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
Thursday, January 28, 2010
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
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
UFC president Dana White still baffled why Emelianenko passed him by
PHILADELPHIA — After drawing a record 1.5 million-plus pay-per-view buys for last month's landmark UFC 100 show, the UFC kicks off a new century of mixed martial arts cards in a new town with two intriguing marquee matchups.
The City of Brotherly Love is hosting the MMA juggernaut for the first time this week and the UFC made the most of the city's past by holding its pre-fight news conference Thursday at the Independence Visitor Center, a stone's throw from the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, where the nation's founders plotted their freedom.
Recent history was more the order of the day on the UFC front, however.
While the news conference focused on Saturday's lightweight title fight between champion B.J. Penn and Kenny Florian and an eagerly awaited 205-pound showdown between middleweight title-holder Anderson Silva and former light-heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin, UFC president Dana White found himself talking Fedor when he was scrummed by reporters after.
Russian star Fedor Emelianenko opted to shun the UFC earlier this week to sign with Strikeforce, a modest promotion that has operated under the UFC radar in recent years.
White announced last Friday that negotiations with the Russian's camp had broken down because they were insisting on co-promoting any fights Emelianenko was involved in. The UFC boss was in Abu Dhabi, scouting the United Arab Emirates for a future fight card, when news broke Monday that the Russian was joining Strikeforce.
Apart from a few expletive-laced texts, he had not reacted to the news until Thursday.
"Who's he going to fight?" White asked. "Nobody . . . he's going to fight nobodies and I just don't understand it. I just don't get it."
Emelianenko, responding on a Strikeforce conference call Thursday, dumped on the UFC.
"From my viewpoint, the UFC does not have the proper attitude to fighters," he said, according to a Strikeforce release. "The UFC attitude towards fighters is not a good one. They don't treat them like human beings. And I don't like their policy. The offer that we got was one kind, and then on the Internet they published really different numbers. The offer they gave us was really miserable."
The Russian did apologize to his fans that they would not get to see him fight UFC champion Brock Lesnar.
Strikeforce is a much smaller operation than the UFC with its website currently listing 34 fighters - a number that only covers A to C of the UFC stable.
Available Strikeforce opponents for Emelianenko include champion Alistair Overeem, Brett (The Grim) Rogers and former UFC fighter Fabricio Werdum. Strikeforce is also partnering with Japan-based Dream so it can raid another organization.
But the top heavies - Lesnar, Frank Mir, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mirko (Cro Cop) Filipovic, Cain Velasquez, Shane Carwin and Randy Couture - call the UFC home.
Because White was on the road, he never got to speak to Emelianenko in person. He had a representative in the room with the Russians while he and UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta were at the other end of the phone.
"If I was sitting on Fedor's lap that deal wouldn't have got done," he said. "Didn't matter. The deal was not going to get done. We went in there to do a deal, they didn't."
White seemed genuinely baffled on why his multi-million-dollar offer (reports pegged it at a minimum of US$5 million a fight) was turned down.
"It's definitely not about money, it's definitely not about contracts. What's it really about? I don't know, I don't get it."
Vadim Finkelchtein, head of Emelianenko's M1 management company, said it was all about flexibility.
"The advantage in making the deal with Strikeforce is really great because the UFC didn't give us any chance to develop." he told the Strikeforce conference call. "The UFC wants Fedor to be a fighter only for the UFC. That's all they offered us. They didn't offer us anything else.
"Dana White stated that Fedor and M1 rejected a huge amount of money and decided to fight for nothing. But, that's not true. Nothing special was offered to M1 and Fedor during the negotiations with UFC. When we made the deal with Strikeforce we had opportunities to show our fights in many other countries. But the UFC wouldn't give us these opportunities."
Strikeforce upped the ante Thursday by scheduling its conference call conference at the exact same time as the UFC 101 news conference. It was a taste of its own medicine for the UFC, which used to do what it could to take the lustre off former rival Affliction's shows by scheduling events or shows opposite them.
It appears Strikeforce can expect more of the same.
"They should have stayed the way they were," White said ominously of Strikeforce, whom he dubbed "Strikefarce."
"If you want to fight me, we'll fight," he added. "You know how that goes. And we know how it ends."
White, whose prognostication powers have been pretty accurate when it comes to rivals, said the Fedor deal will cost Strikeforce.
"He'll put them out of business. These guys have no money and they have no distribution."
Not surprisingly, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker disagreed.
"We've been in business a long time and we know how to operate a business," he said.
Strikeforce airs its live shows on the Showtime cable network in the U.S. and pay-per-view in Canada, with packaged material on NBC and The Score in Canada. It partnered with the now-defunct EliteXC on several shows on CBS and clearly hopes to catch on with a network in the wake of the Fedor signing. Its deal with the Russian covers three fights over a year.
"I guarantee you the deal he got in Strikeforce isn't even in the universe of what he (would have) got (from us)," White said. "Not even close."
NOTES: White says the buzz generated from UFC 100 is still being felt more than a month later. "No doubt about it, 100 took us to a whole 'nother level. There was so much buzz and energy around that fight - and not just here but all over the world. It was big." ... White says there could be three UFC shows in Canada next year: Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. "We're softening up a lot of the provinces up there," he said. "We're definitely going to Vancouver."
Source
The City of Brotherly Love is hosting the MMA juggernaut for the first time this week and the UFC made the most of the city's past by holding its pre-fight news conference Thursday at the Independence Visitor Center, a stone's throw from the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, where the nation's founders plotted their freedom.
Recent history was more the order of the day on the UFC front, however.
While the news conference focused on Saturday's lightweight title fight between champion B.J. Penn and Kenny Florian and an eagerly awaited 205-pound showdown between middleweight title-holder Anderson Silva and former light-heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin, UFC president Dana White found himself talking Fedor when he was scrummed by reporters after.
Russian star Fedor Emelianenko opted to shun the UFC earlier this week to sign with Strikeforce, a modest promotion that has operated under the UFC radar in recent years.
White announced last Friday that negotiations with the Russian's camp had broken down because they were insisting on co-promoting any fights Emelianenko was involved in. The UFC boss was in Abu Dhabi, scouting the United Arab Emirates for a future fight card, when news broke Monday that the Russian was joining Strikeforce.
Apart from a few expletive-laced texts, he had not reacted to the news until Thursday.
"Who's he going to fight?" White asked. "Nobody . . . he's going to fight nobodies and I just don't understand it. I just don't get it."
Emelianenko, responding on a Strikeforce conference call Thursday, dumped on the UFC.
"From my viewpoint, the UFC does not have the proper attitude to fighters," he said, according to a Strikeforce release. "The UFC attitude towards fighters is not a good one. They don't treat them like human beings. And I don't like their policy. The offer that we got was one kind, and then on the Internet they published really different numbers. The offer they gave us was really miserable."
The Russian did apologize to his fans that they would not get to see him fight UFC champion Brock Lesnar.
Strikeforce is a much smaller operation than the UFC with its website currently listing 34 fighters - a number that only covers A to C of the UFC stable.
Available Strikeforce opponents for Emelianenko include champion Alistair Overeem, Brett (The Grim) Rogers and former UFC fighter Fabricio Werdum. Strikeforce is also partnering with Japan-based Dream so it can raid another organization.
But the top heavies - Lesnar, Frank Mir, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mirko (Cro Cop) Filipovic, Cain Velasquez, Shane Carwin and Randy Couture - call the UFC home.
Because White was on the road, he never got to speak to Emelianenko in person. He had a representative in the room with the Russians while he and UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta were at the other end of the phone.
"If I was sitting on Fedor's lap that deal wouldn't have got done," he said. "Didn't matter. The deal was not going to get done. We went in there to do a deal, they didn't."
White seemed genuinely baffled on why his multi-million-dollar offer (reports pegged it at a minimum of US$5 million a fight) was turned down.
"It's definitely not about money, it's definitely not about contracts. What's it really about? I don't know, I don't get it."
Vadim Finkelchtein, head of Emelianenko's M1 management company, said it was all about flexibility.
"The advantage in making the deal with Strikeforce is really great because the UFC didn't give us any chance to develop." he told the Strikeforce conference call. "The UFC wants Fedor to be a fighter only for the UFC. That's all they offered us. They didn't offer us anything else.
"Dana White stated that Fedor and M1 rejected a huge amount of money and decided to fight for nothing. But, that's not true. Nothing special was offered to M1 and Fedor during the negotiations with UFC. When we made the deal with Strikeforce we had opportunities to show our fights in many other countries. But the UFC wouldn't give us these opportunities."
Strikeforce upped the ante Thursday by scheduling its conference call conference at the exact same time as the UFC 101 news conference. It was a taste of its own medicine for the UFC, which used to do what it could to take the lustre off former rival Affliction's shows by scheduling events or shows opposite them.
It appears Strikeforce can expect more of the same.
"They should have stayed the way they were," White said ominously of Strikeforce, whom he dubbed "Strikefarce."
"If you want to fight me, we'll fight," he added. "You know how that goes. And we know how it ends."
White, whose prognostication powers have been pretty accurate when it comes to rivals, said the Fedor deal will cost Strikeforce.
"He'll put them out of business. These guys have no money and they have no distribution."
Not surprisingly, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker disagreed.
"We've been in business a long time and we know how to operate a business," he said.
Strikeforce airs its live shows on the Showtime cable network in the U.S. and pay-per-view in Canada, with packaged material on NBC and The Score in Canada. It partnered with the now-defunct EliteXC on several shows on CBS and clearly hopes to catch on with a network in the wake of the Fedor signing. Its deal with the Russian covers three fights over a year.
"I guarantee you the deal he got in Strikeforce isn't even in the universe of what he (would have) got (from us)," White said. "Not even close."
NOTES: White says the buzz generated from UFC 100 is still being felt more than a month later. "No doubt about it, 100 took us to a whole 'nother level. There was so much buzz and energy around that fight - and not just here but all over the world. It was big." ... White says there could be three UFC shows in Canada next year: Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. "We're softening up a lot of the provinces up there," he said. "We're definitely going to Vancouver."
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