Bodog Beat

Randy Couture has turned down a title defense vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at "UFC 81" on Feb. 2, 2008. (MMAweekly.com)

UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture (16-8-0) has turned down a title defense against top-ranked contender Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (30-4-1).

After "resigning" from the UFC in October and engaging in a war of words with octagon president Dana White, it seemed obvious that "The Natural" would not be defending his belt. After meeting with White, Couture now says the two have developed a cooperative relationship, although not cooperative enough to see him fight.

"We've cleared the air," Couture tells MMAweekly.com, "and hopefully we'll move forward with some sort of relationship. I've got a lot of fighters and a lot of things that hinge around mixed martial arts and the UFC as well. I want to continue to work with them and I think that they want to continue to work with me, so we'll figure out how that happens."

"I think more than anything at this stage of things I want to slow down a little bit," Couture says. "I've been burning it for three or four years now. I want to take some time and go on a vacation, spend some time with my wife. We've been married a year now and we've been together very, very little in that year; it's been crazy. It's been difficult on us. I've got a nice house and I don't even get to spend any time in it hardly, so take a little time now and just smell the roses so to speak."

Rumors are swirling that Nogueira will now fight former champion Tim Sylvia (24-3-0) for the vacant title.

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