Why Didn’t Fedor Join The UFC?

[Dimbis]

This question can be easily answered with a google search, but I came here instead for the complete and correct answer.

If I know something, it’s that a sherdogger can never be 2 things: Wrong, Short, Skinny, or caught on a derailed hypetrain.

 

[Kowboy On Sherdog]

Fedor wanted UFC to co-promote with M1... Dana wasn't having it.

 

[fedorthegoat777]

Fedor would not bow to Dana's demands and be his bitch.

This was his greatest accomplishment.

 

[KungFuCow]

Co-promotion - End of thread

 

[HHJ]

lol at this guy trying to flex hard on a forum as fucked up as this one is right now.

Good timing, doofus.

 

[Michael Wetzel]

I heard the Russian mafia might have been involved. If Fedor did anything without M-1's permission he might disappear.

 

[mmacrisis]

Fedor couldn't join the UFC because he was afraid of Tim Sylvia.... you know its true

 

[Ares Black]

Personality conflict/power struggle

 

[Only Here for Attachments]

Fedor didn't want to submit to Dana, which hurt the latter's feelings.

 

[Mittens]

Power, money, respect. In that order, and the #1 was impossibility for Dana even if they had come to terms on the other two.

 

[Cowboy Kurt Angle]

I’m pretty sure it was because M-1 wanted to co promote with UFC and UFC said fuck no

 

[moreorless87]

Fedor wanted UFC to co-promote with M1... Dana wasn't having it.

Really I feel like the key point were Fedor could have joined the UFC was in 2007 just post Pride not in 2009 post Affliction, by that point he was signed up with M-1 on a long term deal and Dana/The UFC was never likely to agree to work with someone under those conditions.

I suspect the big reason why he didnt sign in 2007 was that whilst the UFC were offering "ok" money to ex Pride guys back then it wasnt really that big relative to their status and Fedor or Vadim realised they were actually being lowballed, that were were actually other options. M-1 offered Fedor a much bigger deal which was garneted for years with the view to farming him out to other promoters, basically his retirement contract and the UFC didnt want to match it because it would potentially mean offering more to other fighters so they lost him.

 

[CC27]

cause UFC didnt want to give M1 and Vadummy co promo and all the shit they wanted. They knew they had a golden goose and treated him like a boxer in a way, you want him it comes with M1 and we want a seat at the table rather than juts be a fighter who gets a purse. And they got it from Affliction and SF and Bellator, shit the UFC was never gonna give in to.

Who knows what Fedor got paid from Affliction, SF to fight Werdum or Bellator fights but say UFC came in with a big offer. We know UFC's pay scale but say in 2008 they offered him something like they pay Jones, say it was 10 mill. Would Fedor have even been able to say yes to it or were they gonna always stick to their guns and not let Fedor sign unless M1 got what they wanted.

 

[Natural Order]

M-1 were cans, Dana was a fuckhead.

Problems ensued.

 

[tonil]

this playstation nintendo gaming looking forum doesnt deserve a topic like this

 

[World eater]

People will say it was because of M1, but in reality it was because of Rocky IV.

 

[snugglecakes]

remember when fedor fought somewhere that he didnt leave in a bankrupt heaping pile of rubble?

... neither do I

 

[fzoid4454]

This question can be easily answered with a google search, but I came here instead for the complete and correct answer.

If I know something, it’s that a sherdogger can never be 2 things: Wrong, Short, Skinny, or caught on a derailed hypetrain.

Because Fedor was the biggest thing in MMA at his peak. The UFC's model, then, even more than it is now, was to not pay fighters jack shit. Fedor made a ton more money NOT fighting in the UFC. Fedor, smartly, wanted co-promotion rights to his fights. Dana didn't want to do that, and he didn't want to pay the guy market value, either.

All Dana claims about the huge money he offered are unverifiable, self-serving and complete bullshit. He's played that tired old recording enough times, then, before and since for everyone to know it.

 

[fzoid4454]

cause UFC didnt want to give M1 and Vadummy co promo and all the shit they wanted. They knew they had a golden goose and treated him like a boxer in a way, you want him it comes with M1 and we want a seat at the table rather than juts be a fighter who gets a purse. And they got it from Affliction and SF and Bellator, shit the UFC was never gonna give in to.

Who knows what Fedor got paid from Affliction, SF to fight Werdum or Bellator fights but say UFC came in with a big offer. We know UFC's pay scale but say in 2008 they offered him something like they pay Jones, say it was 10 mill. Would Fedor have even been able to say yes to it or were they gonna always stick to their guns and not let Fedor sign unless M1 got what they wanted.

Would Fedor have been able to say yes? Sure.

I mean, if we're inventing pure fictional scenarios, like the UFC offering real super-star money, we can pretty much invent any answer we want to that, right?

 

[djacobox372]

Lesnar was more marketable than some chubby russian dude who didn't speak English.

Also, Dana didn't trust Russian fighters back then to uphold their contracts.... evident by the complete lack of Russian fighters back then in the UFC.