The following are excerpts from an interview with MMAWeekly:

White responded to Couture’s retirement saying, “I’m not surprised at all by Randy’s decision. I talked to Randy several weeks ago and he said that if he couldn’t fight Fedor Emelianenko, then he has nothing left to prove in the sport of mixed martial arts.

“He has been doing a lot of acting, and I know he is in South Africa right now filming a movie. I think it’s a great move for Randy’s acting career to retire from fighting while he is on top.

“As we all know, Randy retired before. The landscape in MMA changes every day. So when he is ready to come out of retirement again, he is still under contract with me, and I’m ready to promote him.”

Haney said that Couture “is very excited to embark on a promising career in acting” and that “he’s currently shooting a lead role in Universal’s ‘The Scorpion King – The Rise of the Akkadian’ in South Africa and has more offers on the table.”