Couture Scratched From Strikeforce Bout

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.