So why didn't Fedor sign with the UFC back in 2009?

I don't buy "UFC don't treat fighters as people" I also don't think he was afraid of UFC fighters

 

The best HWs were in strikeforce and they offered him a better deal. This really had to be explained to you?

 

Strikeforce offered more money.

Strikeforce HW division was the best at that time.

So more money + chance to fight the best guys.

 

Wasn't Dana saying that Fedor's manager was wanting a percentage of the UFC or something like that

 

No they wanted to co-promote cards with Fedor in them. Basically on the posters and in the ring/intro it would say M1 Global/UFC instead of just UFC.

 

A lot of it had to do with those shady Kremlin bastards at M1 Global like Vadim Finkelstein(?) only wanting to do business as co-promotion with M1 and whomever signed Fedor. Rightfully so, UFC wouldn't budge and Strikeforce agreed to cross promote and sign him.

Dana said signing Fedor was his 'obsession' but after that three-fight skid he basically just shat on the dude at every opportunity until now, although apparently Fedor was close to signing in 2012 for a Brock fight but Fedor's dad died and Brock then signed to WWE

 

Vadim. There is no other answer.

M-1 wanted to co-promote UFC events, wanted UFC to run shows in the middle of nowhere in Russia, wanted UFC to sign a bunch of Fedor's teammates and wanted UFC to build training facilities all over Russia.

In business this is called negotiating in bad faith. Vadim didn't actually want a deal to be done so by asking for the moon, the UFC brass would have to say no and then they look like they're turning down an offer.

Whether Dana really offered Fedor an amount of money that was way out of whack with what Fedor was actually worth may or may not have happened but it's really irrelevant. Dana could have offered $20 million per fight and Vadim would have still said no.

The sad thing is that fanboys and 16 year old businessmen on internet forums can't recognize what happened in this negotiation.

One of the biggest shames in the post-PRIDE era of MMA if not the absolute biggest is that someone who could have been the signature fighter of the era had a management team led by numbskulls so he never reached a mainstream audience.

 

Don't trust what Dana says. Fedor was asked point blank about Dana's claims (like building a stadium) and Fedor (who is actually honest) denied that it was true. He even laughed at the notion

 

Also they didn't want to take on any of the cost and risk for putting the on event. They figured Fedor would be enough for them to contribute.

 

Because his management team fucked it up....royally.

 

UFC wouldn't co-promote with M-1 Global and Strikeforce would so he signed with them.

 

The deal was obviously better with Strikeforce.
Money talks.

 

Finally a good post.

 

This is the truth. There is no way the UFC compromises their entire brand for one fighter by giving him co-promotional aspects along with all the other crazy stuff M1 wanted.

The UFC "won", they ended up buying Strikeforce and is the only big time MMA outfit in town any more (Bellator and WSOF are fun, but nowhere near UFC-level), and Fedor still never fought in the UFC. He isn't as controlled by M1 any more, so maybe there is a chance he signs with the UFC but I am not holding my breath.

 

I think the biggest thing from fedors point of view was dana was not respectful. Like fedor says, money isn't everything and dana should learn to respect fighters.

 

3 main reasons from what I heard, 1. he doesn't like being treated poorly, money doesn't seem to make up for being treated poorly to Fedor. 2. Strikeforce was co-promoting with M-1 which Fedor is a part owner of. 3. Strikeforce had the better HW division anyway.

 

Two of the Strikeforce tournament HW's are now the HW and LHW champ in UFC... soooooo yeah... thats why.

Strikeforce was doing its job so well, Zuffa had to buy them out. UFC must have been quite intimidated by the competition.

 

He was doing well up until that point,The HW division was fractured in different orgs since pride's collapse and he had done well and made alot of money outside of the UFC. He didnt get to fight Barnett and couture but he got arlo and sylvia and if he had continued to win in strikeforce,he would have either raised the level of strikeforces legitimacy and held onto his #1 spot,and remained there,or force the UFC to concede everytjhing he wanted to sign him. It didnt work out,but I can see what they were trying to do. I dont buy that he was afraid to fight JDS,Cain,and Lesnar over Overeem,Werdum,and Bigfoot. JDS and Cain still had plenty to prove in 2009. Plus the contract he had with strikeforce game him alot more freedom,which he was accustomed to in his previous dealings.