Former top UFC middleweight contender Dan Henderson has moved on, signed with Strikeforce, and is now expected to make promotional debut on a CBS-televised card in April, according to CBS executives.
UFC president Dana White said he respects Henderson and encouraged him to make the move to Strikeforce.
But don't expect the 39-year-old fighter to return to the UFC before his career is over, White said.
Last week during festivities for UFC 107, White spoke to a small group of reporters about Henderson. The early UFC fighter and former PRIDE champion re-entered the octagon in 2007 after Zuffa LLC purchased and folded PRIDE into the UFC.
Henderson eventually fell short in light heavyweight and middleweight title shots, but with a win over Michael Bisping in July, he looked as though he'd get a second shot at middleweight champion Anderson Silva's title. However, Vitor Belfort was promised the title shot instead, and Henderson couldn't agree to a new deal with the UFC. Strikeforce – with heavy urging from CBS – eventually came calling instead.
"There's always this talk about I don't respect guys – Dan Henderson," White said. "Believe me, I show a lot of guys a lot of respect. Just because I wouldn't pay Dan more than anybody else doesn't mean I don't respect guys. I'm happy (with his deal). I'm very happy with it. I couldn't be happier. I pushed him to do that. I started taking [expletive] off the table, and that made him make his decision to go with them."
Despite the urging, White doesn't expect Henderson to make a return.
"Dan probably won't be back in the UFC," White said. "He'll retire over there."
But after so many high-profile fights and a coaching gig on "The Ultimate Fighter," isn't Henderson a valuable commodity?
"To them maybe," White said. "He's not to me. It's over with me and Dan Henderson."
White, though, re-iterated that there are no hard feelings.
"Dan and I talked the other day," he said. "We know where we stand. ... We were cool. We were.
"He knows where we stand. I'm not sitting in front of the media and talking [expletive] about him. I talked to him on the phone. We talked, and I told him exactly how it is."
Last week Henderson told MMAjunkie.com Radio he's not dwelling on the reasons for the move. Instead, he's focused on the opportunities that await in Strikeforce.
"I was happy with every aspect of [the Strikeforce offer], money included," Henderson said. "Obviously, they were really adamant about wanting to try to sign me, so obviously they were very respectful. Dana has a reputation of not being so respectful. That's just how he is, and I think the fans know that. They also know and respect the fact that Dana's done a lot of great things for MMA. I appreciate that as well.
"I don't have any hard feelings. It is what it is now, and I finally decided where my next fight's going to be. I'm excited to start training and getting in shape and going over there to beat somebody up in Strikeforce."
Source
Monday, February 15, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Dana White: NBC’s Sale To Comcast “Very Interesting”
Saying that the UFC will end up on network television may be a bit premature, but taking a look into the UFC’s future is fair game. Earlier this month G.E., the parent company of NBC, said they are working on a deal to sell the network to Comcast.
Comcast also happens to own Versus Network, which airs WEC programming and will soon be broadcasting UFC events as well.
When asked about the possibility of the UFC ending up on NBC with a network television deal, UFC president Dana White responded by saying, “It’s obviously very interesting.”
White has promised that at some point, the UFC will secure a network TV deal and will use it to air four major events a year to feature his promotion’s best fighters.
An admitted avid fan of boxing, White has talked about how boxing’s best days were when the biggest bouts were avaialble for free on ABC’s “Wide World of Sports.”
Source
Comcast also happens to own Versus Network, which airs WEC programming and will soon be broadcasting UFC events as well.
When asked about the possibility of the UFC ending up on NBC with a network television deal, UFC president Dana White responded by saying, “It’s obviously very interesting.”
White has promised that at some point, the UFC will secure a network TV deal and will use it to air four major events a year to feature his promotion’s best fighters.
An admitted avid fan of boxing, White has talked about how boxing’s best days were when the biggest bouts were avaialble for free on ABC’s “Wide World of Sports.”
Source
Friday, January 15, 2010
White talks UFC on Versus
UFC president Dana White has long said he won’t do a network television deal just to get a deal done. It’s got to be “the right people and the right deal.”
Zuffa, LLC – the Ultimate Fighting Championship and World Extreme Cagefighting’s parent company – recently extended its contract with Versus to include UFC events on the sports network in 2010 in addition to WEC programming.
It is the beginning of a multi-year agreement that will develop over time according to Marc Fein, Versus Executive Vice President of Programming, Production and Business Development.
The initial plan calls for two UFC Fight Night-type events, though details of when the events will air on Versus, including what night of the week, have yet to be determined.
The UFC’s expansion onto Versus is the latest example of White’s television strategy. He’s going to team with partners that will work in concert.
He feels he’s got that in Versus and its parent company, Comcast.
“We’ve always had the ability to do fights on another network (aside from Spike TV) if we wanted to. We could do four per year,” said White on Wednesday.
“I’ve been talking to networks for a long time now and I’ve never come to a deal with the big ones, CBS, Fox, you name it, HBO, never come to deals with any of them. I didn’t like the deals and I didn’t really feel that they were into it,” he added.
“Versus has shown their commitment to mixed
martial arts, the UFC, the WEC, and we couldn’t be happier to be in business with guys like this.”
Airing UFC events on WEC’s home network immediately raises the obvious questions about longstanding rumors of merging the two brands or at least commingling talent.
White quickly shoots down the notion.
He has no immediate plans on trading fighters back-and-forth. The goal is concrete, “get the WEC on pay-per-view.”
An interesting element to the addition of UFC on Versus is
Comcast’s recent purchase of NBC Universal, which still awaits governmental approval. The New York Times says that Comcast will likely rebrand Versus as something akin to NBC Sports Cable in direct competition to ESPN.
It’s too soon for any definitive statements in that regard, but it is an attractive option for the UFC if it comes to fruition.
“You never know,” White responded when asked by MMAWeekly.com about the impact Comcast’s NBC purchase could have on his company.
“It’s obviously very, very interesting and Comcast and Versus have been great partners for us. They’ve got some interesting things going on.”
So now maybe the door is cracked open to the possibility of UFC on NBC? It’ll take time to find that out, but in the mean time, White is happy extending his relationship with the media juggernaut.
“These guys have been great partners to us, Comcast and Versus.”
Source
Zuffa, LLC – the Ultimate Fighting Championship and World Extreme Cagefighting’s parent company – recently extended its contract with Versus to include UFC events on the sports network in 2010 in addition to WEC programming.
It is the beginning of a multi-year agreement that will develop over time according to Marc Fein, Versus Executive Vice President of Programming, Production and Business Development.
The initial plan calls for two UFC Fight Night-type events, though details of when the events will air on Versus, including what night of the week, have yet to be determined.
The UFC’s expansion onto Versus is the latest example of White’s television strategy. He’s going to team with partners that will work in concert.
He feels he’s got that in Versus and its parent company, Comcast.
“We’ve always had the ability to do fights on another network (aside from Spike TV) if we wanted to. We could do four per year,” said White on Wednesday.
“I’ve been talking to networks for a long time now and I’ve never come to a deal with the big ones, CBS, Fox, you name it, HBO, never come to deals with any of them. I didn’t like the deals and I didn’t really feel that they were into it,” he added.
“Versus has shown their commitment to mixed
martial arts, the UFC, the WEC, and we couldn’t be happier to be in business with guys like this.”
Airing UFC events on WEC’s home network immediately raises the obvious questions about longstanding rumors of merging the two brands or at least commingling talent.
White quickly shoots down the notion.
He has no immediate plans on trading fighters back-and-forth. The goal is concrete, “get the WEC on pay-per-view.”
An interesting element to the addition of UFC on Versus is
Comcast’s recent purchase of NBC Universal, which still awaits governmental approval. The New York Times says that Comcast will likely rebrand Versus as something akin to NBC Sports Cable in direct competition to ESPN.
It’s too soon for any definitive statements in that regard, but it is an attractive option for the UFC if it comes to fruition.
“You never know,” White responded when asked by MMAWeekly.com about the impact Comcast’s NBC purchase could have on his company.
“It’s obviously very, very interesting and Comcast and Versus have been great partners for us. They’ve got some interesting things going on.”
So now maybe the door is cracked open to the possibility of UFC on NBC? It’ll take time to find that out, but in the mean time, White is happy extending his relationship with the media juggernaut.
“These guys have been great partners to us, Comcast and Versus.”
Source
Monday, December 28, 2009
Dana White, Fedor Emelianenko and Sour Grapes
Jesse Holland of MMA Mania breaks from their usual "just the facts ma'am" mold and tears it up in an opinion piece about Fedor:
UFC President Dana White thinks Fedor Emelianenko is a fraud. A flabby relic from the mismanaged days of PRIDE that now hides behind the iron curtain, emerging only to fight hand-picked opponents that pose no threat to a self-proclaimed legacy.
In fact, White is so sure that the Russian heavyweight is at the bottom of the divisional rankings that he was willing to write him a blank check after Affliction MMA imploded under the weight of its own spending.
That makes sense.
Imagine how quickly the men in white coats would come to collect you if you walked onto the lot of an auto auction and told the yard barker: "I've got a check for five million dollars, please give me the biggest piece of shit on the lot."
Ever since the fall of PRIDE, there have been a lot of hard feelings between the UFC and Emelianenko's camp and I suspect a great deal of that has been "The Last Emperor's," ability to escape the Zuffa monopoly.
Men with White's power and ultimately White's greed are used to getting what they want. What do men in power want? Everything. Yet "those crazy Russians" have balked at every attempt the UFC has made to secure the WAMMA champion as their own.
And why wouldn't they, especially when M-1 can have a monopoly of their own? As long as Emelianenko keeps winning, Vadim and the Finkelchtein Express can continue cashing in at the expense of other promotions who need an established headliner.
I've written many times about Dana's love/hate/need/want obsession with Fedor. Just to show you how psychic I am, I wrote at the time of Fedor's decision to sign with Strikeforce:
From the moment the deals were being rumored, I believed that Dana White and Zuffa were so confident that Brock Lesnar would beat Fedor in the Russian's first UFC fight that they were willing to offer lots of terms (loosening the champion clause etc) that they would not have offered if Fedor was going to be facing Randy Couture, Cro-Cop and Big Nog in his three UFC fights.
I think Fedor also is concerned that he might lose to Brock Lesnar -- and there's nothing wrong with that, Lesnar is a beast -- and even a 30% chance of Lesnar winning the first fight is a big risk for Fedor. Especially in his first fight in a cage with elbows on the ground. Fedor's history of getting cut in fights makes a cut stoppage from an elbow an exceedingly likely outcome.
In closing, here's the case for Strikeforce:
No elbows on the ground.
Willingness to co-promote. Remember, Fedor isn't just a client of M-1, he's supposedly a 20% owner -- that's twice the share Dana White has in the UFC. There's also a strong element of Russian nationalism. Fedor's never been seen on national television in Russia. Affliction had just scored a deal to do that. Also, don't forget how "business" is done in Russia. I don't want to speculate, but if I was Fedor, I'd be very hesitant to dump my Russian partners.
Strikeforce's roster of Brett Rogers, Fabricio Werdum and Alistair Overeem is a very credible roster of foes for Fedor -- they are ranked #8, 10 and 14, respectively, on this month's USAT/SBN MMA rankings. And I'm sure each would enjoy the "Josh Barnett effect" of rising several notches upon the announcement of a signed fight with Fedor.
Non-exclusivity. With Strikeforce, Fedor could quite possibly continue to fight in Japan on the odd New Year's Eve for DREAM, maybe even against Josh Barnett in a fight many still want to see.
Fedor has an enormous amount to lose if he makes the wrong step. Clearly his refusal to sign with the UFC and their aggressive PR will cost him the hearts of many MMA fans. At the same time, most of those fans will tune in to watch his next fight, regardless of opponent, especially if it's on CBS. If Strikeforce manages to book him against legitimate top 10 competition, he will only grow his appeal and be able to demand even more from the UFC if there is a next time.
Source
UFC President Dana White thinks Fedor Emelianenko is a fraud. A flabby relic from the mismanaged days of PRIDE that now hides behind the iron curtain, emerging only to fight hand-picked opponents that pose no threat to a self-proclaimed legacy.
In fact, White is so sure that the Russian heavyweight is at the bottom of the divisional rankings that he was willing to write him a blank check after Affliction MMA imploded under the weight of its own spending.
That makes sense.
Imagine how quickly the men in white coats would come to collect you if you walked onto the lot of an auto auction and told the yard barker: "I've got a check for five million dollars, please give me the biggest piece of shit on the lot."
Ever since the fall of PRIDE, there have been a lot of hard feelings between the UFC and Emelianenko's camp and I suspect a great deal of that has been "The Last Emperor's," ability to escape the Zuffa monopoly.
Men with White's power and ultimately White's greed are used to getting what they want. What do men in power want? Everything. Yet "those crazy Russians" have balked at every attempt the UFC has made to secure the WAMMA champion as their own.
And why wouldn't they, especially when M-1 can have a monopoly of their own? As long as Emelianenko keeps winning, Vadim and the Finkelchtein Express can continue cashing in at the expense of other promotions who need an established headliner.
I've written many times about Dana's love/hate/need/want obsession with Fedor. Just to show you how psychic I am, I wrote at the time of Fedor's decision to sign with Strikeforce:
From the moment the deals were being rumored, I believed that Dana White and Zuffa were so confident that Brock Lesnar would beat Fedor in the Russian's first UFC fight that they were willing to offer lots of terms (loosening the champion clause etc) that they would not have offered if Fedor was going to be facing Randy Couture, Cro-Cop and Big Nog in his three UFC fights.
I think Fedor also is concerned that he might lose to Brock Lesnar -- and there's nothing wrong with that, Lesnar is a beast -- and even a 30% chance of Lesnar winning the first fight is a big risk for Fedor. Especially in his first fight in a cage with elbows on the ground. Fedor's history of getting cut in fights makes a cut stoppage from an elbow an exceedingly likely outcome.
In closing, here's the case for Strikeforce:
No elbows on the ground.
Willingness to co-promote. Remember, Fedor isn't just a client of M-1, he's supposedly a 20% owner -- that's twice the share Dana White has in the UFC. There's also a strong element of Russian nationalism. Fedor's never been seen on national television in Russia. Affliction had just scored a deal to do that. Also, don't forget how "business" is done in Russia. I don't want to speculate, but if I was Fedor, I'd be very hesitant to dump my Russian partners.
Strikeforce's roster of Brett Rogers, Fabricio Werdum and Alistair Overeem is a very credible roster of foes for Fedor -- they are ranked #8, 10 and 14, respectively, on this month's USAT/SBN MMA rankings. And I'm sure each would enjoy the "Josh Barnett effect" of rising several notches upon the announcement of a signed fight with Fedor.
Non-exclusivity. With Strikeforce, Fedor could quite possibly continue to fight in Japan on the odd New Year's Eve for DREAM, maybe even against Josh Barnett in a fight many still want to see.
Fedor has an enormous amount to lose if he makes the wrong step. Clearly his refusal to sign with the UFC and their aggressive PR will cost him the hearts of many MMA fans. At the same time, most of those fans will tune in to watch his next fight, regardless of opponent, especially if it's on CBS. If Strikeforce manages to book him against legitimate top 10 competition, he will only grow his appeal and be able to demand even more from the UFC if there is a next time.
Source
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Out Four To Six Months, Dana White Says Brock Lesnar Would "Smash His Head"
As reported earlier, Fedor Emelianenko injured his left hand during Saturday night’s bout with Brett Rogers. Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker told The LA Times that the injuries have sidelined the Russian heavyweight for the near future.
"Fedor suffered a fracture and tendon damage in his left thumb, and a fractured nose in the Rogers fight,” Coker explained. "We're hearing he could be out for four to six months.”
Emelianenko joins UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar on the inactive list. UFC President Dana White wasted no time in giving his thoughts on who would win if Emelianenko were to ever face Lesnar.
"The guy just got his face smashed in by Brett Rogers. Do you know what Brock or [UFC heavyweights] Frank Mir and Cain Velasquez would do to Brett Rogers?" White asked. "It's time to bring this guy [Fedor] in [to the UFC], to see Brock Lesnar smash his head."
Fedor’s camp remains agreeable to the fight, however in what has become a broken record, will only agree to Emelianenko facing Lesnar if the organization is willing to agree to co-promote with M-1 Global.
“If UFC wants to prove it has the best fighters, step up and co-promote,” M-1 Global Vice President Jerry Millen stated. “Fedor just wants to be treated fairly. The UFC business model is to own the souls of their fighters. Fedor doesn't have to do that, and if the fans scream loudly enough, we can make that happen."
But for now, both fighters need to recover from their respective health issues and injuries before thinking about their next bout.
Source
"Fedor suffered a fracture and tendon damage in his left thumb, and a fractured nose in the Rogers fight,” Coker explained. "We're hearing he could be out for four to six months.”
Emelianenko joins UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar on the inactive list. UFC President Dana White wasted no time in giving his thoughts on who would win if Emelianenko were to ever face Lesnar.
"The guy just got his face smashed in by Brett Rogers. Do you know what Brock or [UFC heavyweights] Frank Mir and Cain Velasquez would do to Brett Rogers?" White asked. "It's time to bring this guy [Fedor] in [to the UFC], to see Brock Lesnar smash his head."
Fedor’s camp remains agreeable to the fight, however in what has become a broken record, will only agree to Emelianenko facing Lesnar if the organization is willing to agree to co-promote with M-1 Global.
“If UFC wants to prove it has the best fighters, step up and co-promote,” M-1 Global Vice President Jerry Millen stated. “Fedor just wants to be treated fairly. The UFC business model is to own the souls of their fighters. Fedor doesn't have to do that, and if the fans scream loudly enough, we can make that happen."
But for now, both fighters need to recover from their respective health issues and injuries before thinking about their next bout.
Source
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Dana White agrees Fedor does not want to fight the best in World video
The great Dana White agrees with the MMA genius Grandmaster Gambordella that Fedor is afraid to fight the best in the World. He would much rather hide at Strikeforce and fight Cyborg, if they would let him. The Mighty Brock Lesnar would be glad to fight Fedor but unfortunately M-1 won't let him because they are afraid Brock would break his jaw and he would not be able to keep that fat body of his in shape for the Russian winter.
Here is a video where Dana calmly and politely explains the real facts about Fedor not wanting to fight the best, and then here is a video of Fedor lying and having someone speak English for him because he is busy eating to learn it.
Source
Here is a video where Dana calmly and politely explains the real facts about Fedor not wanting to fight the best, and then here is a video of Fedor lying and having someone speak English for him because he is busy eating to learn it.
Source
Sunday, November 15, 2009
White talks Belfort, Affliction and return of Ortiz
"I don't want anybody to ask me any Fedor questions." Good luck with that one. UFC president Dana White hosted a telephone news conference -- known as a "phone presser" if you're a lonely journalist -- Friday afternoon. As expected, much of the conversation revolved around the continued frustrations over signing Fedor Emelianenko.
Long, painful story short: M-1 wants to "co-promote" UFC events; White finds the idea absurd.
"These guys are going to come in and co-promote?" White asked rhetorically. (And yes, you could hear his face getting redder. Thanks for asking.) "How the hell are they going to co-promote anything? … It was basically them coming in and saying, 'We've got this guy; some people might say he's the best fighter in the world; we want half your business,'" White snorted. "That s--- probably works in Russia. Not here."
That "s---" actually works quite often in the United States: It's called the boxing model of promoting, in which two disparate promoters and their fighters come to the table and bark about 60/40 percentages. It's just not how the UFC does business, and rightfully so. They're 90 percent of the equation. Left to their own devices, as White pointed out, M-1 Global tried to ramp up a major-league push in 2008 with Monte Cox and promptly tripped over themselves before a single show got off the ground.
When not growing increasingly apoplectic about his Russian headaches, White managed to squeeze in word that both Vitor Belfort and Tito Ortiz would be returning to the Octagon: Ortiz is likely for later in the year, possibly against Mark Coleman. This is the space where I'd normally rant against matching the sport's elder statesmen against younger, faster mercenaries, but Coleman just laid a porch-and-shotgun beating on Stephan Bonnar, so forget it.
Ortiz's signing also pretty much dampens any chance rival promotions had of using a marquee UFC name against the promotion.
Belfort's situation is more transparent: Now that he has re-enthused fans (and himself) with a run at 185 pounds, the UFC is choosing to slot him in a 205-pound contest with Rich Franklin on Sept. 18 in Dallas. Nonsensical? You bet. It's obvious the UFC is desperate for an attraction for Franklin on that date, and they're willing to ding Belfort's confidence and renewed popularity to do it.
In brief:
• Several abandoned Affliction athletes have been signed, including Paul Daley, Ben Rothwell, Belfort and Dan Lauzon. Both L.C. Davis and Javier Vasquez are headed for the WEC. Gegard Mousasi, White said, is a "possibility," but "we don't like to talk about deals until they're done." Oh, the irony.
• Dan Henderson is likely the next one in line for a shot at Anderson Silva's middleweight title. The bout could happen "very soon" if Silva manages to escape a fight with Forrest Griffin without any bruised organs.
• White has no interest in Andrei Arlovski or Tim Sylvia.
• White is, seriously, seriously through talking about Emelianenko. "He got offered a f---ing a--load of money. … He could go fight SAMBO every Thursday night if he wanted to," White said, referring to the Russian MMA organization. "It's like Brett Favre coming in and saying, 'I want to be your 50 percent partner.'"
Source
Long, painful story short: M-1 wants to "co-promote" UFC events; White finds the idea absurd.
"These guys are going to come in and co-promote?" White asked rhetorically. (And yes, you could hear his face getting redder. Thanks for asking.) "How the hell are they going to co-promote anything? … It was basically them coming in and saying, 'We've got this guy; some people might say he's the best fighter in the world; we want half your business,'" White snorted. "That s--- probably works in Russia. Not here."
That "s---" actually works quite often in the United States: It's called the boxing model of promoting, in which two disparate promoters and their fighters come to the table and bark about 60/40 percentages. It's just not how the UFC does business, and rightfully so. They're 90 percent of the equation. Left to their own devices, as White pointed out, M-1 Global tried to ramp up a major-league push in 2008 with Monte Cox and promptly tripped over themselves before a single show got off the ground.
When not growing increasingly apoplectic about his Russian headaches, White managed to squeeze in word that both Vitor Belfort and Tito Ortiz would be returning to the Octagon: Ortiz is likely for later in the year, possibly against Mark Coleman. This is the space where I'd normally rant against matching the sport's elder statesmen against younger, faster mercenaries, but Coleman just laid a porch-and-shotgun beating on Stephan Bonnar, so forget it.
Ortiz's signing also pretty much dampens any chance rival promotions had of using a marquee UFC name against the promotion.
Belfort's situation is more transparent: Now that he has re-enthused fans (and himself) with a run at 185 pounds, the UFC is choosing to slot him in a 205-pound contest with Rich Franklin on Sept. 18 in Dallas. Nonsensical? You bet. It's obvious the UFC is desperate for an attraction for Franklin on that date, and they're willing to ding Belfort's confidence and renewed popularity to do it.
In brief:
• Several abandoned Affliction athletes have been signed, including Paul Daley, Ben Rothwell, Belfort and Dan Lauzon. Both L.C. Davis and Javier Vasquez are headed for the WEC. Gegard Mousasi, White said, is a "possibility," but "we don't like to talk about deals until they're done." Oh, the irony.
• Dan Henderson is likely the next one in line for a shot at Anderson Silva's middleweight title. The bout could happen "very soon" if Silva manages to escape a fight with Forrest Griffin without any bruised organs.
• White has no interest in Andrei Arlovski or Tim Sylvia.
• White is, seriously, seriously through talking about Emelianenko. "He got offered a f---ing a--load of money. … He could go fight SAMBO every Thursday night if he wanted to," White said, referring to the Russian MMA organization. "It's like Brett Favre coming in and saying, 'I want to be your 50 percent partner.'"
Source
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