[EmpireWF]

According to UFCJunkie.com, UFC President Dana White said in a conference call that it's likely Randy Couture won't be able to fight again until early 2008. That's due to a broken arm he suffered in his championship win against Gabriel Gonzaga last Saturday. White hinted he could fight on a UFC card on Superbowl weekend.

When asked about possible contenders, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Fedor Emelianenko's name popped up. Of course, Fedor is not in the UFC...yet.

UFC President Dana White today confirmed in a media conference call that UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture’s broken arm will probably keep him out of action until early 2008. Additionally, White said it’s possible that Couture could headline a SuperBowl Weekend card in February upon his return.

UFCjunkie.com recently confirmed with Couture’s camp that the 44-year-old fighter and UFC Hall of Famer broke his ulna bone, which is the smaller of the two forearm bones, while checking a head kick from his UFC 74 opponent, Gabriel Gonzaga.

Couture will wear a splint for six weeks before he returns to training. Sean O’Heir, Xtreme Couture spokesperson, told UFCjunkie that the injury won’t interfere with the filming of “The Scorpion King: The Akkadian,” a major motion picture from Universal Studios that will star Couture.

As for Couture’s opponent, White mentioned a few possibilities.

He said that Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, who made a successful UFC debut with a win over Heath Herring at UFC 71, will likely fight before the end of the year. If successful, White said, he’d be the division’s top contender. He also said that if Nogueira loses, his opponent could instead earn the title shot. (With that said, it seems likely that Nogueira will face one of the division’s elite. Perhaps former champ Andrei Arlovski will get the call if the two sides get a contract extension inked.)

Additionally, if the organization can sign PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko, a top-ranked Russian fighter who’s been in negotiations with the UFC for months, he could also be an opponent for Couture.

“If he’s signed, he’s probably get a title shot immediately,” White said.