Former UFC star Randy Couture badly burned in auto racing accident

At a racetrack close to Kansas City, Missouri, on Tuesday, former UFC champion Randy Couture crashed the vehicle he was operating during practice rides, resulting in serious burns and other injuries.

As of Wednesday morning, the 62-year-old former Army drill sergeant and retired fighter had been evacuated to a burn center and was still there. He should get better.

According to Couture’s longtime manager and lawyer Samuel Spira, in an email sent Wednesday afternoon, “If you know anything about Randy, he’s a freak of nature and will survive this like everything else.”

According to Spira, no more information regarding Couture’s status will be released until Thursday.

Couture’s crash and injuries, which include first- and second-degree burns, trauma injuries, and smoke inhalation, were first reported by TMZ. According to TMZ, the vehicle he was operating was totally destroyed, and the cause of the collision is unknown.

Couture, a wrestler who won a state championship at Washington State’s Lynnwood High School, continued to compete in the sport while serving in the Army from 1982 to 1988 and at Oklahoma State, where he placed second in the NCAA Division I finals in 1991 and 1992. In addition to being a semifinalist in the 2000 Olympic Trials, he served as an alternate for the United States Olympic squad three times (1988, 1992, and 1996).

A six-time heavyweight and light heavyweight UFC champion, Couture went on to become a mixed martial arts superstar and was inducted into the organization’s Hall of Fame in 2006.

Couture started participating in hot rod racing more recently. In April, Scag Racing declared that Couture would begin racing for the team later this year in the NHRA’s Pro Mod category.