In my last blog, I came to the defence of Emelianenko and the criticism he’s taken for seemingly dodging the bouts against top competition. I suggested he shouldn’t be forced to take a UFC offer, just because it’s from the UFC, if it’s not in his best interest.
Basically, if a deal is going to get done, I felt the UFC needed to step up and if that meant making some concessions, so be it.
Well if we’re to believe what the UFC has offered now is true, they’ve done their part, and put the ball squarely in Fedor’s court.
And he has dropped it.
We don’t know exactly how lucrative the deal was (it probably wasn't as much as the reported $5 million per). But we know it was a substantial. And we know it included the following:
- A cut of PPV revenue, which would very likely be significant
- An immediate title shot against Brock Lesnar
- The freedom to do the Sambo competitions he likes (White said he could do that every Thursday night if he wished!)
- The ability to promote M-1 with logos inside the Octagon
Of course, that wasn’t enough for Fedor’s camp. They want co-promotion, and it appears they won’t budge.
Some think that this is just a smokescreen for the fact that he doesn’t actually want to face the best and risk tarnishing his practically undefeated record (his only career loss is from a cut). I don’t believe that. I think he has enough pride to want to prove that he really is the best.
And after all, if he loses in his UFC debut, he’s got some built-in excuses.:
- He’s never fought in the Octagon before
- He’s not used to the different UFC rules (elbows allowed, etc)
- He hasn’t fought a lot in the past couple of years
- He hasn’t faced a true challenge in a while
Not that I’m saying I think he would come out with those excuses. But he should know that his fans -- and the media -- would be prepared to concede those things should he lose. His reputation would take a small hit. But he could easily restore it with another long winning streak.
But he should be truly cognizant of what the benefit is if he wins in his UFC debut, against Lesnar. Then the plethora of criticism ends. And that can only be good for his pride.
However, the worst-case scenario -- for him, his pride, his fans, and the MMA community as a whole -- is if he and his management continue to hold out. Not only will the criticism not end, but it will only get louder.
So what is really stopping him and his camp?
I believe it’s a different kind of pride. The kind that says he should get special treatment. That he should get any demands he wants. That he should be able to do what nobody else can.
That’s ridiculous, of course. As big an attraction as he would be – and he would be despite as much as Dana White might downplay it – how can they honestly expect the UFC to totally change the way they do business?
It’s not a pride thing from the UFC’s standpoint. White gave two very legitimate reasons why co-promotion is completely a non-starter:
1. The UFC brass – the Fertittas, White, Joe Silva, Marc Ratner, etc – have done all the nitty gritty to build the organization into what it is right now. It makes absolutely no sense to co-promote. Sure, M-1 can argue it has done plenty to build Fedor into the apparent superstar he is. And they can advertise that to their hearts' content with sponsorship galore. But that’s where the logic ends.
2. The Fertittas have a gaming licence, issued by the state of Nevada, and that is not something that is issued lightly. If they are going to get involved with another party on a promotional basis, they need to take as much care in joining partners with them as with how they initially obtained their licence. And it’s just not realistic to partner up.
So Fedor and your management: it’s totally up to you. Where is the harm in giving the UFC a go? Accept a two-fight deal, three-fight deal, whatever. If after fulfilling it you feel like it doesn’t suit you, move on.
I said before that there may be better offers from your perspective. But it appears the UFC made a great one. You and your management have every right to take a different one. But you also accept the consequences.
And the continued criticism.
