UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture suffered serious injuries in a recent race car crash preparing for his National Hot Rod Association debut.
62-year-old Randy Couture was involved in a serious car crash at a Kansas City-area race track on Tuesday preparing to make his National Hot Rod Association debut later this year.
Couture, who entered the UFC Hall of Fame in 2006, suffered first and second-degree burns, as well as trauma and smoke inhalation in the accident. But, Couture is expected to make a full recovery and is being treated at a local burn center.
Randy Couture suffered 1st, 2nd degree burns in National Hot Rod Association crash
Couture was making a practice run on a local track when his vehicle crashed. As of this writing, the cause of the crash or what Couture’s recovery timetable looks like are still uncertain.
News of the accident was first reported by TMZ Sports and later confirmed by MMA Fighting and MMA Junkie through one of Couture’s representatives. As of this writing, Couture remains hospitalized and hasn’t put out a formal statement on the accident.
Since retiring from fighting, Couture has established himself as one of MMA’s top analysts, most recently with the Professional Fighters League (PFL).
Just weeks ago, Couture opened up in an interview about his love for racing and his intent to compete.
““I’ve been a fan of racing for 12, 13 years,” Couture said. “From up in the stands it looks really easy — oh they just go fast … it’s so much more involved.”
Randy Couture expected to make full recovery from devastating car crash
Couture is one of a handful of two-division UFC champions in the promotion’s history. UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria became the latest two-division champion when he knocked out Charles Oliveira at UFC 317.
Couture retired after a knockout loss to Lyoto Machida at UFC 129. His last win came against boxing legend James Toney at UFC 118, submitting Toney in the first round.
Couture won the UFC heavyweight championship by defeating Maurice Smith in 1997, before vacating the belt amid a contract dispute. He defeated the likes of Pedro Rizzo, Chuck Liddell, and Vitor Belfort during his career.
This is a developing story and we’ll continue to update you on Couture’s condition as details become available.