found it

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/boxing/s/1179706_couture_calls_for_hatton_to_join_ufc

edit: didn't notice the link at the bottom of the first post, my bad.