It comes down to respect. Fedor Emelianenko is a proud man and didn’t feel he was getting any. When he was negotiating with UFC President Dana White in 2007, the voluble UFC President insulted both Fedor and his negotiating team. Finally, the Russian champion felt the need to respond.
“Numerous times have I read mister White’s statements on Internet concerning myself. In my opinion, allowing yourself to say those things is not a sign of a gentleman or a grown man at all!” Emelianenko wrote in a statement to the media. “In the future I wouldn’t want to hear those statements in my address ever again and I won’t tolerate that.”
Needless to say, he did not sign with the UFC, becoming the only major PRIDE Fighting Championship fighter not to join the company. But, with the demise of Affliction last month, the UFC once again had an opportunity to bring in the sport’s best heavyweight. This time they were negotiating with a wary opponent. An opponent sensitive to the slightest criticism. The Russian’s had already been disrespected and insulted.
“Dana represented the worst of America to them,” a source close to Emelianenko said. “He was so loud, so rude, so angry. They just weren’t comfortable working with him. But because of the money being discussed, they felt a need to hear him out.”
If there was a reasonable option available that wasn’t the UFC, that didn’t involve White, they were going to take it. And they did, signing today with Showtime and Strikeforce for undisclosed terms, said to be significantly smaller than the UFC’s best offer. How did it go wrong, again, for Zuffa? Signs once more point to perceived disrespect.
Sources close to both the UFC and Emelianenko say the negotiations were going well last week. The UFC had caved in on many of Fedor’s demands that had been stumbling points in 2007. He would be allowed to represent M-1 Global and allowed to continue competing in Sambo. The final sticking point was co-promotion. And then it happened.
Trying to get out in front of the public relations skirmish that would follow the UFC’s failure to sign Emeliananeko, a UFC insider leaked bogus contract terms to Carmichael Dave, a California-based radio host. The tactic was effective. Fans and the online media turned against the Russian and his team. The tactic also may have backfired. Emelianenko was reportedly softening and considering signing with the UFC. The leak, which M-1 Global criticized as inaccurate and inappropriate, shut down negotiations for good.
Strikeforce was always the dark horse in the Fedor Race. Scott Coker was talking with Emelianenko’s team the whole time they were holding meetings with White and UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta. Unlike the UFC team, which seemingly could not resist commenting publicly, Coker played it close to the vest. When the smoke cleared, he had his man. The best fighter in the world was coming to Showtime.
“We are extremely excited to have the opportunity to work with M-1 Global and Fedor,” said Coker said. “Fedor has been the reigning king of MMA’s heavyweight division for quite some time now so being able to work with M-1 and Fedor will substantially increase the level of competition amongst the athletes in this weight class.”
Strikeforce and M-1 Global are expected to announce a media conference call for Thursday afternoon. They will announce his opponent then, but early signs point to rising star Brett Rogers. The other possibility is Strikeforce Heavweight Champion Alistair Overeem, but some in Strikeforce consider the champion, who has missed his last two scheduled fights, too risky for a main event position of this importance.
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[...] Did Fedor Sign With Strikeforce? By Ty Lannister Jonathan Snowden has more at Inside Fights If there was a reasonable option available that wasn’t the UFC, that didn’t involve White, they [...]
Ha, please, another Jonathan Snowden-bashing-Zuffa article. It’ll be interesting to see what articles you’ll write when Strikeforce folds in a year or so. Just like the last few organizations that have worked with Fedor.
M-1 and Fedor have been well on there way to irrelevancy for the last couple years. And I guess they like it that way.
This article seems a little one-sided. We are supposed to beleive that it all came down to respect? So in your opinion if Zuffa offered M1 the co-promotion (which would’ve been a terrible business decision) Fedor still would’ve rejected because of the “disrespect”. You’re putting Fedor and his manipulators on a lofty pedestal.
Fedor turns down $30 million + PPV receipts for practically nothing because his feelings were hurt?
Fedor may have won 30/31 fights but he must be brain damaged. Either that or the Russia mafia is involved.
Fedor was not offered $30 million plus PPV. I have confirmed that with both sides.
It’s not “my opinion” that Fedor felt disrespected. I heard that from multiple people. But you are right: they were willing to listen to an offer and would have accepted. When the co-promotion wasn’t there, they were willing to take a potentially less lucrative deal to avoid White and the UFC.
It’s not an opinion column. My opinion is that he should have signed with the UFC. My opinion doesn’t really have much to do with what sources say their mindset was though…
Who cares where Fedor goes? Strikeforce can take him and that M1-Global mob that owns his a** and they can go bankrupt in a couple of years too. Eventually they will all learn from the mistakes of previous co-promotions.
Fedor didn’t “choose” anything. UFC wouldn’t meet his (ridiculous) terms. Strikeforce is pretty much the only game in town. Lesnar > Fedor.
I do not believe that it came down to respect, i believe fedor realizes how much competition there is in the UFC and knew he had a very good chance of losing a few matches, so he signed with a P.O.S fighting club with no fighters that way he can have a better record.
To be fair and accurate people, Coker and Strikeforce have been promoting fights longer than Dana and crew so…the recycled they’ll be out of business lines used for Affliction, the IFL and EliteXC may not be best here. Just saying…
Yeah, and they were in business for so long, while others went out of business, because they were financially prudent and didn’t overspend on contracts.
That has obviously changed.
PLEASE! ….this article makes no sense.
Your contention is that Fedor was offended by Dana White’s comments and the last straw was the leak of contract stuff. IF you look at the facts from the players involved own mouths it is pretty simple what happened.
M1 has stated many times that any deal with Fedor would have to include co-promotion with M1.
Dana White has stated that co-promotion was the sticking point and that it was a deal breaker that would never happen (which truly they would be utterly stupid to agree to).
Fedor and M1 sign a one year co-promotion deal with Strikeforce for Fedor.
There may have been hurt feelings…but this was always an issue of co-promotion. If either side would have given on that Fedor would be a UFC fighter right now. THose are the facts that matter.
Short of Dana White’s unprofessional attitude and the attempt to turn the public opinion against the percieved ‘natural enemy’ of anything American (the big, red Russian bear, that is.) by an UFC employee there’s only one simple point one has to understand and shut up about: Fedor has a written contract with M1 Global. Period.
That contract is as valid as if he’d have signed the UFC a couple of years ago – White wouldn’t let him go either if he had him signed. Fedor is a cash-cow right now, any resonably talented promotion agency would cling to a fighter like him.
And yes, M1 Global ‘own Fedor’s ass’ if you will. Just like Dana White and the UFC own Brock Lesnar’s and Anderson Silva’s asses while their contracts are valid. That’s no news, at least not to me. Nothing worth to stir up a controversy about, anyways.
I’m for more rationale in this matter and less gossip/blind fellowship/unreasonable taking sbdys side.
Anyone saying Fedor is “afraid of the competition in the UFC” is hilarious. His only loss in his entire MMA career is from a technicality in a tournament-style event, where an illegal elbow (which would have resulted in him being declared the winner) opened a cut that prevented him from being able to continue in the tournament. Someone had to go on, so his opponent did.
Anyways, signing with Strikeforce is the only option that works for him since he’s currently signed with M1 and they want co-promotion, which the UFC is clearly not interested in. Clearly Strikeforce decided that having Fedor would be worth having to share promotion. It probably is.
I just want to see Fedor fight the best in the world in terms of heavywights and they are located in the UFC. About 8 of the 10. If fedor wants to claim to be the best in the world you have to fight the best. M1 global is getting in the way of good fights. Lesnar vs. Fedor is what i want to see.
i thought fedor was a hungry champ looking for a challenge or atleast thats what ive heard from showtime and strikforce. Come on man what the H. And how can fedor be number 1 in the heaveyweights and not have fought the number 2 or even 3 in the sport
Seems that Fedor is becoming a big fat pussy. He knows that the “Earth” wants him to fight the bestS. He earned his title “№1″ long ago and now is speculating it, but nobody sees he is not the best anymore!!!!!!!