Dana White restates disdain for other promotions

[UJustGotChaeld]

Love how all the Zuffa zombies coming out of the woodwork and calling Bellator "shady" lol.

They have a contract that allows them to match offers made by competing orgs such as the UFC. If a Bellator fighter such as Alvarez gets a big offer from the UFC and Bellator cannot offer the same, then the fighter can go to the UFC.

Makes perfect sense and is very reasonable. This enables fighters to get the highest bidders, putting more bargaining leverage onto the hands of the athletes - something that the UFC is against.

So once again, lol@the Zuffa nuthuggers calling this "shady".

Way to try to twist this into something that is pro-fighter. Fact is Eddie is getting screwed. He was promised that he could leave without a hassle, and then Bellator went back on their word and is now trying to force him to stay. This is not in Eddie's best interest, it is not what he wants. The UFC is not against the clause, they are against the way this was handled by Bellator. They should have told him up front they were going to try to keep him.

 

[Mavant]

Way to try to twist this into something that is pro-fighter. Fact is Eddie is getting screwed. He was promised that he could leave without a hassle, and then Bellator went back on their word and is now trying to force him to stay. This is not in Eddie's best interest, it is not what he wants. The UFC is not against the clause, they are against the way this was handled by Bellator. They should have told him up front they were going to try to keep him.

They did tell him up front...IN WRITING. It's called a contract.

 

[boomertx]

Way to try to twist this into something that is pro-fighter. Fact is Eddie is getting screwed. He was promised that he could leave without a hassle, and then Bellator went back on their word and is now trying to force him to stay. This is not in Eddie's best interest, it is not what he wants. The UFC is not against the clause, they are against the way this was handled by Bellator. They should have told him up front they were going to try to keep him.

See Post 51

 

[XRaided]

if i were bellator i wouldnt want to piss off the ufc. i would want a working relationship.

bellator already pissed off zuffa the day they signed to "S-puke" TV.

 

[sloboda]

Yet he wouldnt release Randy, to let him fight Fedor...

exactly this. zuffa pulls this same exact shit. dana's just pissed when someone does it to him.

 

[CardinalAqua]

He deleted it..?

thread starter lied
everything in that first post is made up

 

[ben236]

Yet he wouldnt release Randy, to let him fight Fedor...

Randy was clearly in the wrong on that one. He signed the contract, received a signing bonus for said contract, got an instant title shot, publicly claimed he was getting paid an amount that was nowhere close to how much he was actually getting paid, the UFC was trying to have a fight set up between him and Big Nog who he ducked and tried to leave the UFC as the champ with 2 fights still left in order to try to fight Fedor in a blatant breach of contract.

Definitely not the same thing.

 

[sverre054]

The only fighter I can think of, that has wanted out of his UFC contract to go elsewhere is Rampage. Rampage though has said, the UFC has treated him pretty well, and pays him a lot of money. He wants out due to him being crazy and thinking he can get equal money elsewhere, they disrespected him cause he missed weight, he's hurt but still fights, and that they make him fight wrestlers. A bunch of insane things. Rampage went to the media saying he wanted out, but then quickly said he wanted to fulfill his contract, since the UFC has always honored their side.

But It seems like if someone really wants out of the UFC, they will release them. Bad PR otherwise, and there is always someone else to take there place. Fighters are clamoring to come to the UFC. Doesn't seem that way with other organizations. Seems like they promise the world, to get you in, then try everything they can to make your life hell if you want to leave. Which I don't blame them, it's the fighters that sign the shady contracts, and Bellator doesn't want to lose all it's top fighters. Vindictive yes, and will probably hurt them in the long run. The more I hear about Bellator's business, the more I dislike them.

 

[Natman2939]

contract "matching rights" should be illegal. Seriously.

It makes a thousand times more sense to have a "bidding war"

at the very least, both companies make their offers and whatever it is, the FIGHTER CHOOSES

The idea of matching rights is that if company A can match company B's offer in a financial sense... the fighter HAS to sign with them, or else sit out....

That's bullshit. I don't even know how it's legal in a free market

 

[Natman2939]

Love how all the Zuffa zombies coming out of the woodwork and calling Bellator "shady" lol.

They have a contract that allows them to match offers made by competing orgs such as the UFC. If a Bellator fighter such as Alvarez gets a big offer from the UFC and Bellator cannot offer the same, then the fighter can go to the UFC.

Makes perfect sense and is very reasonable. This enables fighters to get the highest bidders, putting more bargaining leverage onto the hands of the athletes - something that the UFC is against.

So once again, lol@the Zuffa nuthuggers calling this "shady".

There is NOTHING reasonable about the fighter NOT GETTING TO CHOOSE.

That's the main issue. Even if bellator can match, HECK even if Bellator offers TWICE as much money, a fighter should have the right to CHOOSE.

The shadyness of this is that as long as bellator matches, Eddie has no right to choose the UFC. He is legally bound to stay with bellator

 

[Dempsey Roll]

contract "matching rights" should be illegal. Seriously.

It makes a thousand times more sense to have a "bidding war"

at the very least, both companies make their offers and whatever it is, the FIGHTER CHOOSES

The idea of matching rights is that if company A can match company B's offer in a financial sense... the fighter HAS to sign with them, or else sit out....

That's bullshit. I don't even know how it's legal in a free market

It's like in the nba restricted free agents, if you're gonna invest/promote a fighter (or draft/develop a rookie), of course it makes sense to be able to match an offer...

The ufc is using the exact same clauses, that's the funny thing about it.

Good for Bellator, showing Dana what's up.

 

[Dempsey Roll]

If you want to sign a contract with any restriction, then no one is gonna let you fight for their belt or fight their posterboy, get exposure and then leave, that's why a Fedor fight in the ufc was never possible.

 

[Natman2939]

Eddie can't just get up and go because Eddie signed a piece of paper, all too willingly I bet, back in 2008 and now he has to abide by it as it's a legal agreement. He wanted the shot and he signed the contract. Earlier this week Eddie said "It's not up to me..." Well, there you have it Eddie, and that's why you're sitting where you're at now, because someone else put you there and you let them

the reason this argument is bullshit is because when a fighter is at a completely different stage of his career, up and coming, and he's young, he sees things differently and the company knows that.

He was probably thrilled just to get to fight anywhere for decent money and it's not like he had much other choice had he turned it down, so if they had put "we'll own your first born child" somewhere in the fine print, he and most other young fighters probably would sign it.

It's messed up to have even put that in the contract to start with; and it's taking advantage of people who are not wise enough to know it; and by the time they are, it's too late

 

[Natman2939]

It's like in the nba restricted free agents, if you're gonna invest/promote a fighter (or draft/develop a rookie), of course it makes sense to be able to match an offer...

The ufc is using the exact same clauses, that's the funny thing about it.

Good for Bellator, showing Dana what's up.

except it's a completely different situation with the NBA and MMA.

no matter what team you're playing for, at least you're still in the NBA, the premiere league of basketball.

but in MMA, if you're not in the UFC, you're in the b-leagues. What if you have dreams beyond making money? what if you want to be the #1 fighter in the world? Eddie can never do that in bellator. Everyone knows that.

A better comparison would be like... if whatever job you started when you were young.. let's say working at mcdonalds, were allowed to give matching rights, if you got offers to work anywhere else, including your dream job (let's say... professional playboy centerfold sex tester---cause the world wants to make sure playboy centerfolds are great at sex)

 

[phisei]

Sorta off topic but does anyone know what happened with Tyson Nam's situation? I remember he had the UFC's attention but Bellator pulled up something bout a contract and then all of a sudden Nam's with WSOF.

 

[Dempsey Roll]

the reason this argument is bullshit is because when a fighter is at a completely different stage of his career, up and coming, and he's young, he sees things differently and the company knows that.

He was probably thrilled just to get to fight anywhere for decent money and it's not like he had much other choice had he turned it down, so if they had put "we'll own your first born child" somewhere in the fine print, he and most other young fighters probably would sign it.

It's messed up to have even put that in the contract to start with; and it's taking advantage of people who are not wise enough to know it; and by the time they are, it's too late

Hilarious tbh. Poor guy will get the same money in both cases, let's :icon_cry2 for the poor thing.

 

[MMA Goodfella]

Dana White talks a lot of shit about boxing not making the best fights and promoters working together, yet he would never even entertain the idea of working with another promoter.

I know the circumstances are different in MMA and that business models are far different then boxing, but still. If you want Alvarez in the UFC, offer Bellator some money and match him up against someone. Give Bellator some ad space and call them a co-promoter on fight night.Alvarez would still be Bellator fighter, but you could still get him on a UFC card.

Let me just remind everyone why Dana/UFC refuse to co-promote; back when Chuck was on his way to super-stardom DW co-promoted w/ PRIDE and sent Chuck to Japan to fight Reem & Rampage. In return PRIDE was going to send over Wandy to fight Chuck. Well, DW set up a staredown between Chuck and Wand but PRIDE just used it as advertizing. So, SEG fucked DW and the UFC now refuse to co-promote.

 

[Natman2939]

Hilarious tbh. Poor guy will get the same money in both cases, let's :icon_cry2 for the poor thing.

this is sports we're talking about. There's more than money at stake.

Maybe he wants to be champion? and I mean THE champion... not the bellator champion

 

[Alexandergreat3]

Way to try to twist this into something that is pro-fighter. Fact is Eddie is getting screwed. He was promised that he could leave without a hassle, and then Bellator went back on their word and is now trying to force him to stay.

So Bellator increasing their bids to match the UFC's offer a "hassle"??

They (Bellator) are willing to increase the money offered to Alverez to match whatever the UFC is offering him. How is this "forcing"?!?

You're the person who is twisting the truth of this situation.

This is not in Eddie's best interest, it is not what he wants. The UFC is not against the clause, they are against the way this was handled by Bellator.

Please... LOL! The UFC is the last org who should be talking about "fair" business practice, when their contracts have shown in the pass that they're all about anything but fair. If you want to get into the details, I'll be more than happy to provide them to you.

What the UFC is truly against is getting into a bidding war for Alvarez.

Why? Because this shifts the bargaining power AWAY from them (the UFC) and puts it into the hands of the fighters.

 

[Alexandergreat3]

There is NOTHING reasonable about the fighter NOT GETTING TO CHOOSE.

That's the main issue. Even if bellator can match, HECK even if Bellator offers TWICE as much money, a fighter should have the right to CHOOSE.

The shadyness of this is that as long as bellator matches, Eddie has no right to choose the UFC. He is legally bound to stay with bellator

There is no "choose" when it comes to the UFC contracts, so please tell me which one is more fair...