| Dana White holding a "major" press conference on Friday
Posted: 7/29/2009 8:57:56 AM | Let the speculation begin as these seem to be the top three potential announcements:
1. Fedor is signed, sealed and delivered
2. Tito Ortiz is coming back home
3. Dana has secured a major network TV deal | |
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| Dana White holding a major press conference on Friday
Posted: 7/29/2009 7:03:19 PM | | Seems like most people think it's about ESPN and Fedor. Tito? Who cares. Tito keeps talking about how he's the old Tito again and again... but his style was predicated on youth and explosiveness. He was kind of a LHW Matt Hughes. He will never be exciting again. | |
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| Dana White holding a major press conference on Friday
Posted: 7/30/2009 7:27:34 AM | | See the one thing I'm curious about if the announcement (or part of the announcement as it could be multiple things) is a major network TV deal and it's with a non-Viacom station, does this mean the current deal with Spike is done with? | |
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| Dana White holding a major press conference on Friday
Posted: 7/31/2009 2:01:02 AM | | I can only hope that it will be signing Fedor and announcing his first fight. And if he comes to the UFC, i hope his first fight isn't with Brock. I want to see him smoke a couple of people like Cain Val and Lashley and then fight Brock. | |
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| Dana White holding a major press conference on Friday
Posted: 7/31/2009 2:23:41 PM | | Dana said if Fedor is signed, he will fight for the belt immediately. So his first fight would be Brock. I think the winner of Shane and Cain, which was supposed to determine who would fight Brock, will have to wait. Brock versus Fedor could be publicized into becoming the biggest fight in history, or at least the biggest in MMA history. Bananas. Brock should watch the Mark Hunt fight if this happens. | |
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| Dana White holding a major press conference on Friday
Posted: 7/31/2009 6:14:48 PM | | I think the announcement was probably supposed to be Fedor, but they didnt' get it done in time. Apparently, what was announced, was the return of Tito. So, more of meh-jor announcement. | |
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| Dana White holding a major press conference on Friday
Posted: 7/31/2009 8:47:20 PM | I really hope this whole co-promotion thing gets cleared up with M-1 Global. From what I read today it's the only big hurdle. I personally do not agree with it, but that's up for those guys to settle it. Bottom line, Fedor has to get to the UFC. Fans all around the world want it. I wonder if Brock really wants it! I just hope Mazagatti is in the ring when and if it does happen 
As for Tito. I have no idea why he really wants to return. Granted his options narrowed after Affliction going belly up. But to come back to a division run by Machida. Good luck with that. I kind of giggled at his comment about how he gave Lyoto his toughest fight to date. Yup, he did last 3 rounds. But other than the submission at the end of the fight, he never got within the same area code as Lyoto. Lyoto was still feeling out the competition at that stage, when most thought his style was boring. After the Ortiz fight, it's very safe to say he has found his range. I doubt Tito will ever get a rematch against Lyoto. If it did happen, I am pretty sure he would be picking up his teeth with broken fingers. | |
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| Dana White holding a major press conference on Friday
Posted: 8/1/2009 9:53:53 AM | | I am pissed off at fedor because dane actually tried very hard to get him in but m1 global wants half of the damn ufc for this. Total bullshit. Dana even agreed to let fedor still do his sambo tournaments and guaranteed he would make more money than he's ever made before but fedor's manager is trying to push this m1 global down the ufc's throat. I have been a huge fan of fedor for years but this pisses me off. | |
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| Dana White holding a major press conference on Friday
Posted: 8/1/2009 10:14:42 AM | Why is it M-1's fault? Fedor owns a stake in M-1, why wouldn't he want his company to benefit? Especially in light of all the nasty things Dana has said about Fedor in the past, and the way Dana uses the press to push his agenda with Fedor, I don't blame the Russians for playing hardball.
The UFC practically owns the souls of their fighters. The have complete control over their professional lives. From what I hear, Dana dictates the terms, all of them. For up and coming fighters, why not? What are their other options? The UFC is the only game in town. Fedor is one of the very few fighters who doesn't have to bend to the UFC's will. This is a good thing. I desperately want to see Brock fight Fedor, but this is really about more than that. It's kind of nice to see somebody so publicly stand up to Dana, who I've grown to respect a lot. But hopefully this is the beginning of MMA fighters having a little more control over their own destinies, forming a union, being able to make some demands of their own when dealing with the UFC. It must suck to be a UFC fighter, to only be allowed to fight when they say, and then what if you only fight once that year? Fighters need to fight. Right now, even if they're not scheduled to fight for another 8 months in the UFC, they're not allowed to fight elsewhere.
The UFC allowing Fedor to fight in Sambo tournaments, that never should have been an issue. Sheesh. They say a good negotiation is one where both parties leave unhappy. Up to now, Dana always leaves happy, the fighters leave under a gag order, then they go on some show and say it was a big misunderstanding, the UFC treats them reaaallllllll nice, "so sorry, Dana." | |
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| Dana White holding a major press conference on Friday
Posted: 8/1/2009 10:25:38 AM | | So i guess you want the UFC to become more like the nfl, nba or mlb where the players refuse to go to training camp or hold out when they don't get 20 million instead of 18 million?? The ufc is great how it is because when the fighters have more options, the fans won't get to see what we want and it will all be about the money for them. Dana is doing things right for the fans who want to watch fights. What you want would be good for the fighters and not good for fans. | |
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| Dana White holding a major press conference on Friday
Posted: 8/1/2009 10:37:55 AM | ^ To some extent, I agree with you. Dana has been pretty good for fans, that's why I like him. It probably took a hot head, take no prisoners guy like him to grow MMA so quickly in the USA. On the other hand, some of their fighters make $5,000 per fight and are not allowed to fight for other promotions not just to keep the ring rust off but to, uh, pay their bills.
The thing about team sports guys holding out for more money, I don't really have a lot of sympathy for the poor billionaire club owners who insist on tax payers building them billion dollar stadiums that THEY get to own, on land they want tax free, threatening to move their club to a new city if they don't get their way, claiming their stadium will stimulate the local economy when to my knowledge no credible study has shown that this is the case... my heart bleeds for them. 5, 10, or 20 million a year is a lot of money to people like us, but when you consider how much money that team generates... how much the team's market value sky rockets when they win... how much more merchandise and tickets they sell when they're doing well... it's a fraction of the money a team generates. I'm especially sensitive to this because of the relatively recent writer's strike in Hollywood. I kept reading about the greedy writers, and I heard analogies where corporate CEO's compared writers to factory workers. When an owner agrees to pay somebody 10 million a year, what does that tell you? | |
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| Dana White holding a major press conference on Friday
Posted: 8/1/2009 3:37:31 PM | | M1 global only has fedor, nothing more so they think they can come in and take half of ufc's business that took years to built?? M1 global can F off and so can Fedor. Dana is doing everything possible to try and give the fans the fights what they want to see. That doesn't mean he's going to give some m1 global half their damn business. What a joke!!! Dana got back feedback from the fans on the rematch between hendo and franklin so what does Dana do?? He pulls that fight and throws in Vitor instead. I personally can't wait to see Vitor fight in the UFC again. The UFC has never been better, not even close, than what it is right now so anyone who complains is pretty much a jackass. When the fighters become bigger than the sport, the sport becomes a joke. | |
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| Dana White holding a major press conference on Friday
Posted: 8/1/2009 6:32:21 PM |
So i guess you want the UFC to become more like the nfl, nba or mlb where the players refuse to go to training camp or hold out when they don't get 20 million instead of 18 million?? The ufc is great how it is because when the fighters have more options, the fans won't get to see what we want and it will all be about the money for them. Dana is doing things right for the fans who want to watch fights. What you want would be good for the fighters and not good for fans.
Actually, boxing would be a better analogy for what you're saying, but whatever. Dana isn't doing anything 'for' the fans. He's doing things for the company which is understandable, since he's running a business. It is all about the money, as it ever has been and ever shall be. The UFC doesn't put on 'fights the fans want to see' in a noble stand against pampered athletes or whatever. They put on fights that they think they can get people to pay for.
Berating Fedor for looking out for himself and not bending the knee to Dana White for 'the fans' is ridiculous on the face of it. Especially for 'fans' who seem to think that fighters shouldn't have more options, and should have their careers be completely at the mercy of promoters.
At the end of the day, Fedor wants to fight in the UFC, and the UFC wants Fedor to fight for them, but at this point neither really needs the other. The UFC wants to protect it's brand, and Fedor wants to help out the company he sees as his retirement plan. They're the same animal, and painting Dana white as a hero who just wants to make people happy and Fedor as a selfish prick is idiotic. They're both businessmen trying to cut the best deal they can. That's it, that's all. | |
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| Dana White holding a major press conference on Friday
Posted: 8/1/2009 11:01:42 PM | | Chadcuba, I think you're being a bit alarmist about this. Peripheral summed it up great. What you're seeing is the first instance of a fighter able and willing to stand up to the UFC and make some demands of his own. Hopefully, it's just the beginning. | |
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| Dana White holding a major press conference on Friday
Posted: 8/2/2009 10:21:24 AM | | Um.......... You guys are fans right??? Well what the hell are you ****ing about as if yo uare a damn fighter or promoter. The UFC has never been better and the last time i checked, i was a fan and getting to see all the best fights is what i care about. You two can keep crying and ****ing for the fighters and promoters who are making millions but i'm done with this thread. | |
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| Dana White holding a major press conference on Friday
Posted: 8/3/2009 9:56:13 PM | Ortiz is still a top 5 ppv buyrate draw if not top 3 behind Lesnar and GSP. Like him or not he is a pioneer of the sport and I for one am glad to have him back. I saw his last fight live and can first hand vouch for his 'pop'
He puts many many asses in the seats and ppl tune in to see him win, lose, or draw.
the BAD BOY is back. | |
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| Dana White holding a major press conference on Friday
Posted: 8/3/2009 11:06:10 PM | Just for the record, Fedor and M1 never asked for half of the UFC. That's just beyond rediculous.
The rumour is that M1 asked for half of the PPV revenue for an event featuring Fedor. This is still a bit insane considering UFC would pay all costs and would need to hire other fights to make it an event.
In my opinion, I think Fedor knows his UFC carreer could be a total of 0-1. He's just trying to get the most money for his first fight, in case he ends up not being the great fighter people are making him out to be, and doesn't get a second fight. | |
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