Josh Gross at SI.com has the story:
Rehabilitation on a surgically repaired elbow and a leading role in Sylvester Stallone's The Expendables prompted Randy Couture to decline a fight against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (31-5-1, 1 NC) for the first half of 2009, the five-time UFC champion confirmed to SI.com.
“I had to,” Couture, who turns 46 in June, said via text message. “Had to have my left elbow scoped. There were two loose bodies in there! Old nagging injury.”
A pair of abnormally large bone spurs were removed from The Natural's elbow on Thursday. While training for his failed UFC heavyweight title defense in November against Brock Lesnar, Couture aggravated the joint, which was mined for a pair of 16-centimeter spurs.
