Vadim Finkelstein: Fedor Emelianenko's agreement with the UFC is still possible
Posted on July 7, 2010, 06:37 AM by Anton GurevichM-1 Global boss and Fedor Emelianenko's manager, Vadim Finkelstein, discussed his client's surprising loss to Fabricio Werdum and the future negotiations with Strikeforce. Finkelstein declared that he completely sure Fedor Emelianenko will bounce back from his defeat, stating that Strikeforce should listen to M-1's opinion if they want to extend their contract with "The Last Emperor".
Also, Vadim Finkelstein hit back at Dana White's verbal assault on Fedor Emelianenko. But stated that the agreement between the Ultimate Fighting Championship and M-1 Global is still possible. MMAFighting.com recently reported that M-1 Global closed their HQ in Holland, which was later described by the organization as "restructuring" and only a coincidence after Fedor's loss.
Here is the best bits from Vadim Finkelstein's interview for the Russian magazine PRO?????, translated by yours truly (by the way of sports.ru).
Can you tell if Fedor had any training partners to prepare him to the level of Fabricio Werdum’s Jiu-Jitsu?
It doesn’t matter. I’ll tell you what: the fact that Fedor got caught means nothing. There were so many people who tried to submit him throughout the years, but he always managed to escape and destroy his opponents.
Strikeforce are talking now about the fight against Alistair Overeem, and then against Fabricio Werdum. Do you think it’s because of their intentions to keep Fedor at Strikeforce as long as possible?
We are ready to fight against anyone, but everyone agrees that the most interesting fight right now is the rematch against Fabricio Werdum. We have one fight left on our contract, so if Strikeforce want to extend it – they should listen to our opinion. Fedor will fight again sometime between October and November. I’ll repeat that again: the only thing fans want to see is Fedor vs Werdum II. Fabricio himself said that he would like to rematch Fedor in Russia. It’s great, but this fight will not happen in Russia.
How much it would cost to organize an event of that caliber in Russia?
At least 3 million dollars. The TV revenue will be considerably lower, because the Americans would not like to watch the fight at 2pm. The Russian channels would prefer to spend $1 million on another TV Show, and to give us around $200k.
So people in Russia basically don’t understand how big Fedor is?
Exactly. Fedor Emelianenko is a huge star around the World, but in Moscow he can easily travel in the subway. A couple of people would recognize him, and that’s it.
Dana White reacted to Fedor’s loss with a simple “:D” sign in his Twitter account, and called Strikeforce’s agreement with Fedor “a mistake”. What do you think about that?
I can really feel that the rating makers on the US websites really wanted Fedor Emelianenko to suffer from his first “real” defeat. They now have Fedor on the Third Place, and the first is Brock Lesnar. Question: Who’s Brock Lesnar? He has only five professional fights, and one defeat. He is a marketable fighter because of his WWE past. They sell-out 60,000 stadiums for that crap, which no one would even consider watching in Russia. That’s why Brock Lesnar is popular. As for Fedor, he is not a marketable fighter – he’s just the best. He destroyed everyone during 10 years. He has 31 victories.
Will you ever be able to reach an agreement with the UFC?
I think yes. But not on the same terms they offered us before. We will not let ourselves to get owned. Fedor became so popular not inside the Octagon. So, long story short: 1. We would like to receive guaranteed payments. I know that if we agree for percents, they will cheat us. 2. Maybe not a co-promotion (like we offered before), but at least co-branding. 3. They also will have to permit Fedor participating in Sambo competitions, and during our last negotiations UFC were ready for that term. Now we have a co-promotion with Strikeforce. We go 50-50 with them on our co-promoted events, but there’s still some problematic issues. We want our fighters to fight on these events, but they tell us “the crowd wants to see Americans.”
I think you understand that everyone needs M-1 because of Fedor Emelianenko?
Of course, I completely understand that if there was no Fedor, Strikeforce would not need us. We just want the world to see our other guys. They could beat a lot of Strikeforce guys.
Comments
Ignoring him until he puts his money where his mouth is. Tired of the idiotic PR they do. It's all been specifically designed to keep his name propped up, while pretending like they were ever willing to accept any kind of a reasonable contract.
Hey MMA fans! Get your hopes up again!
Oh, I'm soooo sure it's gonna happen this time! (insert sarcasm)
I think a lot of people have a point here. DANA has the ball in his court atm wich means he can do what ever he wants. That means he can care less about the sport and all about money.
Now lets Say Shogus , Rampage , Evans ,Brock , Carwin left UFC bc they are getting riped off like carwin only making 40k this past match and chuc making 500k is something ULTRA rediculous , Well if they left then Dana would suck so much COK to try and get a co-promotion going. He doesnt care about the sport anymore. LETS ALL BOMBARD HIS TWITTER PAGE WITH " DONT BE A MONEY-WHORE DANA" Who cares if people ready M-1global on Fedors Pants. who gives a s hit
He certainly would not deserve a title shot right away, but they'd probably still give him a fast track to sign. It would be a fast track of ass beatings for him, but if he had any interest in fighting them, he would be already.
These guys are greedy and delusional
We have a CHANCE!!! Dana White is going to go for CO-BRANDING!!! LMFAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dana says that all he wants is to give fans the fights they wana see, But only if hes not going to lose money doing it. Hes so money hungry right now that he will never co-promote or co-brand.
As good as Fedor is . We cant wait forever .When fedor is 35 he would have lost half his speed and 30% of his strenght. Science says that not me.
The UFC won't co-promote because that would be idiotic and would severely damage the sport like it did to boxing. They make money because that's the intelligent thing to do when you're trying to have a successful business model.
@ UltraXL
I agree. Dana cannot point the finger at M-1 Global all the time. He is such a **** at times that who the f-- would want to do business with him let alone trust him. He contradicts himself all the time, brags about how the UFC is this and that but won't let his Champions challenge other organizations Champions. It's a monopoly. He counters every PPV event with past UFC's on Spike. Calls sponsors and threatens to leave if they sponsor a competitor (Affliction, Tap Out) has fired past UFC fighters for not signing their rights away for a video game. This is the thing that get's me, he does not pay his fighters shit! Carwin made 40K vs. Lesnar how freaking ridiculous is that!? Dana has the power. When you are that big, people are going to bend over backwards for you. I can see why M-1 wants a guarantee. LOL!
Dana is running a successful business - of course he's money hungry. He puts on fights that he believes will make money while keeping his expenses down. The fighters that draw the most money (Brock, GSP, Randy, Chuck) are paid very well. Those that don't - not so much. If he thinks Fedor will draw money, he will be paid appropriately. Co-promotion or co-branding will dilute the UFC brand and will never happen. UFC holds all the cards now.
Yeah. The average pro-Boxer, makes drastically less than the average pro-MMA fighter. They are paid well.
Well Fedor is getting Old , Age is the #1 factor against strenght and speed. Fedor is nothing but speed and strenght so if he loses that he has to change his game plan a lot.
Giving him 1 fight b4 a tittle fight sounds good. BROCK VS FEDOR and then For the Tittle CAIN VS FEDOR !!! BAM
He doesn't deserve to fight Cain or Lesnar, he just lost to someone who isn't top-10. And, he's not old, he's younger than Shane, and less than a year older than Lesnar.
wtf do you hate fedor so much you ignorant pathetic rat?
how can you hate this simple man that hasn't said anything bad about anyone.You molested child
HUU what i mean is that as Fedor keeps getting older he keeps losing his explosiveness . Fedor is the ULTIMATE fighter but no matter how good he is Age is playing a part on how strong and fast he is every year.
If Fedor ends up in the ufc when hes 38 and loses every match then it wouldnt count because by then he would have lost all his strenght and speed.
Don't start crying. Just keep dreaming about his blue eyes and him kissing you all over the neck how you like it.
at least im not hangin on some aerobic instructor balls like you
Uh, hah, people voted sharp for that crap?
Pony, you're getting me hot.
what does he mean by co-branding?cos if dana could suck it up and give them that then who knows, we mit see him in the ufc yet?
Dana said that he was willing to allow Fedor to wear M-1-branded trunks, posters and mention them in the ring introduction, but there would be no co-promotion or show co-branding. Now Fedor's lustre has tarnished I can't imagine he would give any more concessions or anywhere near the money they offered last year. UFC doesn't need Fedor - not for credibility, pay-per-view buys, sponsorship or TV ratings. M-1 has a busted flush. They blew it.
Wow now I'm starting to get tired of this. I'm sure I will have something to say when I wake up.
Dana isn't gonna work with these fools... at least I wouldn't... they seem like horrible businessmen.
The fact that they are demanding co-branding or co-whatever with the UFC tells me that they care more about their own @ss then seeing Fedor fight some actual competition
Well duh. They are about business just like Dana right? Oh yea.... that arguement only works for one guy.
Lol, that "one guy" actually HAS a business and isn't going around holding a single fighter for ransom, demanding that they are cut in on an already wildly successful business. All M-1 does is try to piggy-back on successful businesses with no real contribution. Where were they when Pride went under? I do realize Prize was terminally ill otherwise, but also Bodog, Affliction? I mean who can support these guys? Its crazy! Only people who do not understand business I would assume. For those people, let me break it down into a simple example:
Its like when you buy a loved one the perfect gift, its expensive and you know they will love it. You spent weeks coming up with it and many days locating it. Although it took some hard work, it will be a big success with them no doubt, and here comes your loser sister, brother, cousin, whomever, who forgot all about the occasion, so they want to sign the card, they want to put their name next to yours on the "From:" column.... Sure they have a $20, but that is pennies next to your investment....
M-1 is that person!! He says "Everyone agrees that the most interesting fight right now is the rematch against Fabricio Werdum." Uhhh, who is everybody?? The logical match is Werdum vs Overeem, with Fedor fighting the winner. However, if I had to pick between the two, then Overeem is a more exciting match, but once again they are avoiding him. Please do not say they aren't avoiding him either, because its quite clear at this point. The man just went as far as to threaten to leave SF is they try to match him with Overeem, stating, "We have one fight left on our contract, so if Strikeforce wants to extend it – they should listen to our opinion." Cant they just honor their contracts and obligations? Lets not forget this comment either, "We want our fighters to fight on these events," speaking in regards to the UFC.... No one wants M-1 hijacking the UFC cards with their boring roster!! I just cannot understand how anyone cannot see how much they are holding Fedor back. So for Fedor to fight, all their fighters have to be signed? Thats ridiculous!!! Dana is looking for a talented fighter, not a business partner!!
@Japanegro23: Just letting you know that only the first sentence was in reply to your comment.
Haha yea SUC I know this issue is always up for arguement. There are people deeply divided on both sides. I like to defend Fedor because to me most of the people that defend Dana and the UFC are hypocrites on this site. M1 is greedy. That is definitely part of the reason why Fedor isn't fighting in the UFC but I guarantee M1 is making decisions that make the most money for them. Isn't that obvious? Trust me I'm not trying to discredit your comment. It is 100% right and I agree totally. Of course M1 is trying to put their name on that card SUC because its in their best business interest. And hell nah Dana doesn't want that business partner but the point everyone should recognize is that however puny M1 is, they are doing the best they can for themselves just like Dana. Fedor is the one that gets hurt the most in this. He just blindly does what M1 wants. I would bet my life savings he wants to fight the best. The best want to fight best. Who the hell would like constantly getting put in lose lose situations? He had nothing to gain from fighting Werdum. M1 had something to gain though. To them the less losses Fedor takes, the more money goes in their pocket. Good business to them.
You're obviously no slouch when it comes to the politics of MMA, I enjoyed reading your metaphor about the person buying the present. You summed it up perfectly. To be honest I see Fedor in an unwinnable situation here. The words check mate come to mind. On one hand you have his spurious team of cling-ons he calls managers trying to coopt Strikeforce into a one sided deal with the only benefit being a chance for him to redeem himself to a guy who isn't even a top 5 heavyweight. Strikeforce loses out here for 2 reasons. Fedor is not generating the revenue and hype to use such a bargaining chip for his last SF fight so they lose money, besides that this makes SF look shonky and in the eyes of the public controlled by an obscure company in M1 global which only further affirms them as an inferior brand. Kind of a tail wagging the dog scenario that'll leave MMA fans asking why Werdum isn't fighting Overeem. I think it's arrogant for Fink to assume the world wants Fedor vs Werdum II. I personally don't care and would much rather know why he's avoiding Overeem.
On the UFC side of the coin Fedor has very little bargaining power. His mystique has gone and it's a case of him getting slotted in under Dana's terms on less money, no co-promotion, against the biggest, most skilled opponents in history. He may not even win a fight. I see no easy way in or out here. The other option is that he walks away from MMA in America and attempts to build the inocuous M1 brand in Russia for far less money, with much less patronage and support. All I can say is that as much I respect Fedor he's reaping what he's sewn and needs to be a little more discerning about who manages him and that building a mystique from fighting cans doesn't pay.
Dana is a money hoarding douche who doesn't care to pay fighters because there isn't a union yet ... I'm guessing that will change soon ...
It won't change soon. The UFC will ostracise anyone joining a union (remember when they axed Jon Fitch for not signing an image rights deal?) . Only a coalition of the top stars could force something like that through and the likes of Brock, GSP, Randy, Forrest, BJ etc are very well compensated and would have no motivation to do this.
I believe fighters are not allowed a union in UFC. DW aint gonna change that anytime soon.
I hope Frankenstein lets Igor come to the u.f.c
Yep agree with ya, UFC mainstream success is a relatively new thing. Getting WWE stars and spent boxers like James Toney is highlighting that certain aspects of UFC can't be taken too seriously just yet, whilst at the same time in other areas they have the best martial artists alive. wish DW would make up his mind what he wants the UFC to be.
Can't see Fedor coming to UFC ever. Werdum made more than twice what Carwin in their last fights, and i reckon fedor will get more money resigning a new strikeforce contract than he will in UFC.
Are you really talkin about the wwe again!!! or are you takin sneaky shots at the heavyweight champ!!! Last time I saw he was winning!!! He moved past the wwe stuff!! Why can't you!!!
maybe fedor should go to wwe so he can win his next fight
You realize that WWE fighter was a NCAA Division 1 National Champion, twice. We all know wrestling is one of, if not, the best background for MMA. He would be in the position he's in now if he never was in the WWE just less people would know his name.
What a joke... The UFC is the one feeding off from other companies huh? That is laughable. As far as Toney and Lesnar, its sad how desperate some people are to find a way to discredit the UFC. Lesnar is as legit as the next man in terms of coming into the sport with a strong foundation, being a Division I Champ. As far as Toney and I will go ahead and mention Kimbo as well, out of ALL the top fighters the UFC has, so what if they decided to let the fans have a little fun. Kimbo had a lot of supporters, people wanted to see how he would do and what he had in him, Toney is talking the talk and fans wanna see if he can walk the walk, not to mention the age old boxing vs mma debate. So if giving the fans what they want and shaking things up a bit for fun makes them a poor organization, then I guess I am a poor fan, because in my opinion you need to regroup your hate and come back with something better.
Hahaha yea the UFC is DEFINITELY NOT feeding off of anyone.
UFC would now be dead if pride had been run right.
Yea if, but that is like saying the NFL would be dead if the XFL hadnt went under... That is the whole point!! IT WASN'T AND IT DID!
When you build something then you control it Dana made m.m.a a relevant sport. If there was no u.f.c then there would be no strikeforce or m.m.a for that matter. Every kid you see with a tapout shirt on is because Dana had the balls to try and Dave a dying sport and nobody gave a **** then.
this comment shows how ignorant you are. pride were miles ahead of ufc and they made big mistake co promoting with ufc, even if ufc champ got whooped by their pride man, gave ufc platform, and pride didnt run the books right and ufc gobbled it up. pride made mma a relevant sport you fool, ufc is what it is today largely due to pride, and the fact it folded.
Lol, except for the fact that the UFC held its first event in 1993, whereas Pride debuted four years later in 1997. If u paid attention to what he said, he credited Dana, not the UFC. Dana didnt come into the picture until 2001 and with the progress he has made, the UFC and MMA in general are leaps and bounds ahead of the original UFC and Pride. So stop all that talking out the side of ur mouth, tough guy crap. You cannot credit Pride with something that is much larger than they ever were. Pride was an excellent promotion, but that was thanks to the fighers. That company did nothing. Sorry if that hurts your feelings, but check reality.
The Fink said: "We want our fighters to fight on these events, but they tell us “the crowd wants to see Americans.”". Judging by the ratings for the Werdum fight, not many want to see Fedor, either. For over $1m a fight (and the CBS deal in question), I doubt Strikeforce will want to renew the deal at that price. Any offer from the UFC will be waaaaay below what M-1 would be after.
just looked on the M1 Global wesite and the only fight that they care to mention (other than Fedor) is Karl Amoussou, who acording to Wikipedia has just signed a 4 fight contract with Dream!
Now I'm not saying M1 don't have any other fighters, but who the hell are they and do mainsteam MMA fans really want to see them?
these guys are really doing a number on Strikeforce, totally disrespecting them
that said, it sounds like they are clutching at straws
Yea, and as much as I am hoping that they really may work out a deal with the UFC, I think they are just over-stating the possibility to keep SF on its toes...
UFC fans scared of Fedor going to UFC.If Fedor beats Overeem and Werdum all haters will say he shuld of gone to UFC you caan't win with the haters.In UFC Carwin lost Lesnar got his ass kicked big time Fedor haters shiting them selfs
Why would UFC fans be scared of Fedor fighting good competition? If anything they'd just sigh:about time
But now i'm just bored of hearing about it.
I would still love to see this match-up. However with the amount of training in-between now and when this fight would happen, Brock would surely put a beating on him.
Brock went into the Carwin fight with after a very long off time. He still pulled off a W against a very game striking opponent. Fedor would give him a longer match, however he lacks the explosiveness necessary to put Brock in danger.
It would be a beat-down in Brock's favor..
Fedor doesn't hit as hard as Shane but can throw some wildly fast and hard combinations. I'm not saying Brock would stand there and take it but if he got hit by those haymakers Fedor throws, Brock would go down.
we will never see this get over it. i am not anti brock as you may think if you read my posts, but i am very anti hype and dw. brock is a million miles behind fedor in terms of skill. the only thing he has is size and strength, but fedor has demonstrated many times he whoops bigger stronger guys. heck how many people have you ever seen drop a 400lb guy with one punch, and with brock abysmal stand up, fedor stands a great chance of catching his chin clean, but alas we will prob never see it, and if we ever do i reckon fedor may be in decline.
Skill only takes you so far. Actual ability is where you need to be looking. Brock may be a few trick pony, but he is a pony that can beat any standard race horse even on there best day because of what he brings to the table.
Fedor has little to no chance in knocking Brock clean out. Other than Andrei "The Glass Chin" Arlovski, let me know who Fedor has KO'd. Hiroya Takada?
How many KO's did Carwin have? Fedor strikes hurt, but they do not put people out. His KO rate versus Brock chin would be such a low probability.
Fedor is a good TKO/Submission finisher. Don't try to fluff him up to Carwin + abilities. Not even in his "Hay day".
No he wouldn't. He might turn from them. He might wince from them, but he would not go down from those. He took a straight shot on the button from the baddest striker alive and made it to a round 2. Sorry, but Fedor's striking is not that good.
Proof is in his record.
In UFC Fedor will KO Carwin in the first round the speed the power.Brock gona be a punching bag for Fedor
This is pure speculation on my behalf (obviously), but I was left with the impression (from Fedor's fight with Werdum), that he "wanted" to lose; if not consciously, then sub-consciously. Fedor himself, said that he was prepared to lose. I've never heard a fighter or champ make such a statement. Or maybe another way of putting it, is that FE didn't care if he won, subsequently, he lost.
Think of what the loss has done for Fedor:
1. It's taken a great deal of pressure off of him, that he probably didn't like, enjoy or appreciate. He seems very much to be a man that enjoys or enjoyed, fighting, but not maybe the celebrity of it and P4P pressure, that he's been under; is he? isn't he?...all that, debate.
2. By losing he removes some of the control that his management has on him, without having to really do anything other then take a loss. The loss drove Fedor's stock down and immediately eroded M-1's bargaining position. And let's face facts, with the loss, the lackluster gate and the UFC's apparent indifference (now) to seeing FE in the UFC (which is probably posturing), StirkeForce itself, will not compelled or motivated, even if they can, to roll out the financial red carpet for Fedor.
No - planned or not planned, I believe that FE's loss is probably the best thing that's happened to his career in years. Now that he's not "the man", anymore, his management team is put into a scramble to come up with the best deal possible. With any luck, the best deal is in the UFC and only the loss makes that possible. Time will tell, but from what I can see, the sands are already shifting and there now seems to be a legitimate possibility of getting a deal done, where there was none, before. It's particularly noteworthy, given DW's comments about FE, post fight.
Again - I'm not saying he planned it or intended it. I just think that at the very least, his heart was not in that fight and the loss had served and will serve Fedor, very well.
I told before that there are more benefits in Fedor's loss.
1. Presure off
2. More publicity
3. More interest in Werdum vs Fedor II and Overeem vs Fedor
4. For SF having not only Fedor in top 5, but also Werdum.
5. More publicity to see Fedor comeback
Well, Fedor was bored since the end of pride anyway. Its good to loose cause now he'll have more motivation and a reason to train harder. Fedor lost this fight mentally. Maybe he wanted to test ( unconsciously) the taste of defeat before he retires lol
i cant see dw calling fedor a fake a phoney and a farce and then signing him. it just wont happen. fedor resigns for strikeforce or retires.
Dana talked plenty of shit about Tito and Kimbo and then signed them. If he thinks they can draw money then he will strike a deal. If a fighter wants more money than the UFC is willing to offer he will let them go (look at Hendo).
@WingChun
That was an interesting read and you may be on to something. Personally I don't think Fedor would lose on purpose but that all made sense to me if he did.
ROLMFAO!!!
All i have to say is "meh".
Fedor is a fake. he isnt the best, he isnt even in the top 10 heavy weights in the world. records dont matter its who and how you fight, and in his last fight against Werdum (the only top 10 ranked opponent Fedor has faced since 2005!!!!!) he lost in about 1minute to a basic triangle choke. he thinks he is better then Brock Lesner? thats crazy did anyone see the fight against Shane Carwin? he almost died and then came back and choked Shane out! thats insane! Shane or Brock would smash that fat little guy out in less then 1 round. So would Frank Mir and Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos. I think Roy Nelson can beat Fedor no problem. Fedor is a joke, a fake, and a bitch. Vadim Finkelstein just makes excuses for him and makes him seem like more of a bitch.
Blah blahbiddy blah blah. Some people make intersting comments for debate. Yours is childishly put.
you rant with incorrect facts so your entire arguement is BS. get your facts straight if you wish to be taken seriously.
if anyone is a fake its brock. curling up like he did is not what a champion does, or floundering on the ground and getting lucky his opponent couldnt last more than 3 and half minutes. brock may go on and dominate, he may be the best ever ufc hw champ. but for now he is nowhere near the level fedor has been so its too early to call him the baddest man on the planet. a bit of cardio was all that stood between him and a bad ko saturday, so dont believe the hype,.
he has got good chin and survived so credit where its due, but he did say he didnt know where he was also, so it was very close to being stopped, ifhe learns good stand up he will be a force, but thats is if.
Take your own advice buddy. Get off the damn couch and go run as fast as you can for a minute, it's nothing to do with cardio, what don't you understand? How is he fake for fighting REAL competitiors?
Wow! Very much educational.
"Shane or Brock would smash that fat little guy out in less then 1 round."
ROFLMFAO!! Sorry but that is funny!! Not saying you are wrong either, I just enjoyed how brash you were about it hahaha!! I think you hurt some feelings tho, but I thoroughly enjoyed the comment.
Haters can say wath they want the punishment Lesnar took from Carwin Fedor didn't get in 35 fights
fedor getting slammed on his head? he is iron also, but the difference is no matter what punishment fedor takes he remains focused and always looks to finish. watch as many of his fights as you can and you will see many examples of this. also apart from a good elbow alot of carwins power was parried and didnt get many shots on the button. if he had brock would have been ko'd, but ya gotta get em sweet for a head that big.
That's so true....that's easily the most intelligent thing you've ever said mokoko, but that's why Fedor has gotten criticism
I don't see the UFC "co-branding" either, just like they won't co-promote. This doesn't give me any more hope than I had before that the UFC will sign him.
Wath i mean is Lesnar sucks he took the punishment from Carwin becose he sucks. Carwin is ewen older than Fedor
Come on Dana, put your hand in the pocket and bring Fedor to the UFC
Who cares! This is played out! Let him stay where he is and retire.
dana said he doesent sign people with a loss
fedor needs to win atlest 2 fights
Brock- 1 loss
Werdum- 2 losses and signed him
Shogun- 1 loss
Anderson Silvia- 2 loss signed him
Chuck Liddell- a bunch of lossesigned him after pride
Randy Couture- signed him with a bunch of losses.
Alistar Overeem- wants to sign him with 11 losses.
Jake Shields- has a loss. Wants to sign him.
Gregard Mousasi- had losses before he loss his Lightheavyweight title to KING MO.
So to say Dana doesn't sign people with loses is not true.
If Fedor defeats Werdum then he avenged the lose and he will be signed. If not, Dana is an idiot and doesn't want Fedor in the UFC because he is scared of Fedor. He knows he will be better after the loss.
You're obviously no slouch when it comes to the politics of MMA, I enjoyed reading your metaphor about the person buying the present. You summed it up perfectly. To be honest I see Fedor in an unwinnable situation here. The words check mate come to mind. On one hand you have his spurious team of cling-ons he calls managers trying to coopt Strikeforce into a one sided deal with the only benefit being a chance for him to redeem himself to a guy who isn't even a top 5 heavyweight. Strikeforce loses out here for 2 reasons. Fedor is not generating the revenue and hype to use such a bargaining chip for his last SF fight so they lose money, besides that this makes SF look shonky and in the eyes of the public controlled by an obscure company in M1 global which only further affirms them as an inferior brand. Kind of a tail wagging the dog scenario that'll leave MMA fans asking why Werdum isn't fighting Overeem. I think it's arrogant for Fink to assume the world wants Fedor vs Werdum II. I personally don't care and would much rather know why he's avoiding Overeem.
On the UFC side of the coin Fedor has very little bargaining power. His mystique has gone and it's a case of him getting slotted in under Dana's terms on less money, no co-promotion, against the biggest, most skilled opponents in history. He may not even win a fight. I see no easy way in or out here. The other option is that he walks away from MMA in America and attempts to build the inocuous M1 brand in Russia for far less money, with much less patronage and support. All I can say is that as much I respect Fedor he's reaping what he's sewn and needs to be a little more discerning about who manages him and that building a mystique from fighting cans doesn't pay.
1 fight left in Strikeforce and we will have to see. I think it is possible but I am not holding my breath. Do I want him to go? Sure. I just think it is time to put the pen in Dana's hand and Fedor's hand and LETS GET IT ON. Good Luck fans. Dana won't do a co-branding. It won't happen unless M1 doesn't do the co-branding and let's Fedor fight in the UFC.
Here's what I would do if I was Fedor and I know I am not but this is just my opinion:
1. Go to the UFC. Yes, you will be a pawn or slave whatever. You don't have to be for long if you sign a 1-2 fight deal.
2. After the fight deal, and if he wins both fights then you can start leveraging for the branding. If Dana says no then get out. Then you can tell the whole world that Dana is a dumb@$$.
3. IF he says yes then you got your deal and possibly a title shot. Which I think he fought Cain and then Carwin he deserves the shot at Brock.
Just my opinion. Could it happen? Yes. Will it happen? That is something left to be told.
We just have to wait after Werdum/Fedor 2. That fight will happen. Strikeforce will do it.
After seeing how Brock fought in that last fight theirs no question that Fedor would beat Brock. Brock's fighting stance is crazy. Looks like Keith Jardean's monkey stance. Fedors knows how to throw a punch way better and has a way better ground game. Fedor will be back and when he does I just hope it will be in the UFC.
What a joke really, Fedor vs Werdum 2... really? Who wants to see that...? Anyone that understands a little of MMA knows the fight will suck, Werdum will try and pull guard and Fedor wont want any of it so it will very boring I assure you... But that's M-1 for you, they're already threatening to leave if Strikeforce doesn't gives them a rematch... And then they expect th UFC to do business with them, to let theyre fighters come up, with no pedigree or record, and replace actual good fighters.
Lets face it, M-1 are thous greasy business man we all have to deal in one ppoint or another of our lives, the ones that always try to leech on you for something. They are leeching Fedor and would like nothing else than leech the UFC - Who on theyre right mind would want a business partnership in a co-promotion were your part had all the work to promote, spent all the money arranging/marketing it, had all the fighters except one... yeah, great business proposition...
I like Fedor and would like to see him fight in the UFC (I think hes too small for the HW class but thats another story) but I dont know if we will ever see him there, at least as long as M-1 controls him...
Edith and I were having a conversation over a glass of chilled wine last night....oooohh wait, wrong story.... FEDOR IS NOT COMING TO THE UFC.......EVER!.......so shut up!!
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