Randy Couture is the natural, we all know that. But remember, when he started competing, there really wasn’t much of a sport to be a natural at.

We learned Randy Couture was a natural at mixed martial arts as we learned what mixed martial was, and was going to be.

The two-division champ and UFC Hall of Famer closed his autobiography with the following passage:

“I have made mistakes in my life, but I am grateful and thankful for the support the fans continue to give me. When fighters say they couldn’t have done it without the fans, they do mean it. If not for our crazy, hardcore fans base, mixed martial arts would have died during its dark years, and I might never have found my purpose in life. I understand that my role in this sport goes far beyond what I do in a cage or ring. I have a responsibility to ensure that my sport grows and thrives for generations to come.”

Couture’s last outing in front of 55,000 people in Toronto ended with a violent grace, one unique to MMA. The UFC machine has chugged along without him, filling cards and arenas. But no one fills the place Randy Couture has in this sport.

This Sunday on the Sherdog Radio Network "Rewind," Couture joins Jack Encarnacao on The Sunday Sitdown for 90 gripping, insightful minutes, as he reflects on his one-of-a-kind career and the personal life story at its heart.

Better know MMA. Catch the Rewind, Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on the Sherdog Radio Network.

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Listen to a preview of Sunday's "Rewind"

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