The 56-year-old Couture suffered a heart attack during a workout at his Unbreakable Performance MMA gym in West Hollywood then walked "multiple blocks" to Cedars Sinai Hospital, according to his manager and lawyer Sam Spira .
Randy CoutureCouture said Friday his heart attack had been caused by a blood clot in his diagonal artery, the result of what he described as his "crazy thick blood and normally high bad cholesterol." He went on to say that the cardiac catheterization (cath) lab cleared out the clot and inserted a stint.
After the successful procedure, Couture issued a statement of appreciation to those who cared for him at the hospital this week.
"Special thanks to the amazing staff at Cedars Sinai Hospital," said Couture. "From the ER to cardiac ICU, thanks for taking care of me. Thanks to all you out there expressing your concern. Your love and support mean the world to me and my family."
Couture had a long career in combat sport. As a high school wrestler, he won a Washington state title. Couture then wrestled at the storied mat program at Oklahoma State, where he was a three-time NCAA All-American and twice an NCAA runner-up in 1991 and 1992. Beyond folkstyle success, Couture became a three-time U.S. Olympic Greco-Roman team alternate in 1988, 1992 and 1996. In May 1997, Couture launched his professional MMA career at UFC 13 ... became the first fighter to hold two individual titles in UFC ... fought his last bout at UFC 129 in April 2011, ending his career with a 19-11 record. Couture was welcomed into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2006. Beyond the Octagon, Couture has served as an MMA commentator, appeared in more than a dozen movies (including "The Expendables" movie franchise), is currently seen in the TV series "GunnyTime" and even competed in ABC's "Dancing with the Stars."
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now