THE CANADIAN PRESS
Proving that mixed martial arts is one topsy-turvy world, UFC president Dana White has kissed and made up with longtime nemesis Tito Ortiz while striking out with Russian heavyweight star Fedor Emelianenko.
With the demise of rival promoter Affliction, the UFC saw an opportunity to woo Emelianenko, a former Pride champion considered one of the iconic figures of MMA. But a frustrated White said the Russian fighter’s camp’s insistence on co-promotion was a deal-breaker.
White said he was even willing to allow Emelianenko to take part in Sambo tournaments, meeting the fighter’s request to compete in the Russian martial art — a loosening of the UFC’s usual tight exclusivity. He was not willing to give Emelianenko a piece of his promotion, however.
"He got offered an assload of money," White said on a conference call Friday, throwing in an F-bomb for good measure. "A ton of money, everything he wanted. He could fight in Sambo every Thursday night if he wants to. He could do everything he wanted to do. And we showed them nothing but respect and tried to bring them in because the fans wants to see this fight … I put my money where my mouth was, laid everything out, tried to make this thing happen and they’re coming up with unrealistic shit.
"This guy doesn’t want to fight the best in the world. I don’t even want to talk about him."
White called turning down the UFC deal "insanity" but said he will resume talks if the Emelianenko camp changes its stance.
"If he wants to call and make a deal, I’m in, I’m ready," he said.
Co-promotion will have to be off the table, however.
"We built this entire frigging industry, how are they go to come in and help us co-promote?" White said. "It’s basically them coming in and saying ‘Hey, we’ve got this guy and some people say he might be the best heavyweight in the world, so for that we want half your business.’
"Yeah. OK. That shit probably works in Russia. Not here."
The UFC boss also said even if he was willing, there would be legal issues in any such association, noting that UFC co-owners Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta have a gaming licence in Nevada where they own a string of casinos, and can’t jump into bed with just any foreign partner.
White, who had planned to put Emelianenko up against UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, immediately, talked up the UFC’s offer several times.
"I guarantee you he will not be offered any deal like this in mixed martial arts… . I did everything I could possibly do. They didn’t want to do it, for whatever reason, they did not want to sign a deal with the UFC."
Earlier Friday, a spokesman for Emelianenko dismissed reports that negotiations with the UFC had broken down.
"Like some of the other reports that have surfaced, this is incorrect," Vadim Finkelchtein, co-owner of M-1 Global which manages the Russian, said in a statement.
"It is unfortunate that so much incorrect information has been leaked to the public. It is M-1’s preference not to negotiate in public and we are unsure why people claim that Fedor and M-1 turned down a six-fight, (US)$30-million contract to fight in the UFC when no such offer was ever made."
M-1 did not immediately respond to a request for reaction to White’s comments.
Emelianenko seems to be running out of fighting options, however. And fans may start questioning why the Russian is resisting taking on the world’s best in the UFC.
Bringing Ortiz back into the fold has been expected for days after a series of coquettish tweets from both promoter and fighter.
Still it’s quite a turnaround for two men who have spent years slagging each other even though White once managed Ortiz.
"Tito is an idiot," White said last year on a conference call. "He’s one of the dumbest human beings I’ve ever met. Everything that comes out of his mouth makes no sense. And I just have no interest in being in the Tito Ortiz business anymore. "
Ortiz labelled White a bully who wants his fighters to be slaves.
"I made these guys a lot of money and they have no respect for me, they really treat me bad and I’m just going to go elsewhere where a company respects me," Ortiz said prior to exiting the organization last year.
Ortiz (15-6-1) has not fought since losing a unanimous decision to Lyoto Machida at UFC 84 in May 2008. It was an acrimonious exit from the UFC, with the former light-heavyweight champion grabbing a spot on the dais at a post-fight news conference he wasn’t invited to and refusing to leave until he got a chance to have his say.
It was an almost surreal scene with Ortiz’s squeeze, former porn star Jenna Jameson, yelling: "Stay up there. You deserve to be there. You’re a champion."
Fourteen months later, the bottom line is the UFC decided that Ortiz remains a charismatic fighter fans wants to see. Whether back surgery restores his once considerable fighting skills remains to be seen.
White says the Jerry Springer-like personal drama is over, thanks to a mutual friend who put the two together. The deal was struck after White and Lorenzo Fertitta flew down to Ortiz’s California home to bury the hatchet.
"Tito and I have put all our differences aside and literally have squashed everything and are ready to move forward," White said. "Tito Ortiz will retire in the UFC."
"I think time really cures everything," added Ortiz, who has just resumed training after his surgery.
The fighter was all smiles about his new deal. "I’m, happy. I’m satisfied. And you’ll never hear anything about money out of my mouth ever again. I’m just excited to be back in the UFC."
Ortiz, 34, said he was hoping to fight at the end of the year, with White suggesting 44-year-old Mark (The Hammer) Coleman as a possible opponent.
Asked if Ortiz might fight longtime rival Chuck (The Iceman) Liddell, White paused and said: "I don’t know."
The 39-year-old Liddell has lost four of his last five fights and White wants him to retire. Liddell has been sending out hopeful tweets about meeting Ortiz a third time — Liddell won the first two — but White says the Iceman has not asked him about another fight.
Ortiz, who defended the UFC crown five times from 2000 to 2002, said competition was why he returned to his old stomping grounds. Strikeforce, essentially the only other North American promoter left, didn’t pose any challenges, he said.
Ortiz promised fans will see a new fighter. Before the back surgery, Ortiz said he had not been fully healthy since the first Ken Shamrock fight in November 2002.
"Now that I got it (the surgery) done, no more back soreness, no more numbness going down my legs. I’m waking up with a smile on my face every day for once," he said.
White also announced that Vitor Belfort is also returning to the UFC and will meet Rich Franklin in a light-heavyweight main event of UFC 103 in Dallas on Sept. 19. Franklin had been slated to meet Dan Henderson in a rematch of the fight won by Henderson at UFC 93 in January.
"We’re changing that card. The fans didn’t like it," White said.
Henderson is next in line for a middleweight title shot, he added. That means the winner of Nate Marquardt-Demian Maia may have to wait a little long for their crack at the 185-pound belt.
Notes: White says the UFC has "locked up" former Affliction fighters Paul Daley, Ben Rothwell, Chase Gormley, Dan Lauzon and Rafaello Oliveira while Javier Vazquez, L.C. Davis and Canadian Mark Hominick are headed to the WEC. "We’re in talks with all the other guys right now." But White said he had no interest in requiring former UFC heavyweight champions Andrei Arlovski and Tim Sylvia. … In the wake of the demise of Setanta in the U.K., the UFC has signed a three-year deal with ESPN in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The deal starts Aug. 13, with a free showing of UFC 101 which takes place UFC 101 on Aug. 8. White said there was nothing to report on a network deal in the U.S. "I’m very confident we’re going to get a network deal. And like I’ve always said, once we get the right offer we will be on network television. We haven’t had the right offer yet." … White reiterated that the UFC is headed to Vancouver next year. "Canada is obviously the mecca of mixed martial arts right now," he said, repeated a phrase he often uses. "If we can do a fight anywhere in Canada, it’s going to be big."
