Randy Couture was the fourth fighter to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, but if there was a hall of fame for those who fight for relief for U.S military veterans here in Las Vegas, he’d be inducted there as well. The actor and activist and former mixed martial artist and wrestler has long been a Las Vegas resident and created the Xtreme Couture G.I. Foundation to assist our nation’s combat veterans and their families in the struggle to heal and handle financial burdens as they return to civilian life.
The foundation’s annual fundraising Ride For Our Troops poker run returns this month to boost Couture’s mission, and he took some time to chat with the Weekly about what he’s been up to and why this fun event is essential.
How long have you been living in Las Vegas?
It’s been 18 years. My first trip was in 1985. I was in the Army and I came to wrestle in a national open tournament at the old Showboat hotel; we called it Menopause Manor because all the bluehairs were there. They had that 100-lane bowling alley and it was a crazy place back in the day. I’ve been coming here ever since then, at least once a year, and then in 2005 I was going through a divorce and I needed to clear the decks and get out of Oregon and let the dust settle. I was in the middle of my fighting career and we just finished filming the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, and it made a lot of sense to move to Vegas.
How are things at your local gym, Xtreme Couture MMA?
It’s doing great. My son Ryan was fighting and decided to retire and wanted to get his family started, so I signed the gym over to him and he’s been running it since 2020. Of course, three weeks later we had to chain up the doors for COVID, but he pivoted well, started doing a lot of online training for the members and we got through all that. All the coaches and staff have done a great job building a new fight culture.
So what’s your focus these days? What’s taking up your time?
Since I retired in 2011 I’ve been chasing acting jobs, and we filmed The Expendables 4 in 2021. I’ve been commentating for Professional Fighters League and it just started its seventh season, and the company is getting tons of traction right now. That’s been a blast. And really, it’s been the charity stuff. I started the foundation 16 years ago, and I’ve been doing a lot [on the board] with Merging Vets & Players, which just had its second annual gala in Dallas and they asked me to emcee that event, which was really fun.
You’re a U.S. Army veteran yourself, and you’ve learned a lot about veterans’ needs through your foundation. What have you learned that you really want the public to understand about how we can better serve our veterans in this country?
We speak a very particular language as veterans. We go through an indoctrination and learn the slang and the lingo of being a warrior, a soldier, and we take that oath to defend and protect the constitution of this country from enemies foreign and domestic. It’s not a switch you turn off once you’re out of uniform. That’s a real transition, especially since 9/11 and the war on terror, and there have been so many men and women since then that unfortunately, Uncle Sam can’t or won’t keep up with. That means it’s up to us, the veteran community, to step up and link arms and try to help in as many ways as possible.
In 2007 I went to Walter Reed [National Military Medical Center] and visited the Fisher House that basically takes care of the caregivers, the wives and husbands and dads whose loved ones are going through surgeries and getting repaired after being wounded in combat, and it was their remarkable attitudes that really stuck out to me. All the financial problems they were having, moms who lost their jobs while their sons or daughters were learning to walk again, and that was the impetus for me to [create the foundation] and try to raise funds and awareness, and our mission was to put money in the hands of these people that really need the help.
And your annual Ride For Our Troops motorcycle and poker run is back to do just that.
This is the 16th year and it’s become one of our funnest and biggest events annually. Last year we had well over 400 bikes show up, and we have three other rides in Seattle, the Quad Cities and Cocoa Beach, Florida. It’s been fun to grow this brand, raise that awareness and really gratifying for those who come out and volunteer. We’re really a small-town organization, all these people have worked at the gym or are friends and family who just want to get involved in the mission.
I think the last few years of the ride have been really big because everybody was locked up for COVID and we finally got to ride and people just turned out. I expect it will be big again this year in Las Vegas, and [local band] RadioXx have stepped up to participate, they’re going to be performing [at 3 p.m.]. A lot of folks who don’t ride are going to show up for that last stop just to be part of the event.
RIDE FOR OUR TROOPS May 18, 9:30 a.m., Red Rock Harley-Davidson & Las Vegas Harley-Davidson, gifoundation.square.site or xcgif.org.
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