Although heavyweight champion in exile Randy Couture can't fight anyone until he gets his legal entanglement with UFC straightened out, his wife, Kim Couture, will participate in her first mixed martial arts fight Friday night in Las Vegas. Here are Kim and Randy discussing the gym they run together, Xtreme Couture:

Kim has long been involved in the business side of MMA and has trained with her husband and other MMA fighters, but this will be the first time she steps into the cage. The fight, which will be televised by Mark Cuban's HDNet, starts at 10:30 p.m. PT/1:30 a.m. ET.

The event is being called a Muay Thai "smoker," which is a term that signifies that the fight is intended mostly as an opportunity to give the fighters some competitive experience. So no one should expect this to look like a female version of UFC. But I think there's a lot of room for MMA to grow as a sport that includes women, both as fans and as participants, and Kim Couture has a chance to lead the way.