Fedor should have found a way to fight in the UFC.

[VulcanNervPinch]

Seems the endless Fedor greatness threads could have easily been given greater credibility if Fedor had found a way to fight in the UFC.

Everyone that beat him fought in the UFC.

Should have been easy money with his list of victims.

Would have made a fortune ppv's, merchandise, interviews etc.

Despite all the reasons he did not find a way to fight in the UFC... at some point it would only make the MOST sense to fight in the UFC.

Does anyone else think Fedor should have found some way to fight in the UFC to cement his legacy?

History lesson:

• Fedor was bigger than the UFC HW division
  
• UFC champs Couture, Sylvia, and Arlovski all tried to leave the UFC to test themselves against the best.

Couture wasn't able to for legal reasons.
The two that did?

 

[moreorless87]

In other words the UFC would have paid FEDOR himself(not the M-1 leeches sucking him dryer than his fanboys do) millions upon millions of dollars and given him tremendous earning potential in the years to come just for fighting for the UFC HW title, and imagine if he had won the title too.

In other words Fedor could have been rich and comfortable, retired by his mid 30s if he joined the UFC like every other Pride star did. Not like now getting put into a hospital by cans because he still needs money fighting in his 40s. M-1 sure took care of him.

Actually if anything I suspect that the deal ended up being better for Fedor than it was for M-1 as they never really broke into the US market as they were hoping to.

As far as retiring goes didn't you notice Fedor not fighting for well over 3 years post 2012? I'd imagine a lot of the reason for that would have been that he'd already earnt a massive amount from his M-1 deal compared to ex Pride guys who signed with the UFC who tended to carry on taking beatings into there declining years.

Again a big issue with any UFC contract would likely have been that it wasn't garneted, if Fedor loses then that contract goes up in smoke and the UFC offer him a hell of a lot less just as they did with Werdum post JDS. M-1 was actually the safer deal with a fighter looking for retirement.

 

[Readybodisready]

And for the morons out there, be advised that Werdum and Hendo were in Pride with Fedor, losing to opponents FAR below Fedor's level.

Werdum would have easily submitted him in Pride. Hendo would have KTFO Fedor in Pride. Bigfoot who was just coming up before the end of pride would have beaten him there as well, guy was well over 300lbs with no weight cuts.

Cheers.

 

[Readybodisready]

Actually if anything I suspect that the deal ended up being better for Fedor than it was for M-1 as they never really broke into the US market as they were hoping to.

As far as retiring goes didn't you notice Fedor not fighting for well over 3 years post 2012? I'd imagine a lot of the reason for that would have been that he'd already earnt a massive amount from his M-1 deal compared to ex Pride guys who signed with the UFC who tended to carry on taking beatings into there declining years.

Again a big issue with any UFC contract would likely have been that it wasn't garneted, if Fedor loses then that contract goes up in smoke and the UFC offer him a hell of a lot less just as they did with Werdum post JDS. M-1 was actually the safer deal with a fighter looking for retirement.

No, it shows that M-1 took so much of his money that his retirement funds only lasted 3 years before he was forced to return to fight again. It has now come to a point where he is seriously endangering his health because of the mistakes he made in ducking the UFC.

Fedor's contract was for a number of fights, don't kid yourself. If he showed up and did all the agreements for press, weigh ins, passing drug tests, showing up to fight etc. he(Yes he, not those M-1 leeches who would bathe in his money) would have gotten what he signed for. They wouldn't be legally allowed to "rip up the multi million contract" if he lost to brock for the title. Nonsensical. The lengths you go to to defend him is sad.

 

[Halifax]

Thanks, and I agree with most of what you said but in regards to Fedor he didn't lose to new age talent, or guys who hadn't matured yet when he was in his prime. He lost to older, smaller, and more battle weary guys the instant he left the safe haven of Japan.

Again, that is not true. He fought 3 fights in North America before his first loss, all to top ranked heavyweights at the time.

Pride Folded and Aflliction decided to hand HUGE purses out to attract talent. Fedor fought Sylvia, who less than a year previous was UFC heavyweight champion(And he was still ranked top 6 heavyweight in the world at the time) Its easy to go back and say he was a can by then, but in truth, that was where he started slipping. Not surprisingly in his early 30's). Arlovski was still ranked top 5. And Brett Rogers was 10-0 at the time and ranked top 10. Fedor knocking him out actually shattered his confidence as he never recovered from it, despite looking so promising before. mentality fragile that guy.

He smashed all of them in North America. Did he get caught by Werdum? Yes. Fedor's aura of invincibility ended at age 33 and it was downhill from there. Its a pretty common story. To be fair, Werdum shortly after made Cain Velasquez tap too and Cain is still universally regarded as one of the top HW's in the world.

 

[Shaddows]

I didn't think that Fedor's legacy depended on him fighting in he UFC, it just would put it on a firmer ground. Seemed like easy money.

WTF "firmer ground means" though?
A fucking decade unbeaten is plenty firm!
Beating the likes of Nog and Cro Cop in their primes is plenty firm!

It is also worth mentioning that at the time he was negotiating with the UFC, SF had a way better HW division and UFC had a fucking shallow one. So much so that a fucking pro-wrestler was their champ.

the ONLY Point of your argument is because "the UFC is the UFC".
And that is a terrible argument!

 

[moreorless87]

No, it shows that M-1 took so much of his money that his retirement funds only lasted 3 years before he was forced to return to fight again. It has now come to a point where he is seriously endangering his health because of the mistakes he made in ducking the UFC.

Fedor's contract was for a number of fights, don't kid yourself. If he showed up and did all the agreements for press, weigh ins, passing drug tests, showing up to fight etc. he(Yes he, not those M-1 leeches who would bathe in his money) would have gotten what he signed for. They wouldn't be legally allowed to "rip up the multi million contract" if he lost to brock for the title. Nonsensical. The lengths you go to to defend him is sad.

Sorry you talking nonsense, the UFC can and have ended contracts early, the obvious example being Werdum post JDS who they offered a lower deal to which he refused before being dropped.

Hunt is a well known case they were tied to a deal but that contract was actually one they inherited directly from Pride with the buyout unlike most of the big names who they needed to resign.

 

[777R]

WTF "firmer ground means" though?
A fucking decade unbeaten is plenty firm!
Beating the likes of Nog and Cro Cop in their primes is plenty firm!

It is also worth mentioning that at the time he was negotiating with the UFC, SF had a way better HW division and UFC had a fucking shallow one. So much so that a fucking pro-wrestler was their champ.

the ONLY Point of your argument is because "the UFC is the UFC".
And that is a terrible argument!

Simmer down Champ.

Easy money was there for the taking, we all know that SF, Affliction etc, were fly by night orgs that gained some momentum and spotlight but who is financially well off from those titles?

Pride was a strange animal with no testing and suspect subplots, having the Yakuza orchestrating behind the scenes.
No bueno.

The UFC at least had some degree uniformity. So many suspect moments in Pride.

Many great performances by Fedor in Pride, SF and Affliction...agreed.

Legacy is great and all, but they only take money for eggs and milk at the store. I just think a single fight in the UFC would have benefited all parties involved and Fedor would still be relevant from at least a promotional position.

I like to see fighters get paid after they've thrown that last punch.

 

[AnotherOldGuy]

If Bolt was racing against older guys like Hendo, or if Jordan couldn't score against Bird or Magic you'd have made a good point here.

Bolt lost to Gatlin, who's five years older than him. Jordan was outplayed at the end by several older players, as was Gretzky.

Or look at Roy Jones Jr. When he and Hopkins were in their late 20's, Jones won easily. When they fought again in their forties, Hopkins won easily. Now most people would say that their fight in their 20's was in their primes, so Jones's prime was better - and in fact just about every boxing fan will tell you RJJ was one of the best ever, better than Hopkins. However, on Sherdog people will say 40's Hopkins exposed 40's RJJ, and so it proves that RJJ was always overrated. Just as Gatlin, beating Bolt when both where in their 30's (and Gatlin is five years older), exposed Bolt as being overrated.

The point being, athletes age differently, for a variety of reasons. Look at Shaq in his mid-30's, being outplayed by quite few guys his age. Some guys peak earlier. Anderson lost fights in his 20's, when Fedor was undefeated. He won fights in his mid-30's when Fedor started losing. Both had a good career of ten years, but their top performances started at different ages. And in fact a lot of analysts will say length of career is the magic number. You might be at your top from 22 to 32, or 27 to 37, but its always going to be about ten years. Only folks who do heavy PED's tend to beat that in contact sports. In the case of MMA, most of the wear and tear comes not from the fight themselves, but from training camp (and yes, that's a real problem with the way fighters train - in no other sport do you have so many top athletes hurt in training; any NFL coach who had repeated stars hurt in practice would be looking for a new job).

In any case, there are very few athletes whose performances don't drop off at the end of their careers. Almost every top athlete in every sport does this. With the exception of a few guys who quit while they're young, everyone is exposed. My guess is that the reason MMA fans don't get this is because its a new sport, and for many its the only sport they've ever watched, so they're not used to seeing superstars fad, and hence they think fading with age or injuries means being exposed.

 

[777R]

He had a great career up until recently. The only fight we really lost out on was a Couture match in their primes.
Velasquez and the new guard thereafter are really big athletic cross trained dudes. It would have probly been a lot of ugly losses for a declining fedor.

I would have loved to see Fedor vs Rampage in the cage.

 

[Munnings242]

Overeem is kinda the worst fraud in MMA dude.

He has great skills but when u think about it no chin and he took roids for a long time shit he deserves nothing lol now I see y mark hunt gets frustrated that is straight up cheating

 

[Munnings242]

Bolt lost to Gatlin, who's five years older than him. Jordan was outplayed at the end by several older players, as was Gretzky.

Or look at Roy Jones Jr. When he and Hopkins were in their late 20's, Jones won easily. When they fought again in their forties, Hopkins won easily. Now most people would say that their fight in their 20's was in their primes, so Jones's prime was better - and in fact just about every boxing fan will tell you RJJ was one of the best ever, better than Hopkins. However, on Sherdog people will say 40's Hopkins exposed 40's RJJ, and so it proves that RJJ was always overrated. Just as Gatlin, beating Bolt when both where in their 30's (and Gatlin is five years older), exposed Bolt as being overrated.

The point being, athletes age differently, for a variety of reasons. Look at Shaq in his mid-30's, being outplayed by quite few guys his age. Some guys peak earlier. Anderson lost fights in his 20's, when Fedor was undefeated. He won fights in his mid-30's when Fedor started losing. Both had a good career of ten years, but their top performances started at different ages. And in fact a lot of analysts will say length of career is the magic number. You might be at your top from 22 to 32, or 27 to 37, but its always going to be about ten years. Only folks who do heavy PED's tend to beat that in contact sports. In the case of MMA, most of the wear and tear comes not from the fight themselves, but from training camp (and yes, that's a real problem with the way fighters train - in no other sport do you have so many top athletes hurt in training; any NFL coach who had repeated stars hurt in practice would be looking for a new job).

In any case, there are very few athletes whose performances don't drop off at the end of their careers. Almost every top athlete in every sport does this. With the exception of a few guys who quit while they're young, everyone is exposed. My guess is that the reason MMA fans don't get this is because its a new sport, and for many its the only sport they've ever watched, so they're not used to seeing superstars fad, and hence they think fading with age or injuries means being exposed.

I think usada took over track and field also look at the times nowadays u got bolt faking an injury and shit lol

 

[ClckwrkOra]

Seems the endless Fedor greatness threads could have easily been given greater credibility if Fedor had found a way to fight in the UFC.

Everyone that beat him fought in the UFC.

Should have been easy money with his list of victims.

Would have made a fortune ppv's, merchandise, interviews etc.

Despite all the reasons he did not find a way to fight in the UFC... at some point it would only make the MOST sense to fight in the UFC.

Does anyone else think Fedor should have found some way to fight in the UFC to cement his legacy?

The promotion Fedor was part of insisted upon co-promoting cards with the UFC.

That was the deal-breaker, because it would have meant less money for the UFC.

 

[777R]

I think usada took over track and field also look at the times nowadays u got bolt faking an injury and shit lol

I didn't see it, is he being accused of faking it?

 

[lukeuidswords]

coulda shoulda woulda.

he didn't. can we move on now?

 

[777R]

The promotion Fedor was part of insisted upon co-promoting cards with the UFC.

That was the deal-breaker, because it would have meant less money for the UFC.

Yeah, so bummed it turned out that way. If he was even a shadow of his former self, he would have been the ultimate big draw gatekeeper. Guaranteed global audience.

 

[Taric]

When PRIDE collapsed in 2006 the UFC HW champions from 2005-2008 were Arlovski, Sylvia, Couture, and Nogueira.
3 of those fighters he fought. 1 of them he attempted to fight.
Fedor also attempted to fight Barnett in that time frame.

Fedor was fighting, or in 2 of those cases attempted to fight, all the top HW fighters in that time period.
A year later he lost to Werdum.

 

[ClckwrkOra]

Yeah, so bummed it turned out that way. If he was even a shadow of his former self, he would have been the ultimate big draw gatekeeper. Guaranteed global audience.

Fedor vs. Lesnar would have made beaucoup bucks.

 

[Readybodisready]

Sorry you talking nonsense, the UFC can and have ended contracts early

If the fighters breach the agreements in some way or another. Otherwise you're lying like a typical M-1 shill.

Werdum had a bunch of issues with the UFC. He was being a diva about getting a titleshot, in this case I was on his side because he got passed up for Brock Lesnar against Couture. He was due for a TS after JDS but he came in out of shape and got KTFO.

Let me give you real examples not taken out of context. Alistair Overeem was signed and got a huge deal with the UFC. Shortly after he fails a drug test, gets suspended and then he goes 1-3 in his next 4 fights with those losses being very brutal and image shattering. Did the UFC screw him over? No, they continued to give him the big pay days he signed for because Overeem aside from the drug test plays the game.

Hector Lombard. Comes in from Bellar with a big money contract, goes 1-2 in his first 3 fights in the UFC. Still gets paid the same. Fails drug test, comes back on a 3 fight losing streak with some brutal losses and is pushing age 40. Still gets paid what he's owed by the UFC.

So you're out of bounds. Fedor could have made millions and retired healthy. He chose not to to make the biggest mistake of his life.

 

[Pied Piper]

he was a making a mill a fight in affliction