Dana White talks UFC on FOX 6, says Fedor vs. Lesnar almost happened last year

UFC President Dana White shared thoughts about last night’s action inside the Octagon in Chicago, Illinois, headlined by Demetrious Johnson‘s entertaining decision victory over John Dodson, and clinic performances by Anthony Pettis, Ricardo Lamas, and Glover Teixeira. Action-packed main card can be labeled a success, with virtually no ‘boring’ moments in any of the fights.

Also, Dana White managed to shock the reporters during a traditional post-press conference media scrum, revealing that back in early 2012 Fedor Emelianenko was very close to finally signing with the UFC. However, the situation changed due to The Last Emperor’s personal circumstances, and the final decision to retire from MMA competition (mmajunkie.com):

“We were in deep talks with him,” White said following the post-fight news conference for UFC on FOX 6 in Chicago. “We were that close to signing him recently. Right before his dad died. We were right there. When I was talking about doing the big Dallas Texas stadium show? It was going to be Brock Lesnar vs. (Fedor).

“Remember when I met with him and said it didn’t go well? It actually went well. It went well, and Brock wanted to fight Fedor. Then (Fedor’s) dad died, and he was done.”