Fedor and M1 weren't wrong for wanting co-promotion with UFC

[Bobby Boulders]

The standard had already been set by the time they were negotiating with the UFC. As soon as Fedor left PRIDE, M1 Global was slapped across any card in which Fedor was taking part. From a business standpoint, which was the only standpoint in that situation, M1 wasn't going to take a step backwards from the standard that had already been set. They'd co-promoted with Bodog, Affliction, and Strikeforce, and those Strikeforce cards were on CBS. They'd have been literal morons for taking the deal Dana offered if it didn't include co-promotion

 

[gspieler]

He would have beaten Randy, but Brock bumrushing him with a 60 lb weight advantage would not have gone well.

Even in '09/'10, Fedor probably takes 2/3. Brock would've had issues with Fedor's pressure, speed, and power. Would've been very dangerous from the bottom, too, against a wrestling-centric fighter like Brock.

 

[skylolow]

The standard had already been set by the time they were negotiating with the UFC. As soon as Fedor left PRIDE, M1 Global was slapped across any card in which Fedor was taking part. From a business standpoint, which was the only standpoint in that situation, M1 wasn't going to take a step backwards from the standard that had already been set. They'd co-promoted with Bodog, Affliction, and Strikeforce, and those Strikeforce cards were on CBS. They'd have been literal morons for taking the deal Dana offered if it didn't include co-promotion

I think it depends on if you look at as Fink representing Fedor the fighter or Fedor/M-1/Fink's best interest.

Also not all negotiations are the same. It is a lot easier in all walks of life to do more even beneficial compromises when your all on fairly even playing field to begin with. Trying to get your product into a few locally owned stores is completely different negotiation than talking to Walmart. Walmart like the UFC doesn't give two shits about your previous negotiations and if you want to be in Walmart you will have to cave some on your demands. Some products do just fine never being offered in a Walmart type store. Just like Fedor did just fine never being in the UFC.


In the end I think Fedor did just fine for himself. None of us know all the inner workings as to what Fedor might of made in a 7 year or whatever year run in the UFC compared to what he did. But I'm not sure Fedor cleaned house like many like to think. The dude fought well into 40's and rumors never seem to stop with him possibly even doing something in the near future.

 

[Kwic]

Fedor never fighting in the UFC is all on Dana... even though he'll say otherwise.

Word on the street is that when Dana was leaving Fedor grabbed his collar and said it ain't over yet and demanded more pay. He might have put hands on his chest as well, this is unverified still, but Dana said it's true.

 

[VinceArch]

Word on the street is that when Dana was leaving Fedor grabbed his collar and said it ain't over yet and demanded more pay. He might have put hands on his chest as well, this is unverified still, but Dana said it's true.

Well if Dana said it...

 

[Mammothman]

UFC were 100% right in thise one, looked bow it ended for Strikeforce and Fedor.

You can thank VeDummy for that.

 

[Trabaho]

Where is M1 now where is the UFC
They wanted 1 fighter. They didn't want to build a competitor up.

Makes 0.0 sense to co promote

 

[MMACro]

And ended up on the bottom both times he tried to take HMC down. If HMC had even remotely competent grappling, Fedor would have been in serious trouble there too.

Fedor was all bruised up from like 5 short punches Choi landed
Brock would have pulvierized him

 

[HereticBD]

Of course it made sense for M1. Did it make sense for the UFC? No.

 

[TheNinja]

It's just one of those cases where neither side was desperate enough to give in to the other side. Sometimes that happens in life and in business. They both have some fault in the matter but that's fine. They just couldn't come to an agreement. The real people who lost are us fans. Dana, Fedor, and UFC all moved along and will survive just fine.

 

[snugglecakes]

they were not wrong for wanting it. Why wouldn't you wanna attach yourself to the leader and leech the benefits?

They were wrong for thinking they deserve it, considering they are the jobber leagues that bring nothing to the table.

 

[dipstickjimmy]

I keep hearing the narrative for years about how Fedor and M1 wanted too much from the UFC and the offer he received was a good one there's a lot wrong with that and I think people's bias for UFC plays a huge factor. First off M1 was the largest mma promotion in Russia that spawned many fighters over the years so they shouldn't just be dismissed as an annoyance along side UFC when it comes to negotiations, Fedor was arguably their greatest product ever and at the time was the number 1 in the world, it's crazy that Dana just though he could throw out a dollar figure and that would just be fine and dandy for M1 to just give up the greatest fighter who ever lived so UFC could just enrich themselves off of him and then when they're done just spit him out like they always did.


It's makes perfect sense for M1/Fedor to want to at least co-promote the events that he and his stable mates were featured in I think that is what any smart business man would do and find it ridiculous that people at the time and to this day think that it was crazy for them to ask to have some of their fighters signed and co-promotion after all UFC was looking to make as much as they can off of Fedor's name, M1 and Fedor's teammates should have benefitted as well in the negotiations and the co-promotions the way I remember it was just for certain events and not a long term thing where M1 owned part of UFC either way it made sense giving that the number 1 fighter in the world was in Russia at the time and was being represented by M1 the biggest promotion in Russia so why would M1 just allow that while not benefitting also Fedor's career would be under strict contract from Dana and UFC. It all came down to Dana wanted full control and all the benefits of having the number 1 fighter at the time while the other side got nothing except a few million dollars which they could have gotten elsewhere so I think the narrative is a crock of shit a and people are bias for the UFC also Fedor and his team made the right move not going there at the time.

As much as you want to believe this and maybe from Fedor/M1's perspective, it could be true, the UFC was 100% correct in not biting.

Fedor has bankrupt many Org's. Where has he fought? Rings, that is gone. Pride is gone. Affliction is gone. Strikeforce is gone. Bodog fights is gone. Hell even M1 is now officially a Farm League for the UFC.

 

[HavokHarmon]

Made perfect sense for Fedor/M1 to want to co promote. Made zero sense for the UFC to.

 

[jeskola]

As much as you want to believe this and maybe from Fedor/M1's perspective, it could be true, the UFC was 100% correct in not biting.

Fedor has bankrupt many Org's. Where has he fought? Rings, that is gone. Pride is gone. Affliction is gone. Strikeforce is gone. Bodog fights is gone. Hell even M1 is now officially a Farm League for the UFC.

Its definitely Fedor's fault, he drained all those orgs of all their cash for his extravagant paychecks. Look at the guy now, he is living like a king, wearing expensive designer clothing and hanging out with rich people. He definitely is not wearing a plain white T and blue jeans and hanging out at the circus.

 

[jeff7b9]

Fedor didn't need the UFC and the UFC didn't need Fedor.

 

[HHJ]

M1/UFC with Fedor at the helm would have been glorious.

 

[linvillegorge]

Sucks that Fedor never fought in the UFC but I can't really fault either party here. Can't blame the UFC for not agreeing to copromotion and can't blame the Fedor camp for taking better deals for them elsewhere. Just is what it is.

 

[dipstickjimmy]

Its definitely Fedor's fault, he drained all those orgs of all their cash for his extravagant paychecks. Look at the guy now, he is living like a king, wearing expensive designer clothing and hanging out with rich people. He definitely is not wearing a plain white T and blue jeans and hanging out at the circus.

WTF are you on about? Wearing a white T shirt and jeans means you don't make money? How he spends doesn't affect how he earns. Its also not Fedor's "Fault" if Orgs want to throw all their money at Fedor he is 100% in the right to take it. It simply isn't a case where the UFC are "Wrong" for not wanting to give him all their cash and take the equity they built in the brand name "UFC" and chop off a piece of that equity and give it to M1.

Fighters are always going to be about the short term what can I get now. Orgs that are successful have to be about the long term stability of the Org. Its not that hard to understand. That's why the fighters will always be underpaid until someone successfully organizes them into a better negotiating position.

 

[m249viking]

M1 offered nothing outside of Fedor. You don’t sell the farm for 1 cow, not even the best cow.

 

[Ghostoftheville]

I'm all for giving UFC crap over their business tactics, but what did M1 bring to the table?
What did Pride, Affliction, Strikeforce and Bellator do business wise before signing Fedor? How did they do they after signing Fedor in cards with and without him?
We're not talking about the type of viewership increase that GSP, Ronda, Lesnar and Conor had, any they weren't co-promoting.