Like father, like son.
Ryan Couture, son of former UFC champion Randy (The Natural) Couture, has signed a contract with rival promoter Strikeforce. The 27-year-old will make his pro debut Aug. 13 at a Strikeforce Challengers event in Phoenix.
Couture, a lightweight, will face Lucas Stark of Chandler, Ariz., on the developmental card.
The younger Couture has an amateur record of 5-1-1, with all five wins coming by submission.
Couture, whose parents split up when he was in sixth grade, graduated from Western Washington University in Bellingham with a mathematics degree. He worked at a bank, beginning his MMA training in 2006.
In January 2008, he moved to Las Vegas to train with his father.
Randy Couture, 47, is a UFC Hall of Famer who has held the UFC heavyweight title three times and the light-heavyweight championship twice. The elder Couture (18-10) is slated to meet former pro boxer James (Lights Out) Toney in the co-main event of UFC 118 in Boston on Aug. 28.
Couture's ex-wife Kim, whom he married after divorcing Ryan's mother, also fights professionally.
NOTES— Spike TV will show UFC 120 from London on Oct. 16 same day on tape delay. No word yet on whether Rogers Sportsnet will air the show.
