Couture Scratched From Strikeforce Bout

Ryan Couture file photo: D. Mandel | Sherdog.com

Staph infection has forced Ryan Couture out of his fight on the Nov. 19 Strikeforce Challengers 12 event in Jackson, Miss., the promotion announced Monday. The 28-year-old son of UFC Hall of Fame member Randy Couture was expected to meet Alabama-based lightweight Juan Zapata in what would have been Couture’s second professional bout.

“I was really looking forward to fighting, so this is a big disappointment, but I'll be back,” Couture stated in a press release. “As soon as I'm cleared, you can bet I'll be back in the gym preparing for my next Strikeforce fight."

After compiling an amateur record of 5-1-1, Couture turned pro in August, submitting fellow debutante Lucas Stark with a triangle choke in just 65 seconds at a Strikeforce Challengers show in Phoenix, Ariz. He currently trains out of his father’s Xtreme Couture gym in Las Vegas.

Couture’s fight was to co-headline the Nov. 19 card, which is topped by a 155-pound contest between Brazilian veteran Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro and American Kickboxing Academy product Justin Wilcox. A light heavyweight match between Ovince St. Preux and Antwain Britt was also added to the bill last week.