He abandoned top shelf MMA, and the spotlight, and the only title that mattered, because "Dana hated me"? It's pretty childish and petty. Plenty of fighters have fought successfully in the UFC under those conditions. DW not liking you, has got nothing to do with anything. The massive unprecedented contract was available for the taking.
DW did hate Tito, openly, unlike with Fedor. And DW still carried Tito, because he was a name.
. 
stonepony -eXtv -stonepony -eXtv -stonepony - If you want to know why Fedor didn't sign, despite being offered the biggest MMA contract ever, just look at his SF record. UFC Hw's had already gotten too big, too strong, too athletic.
Smart thing would have been for him to sign at LHW where he belonged, maybe he could have been holding JJ's belt right now? I would have liked to have seen that fight.
You actually think Fedor was scared of the big bad 'new breed' of Heavyweights like Brock Lesnar, Frank Mir and Shane Carwin? Give me a break.
The reason he didn't sign with the UFC was the fact that they could never agree on a contract that fit both of their needs. Simple.
The notion that the guy was afraid of UFC competition is laughable to me. It's Fedor that we're talking about here.
He demanded what he knew he couldn't get, so that people like yourself could pretend that was trying to get in to the UFC but couldn't be signed because DW didn't want UFC fighters to be embarrassed.
Hey remember when Reem and Fedor fought for the SF title?... Or, was it DC he fought for the SF title? Maybe it was Barnett?
No... He squeaked by the tire salesmen and lost to old man Henderson (the guy who had just lost to a welterweight).
I would have loved to have seen the man in the UFC. But yeah, Brock, Shane, Frank, they would have beat him. I'm just not in the cult buddy. It was never about money, or some irrelevant Russian MMA concerns.
"He demanded what he knew he couldn't get"
You don't know that he himself demanded that. If your argument is based on making presumptions that Fedor was deciding what was being negotiated, your argument is fundamentally flawed. Fedor himself went on record and said that Vadim and M-1 handled his contractual negotiations. He took a very back-seat approach to it.
"Reem and Fedor fought for the SF title?"
Remember when M-1 specifically asked for Olympic-style drug testing because they knew Reem was on roids and the fight never happened because of that? Remember when they would have fought in the GP anyway if Alistair didn't get injured and if Fedor beat Bigfoot because they were in the same bracket for the tournament?
"DC he fought for the SF title?"
Only became a notable name after Fedor left Strikeforce. Completely moot point and a poor attempt to talk shit on Fedor's career.
"Maybe it was Barnett?"
Josh got caught roiding in 2009 and turned down the fight in 2006 (but still fought Minotauro on the same card). It was his fault that the fight didn't happen, not Fedor's.
"He squeaked by the tire salesmen"
If you mean won the first round by schooling Brett (highly ranked, just slept Andrei in 20 seconds and was 10-0 with 9 stoppages) on the feet and taking him down multiple times, then KTFO him in the 2nd, sure. He 'squeaked' past him. lolz
"lost to old man Henderson (the guy who had just lost to a welterweight)"
Old Man Henderson? Hendo was better than ever at that point, just KTFO Feijao and Babalu and had been on TRT for years. No weight cut and on a great run. The Hendo that Fedor fought was arguably the best Hendo to ever step in the cage. And yes, he lost to Shields after gassing himself out in the first round because he owned him so hard in the first round. So what? Hendo was still one of the best ever and is world-class. Stop clutching at straws to hate.
"Brock, Shane, Frank, they would have beat him."
Not assured by any means. Brock folded once he took punishment, Carwin was robotic on the feet and had little cardio, and Mir has always had a weak jaw and susceptible to guys that take it to him. Fedor had beaten better guys in the past and even though he was over the hill in 2009 I'd still favour him to beat those guys.
"It was never about money, or some irrelevant Russian MMA concerns."
Wrong. Even Dana himself said this: "Fedor's not afraid to come over here and fight, he's just got nutty managers that try to strong-arm us."
There you have it. Fedor's #1 detractor and a guy actually present in negotiations himself disagreeing with you. Look at that. Sorry that reality doesn't fit with your anti-Fedor 'he was scurred because I say so!' agenda.
"You don't know that he himself demanded that."
That's true and I should have been more specific. I'm sure it were the morons who managed him. I doubt it was Fedor specifically. But, he chose his management, so what's the difference?
"Remember when M-1 specifically asked for Olympic-style drug testing because they knew Reem was on roids"
Yes, I remember that excuse. And all you have to do to take that excuse seriously, is forget that all of Fedor's Pride opponents were on roids. Everybody on Roid-Island was operating in a PEDs free for all.
Fedor didn't fight Josh in SF, because Josh turned the fight down in 2006?
The tire salesmen was one punch from knocking him out, smashing his head in. And the tire salesmen never beat anybody who wasn't a female.
I liked the argument about how it was the best DH ever, better than the Pride DH, but losing to a welterweight somehow wasn't a factor. The cult has got it's hooks in you. Which is why you have to pretend that I'm "shitting on Fedor". Which is why you'll have a seizure and fall over dead if you ever accidentally acknowledge a valid criticism of him.
Just because they were Fedor's managers doesn't mean Fedor is responsible for all their actions and demands. That's an unfair line to draw I feel and whilst M-1 deserves all the criticism in the world for demanding co-promotion, Fedor is not the guy to be called out over it.
Not an excuse, it was because everyone knew Alistair was decimating people whilst on PED's and M-1 wanted a fair fight. Fedor never had the managerial power in PRIDE to ask for better testing, come on dude. It was a different time and an entirely different situation over there and again I feel like that's an unfair stance to take.
Fedor didn't fight Josh in 2009 because Josh was caught roiding. Fedor didn't fight Josh in 2006 because Josh turned down the title shot given to the winner of the OW GP (Cro Cop left PRIDE), saying he felt he wasn't ready. So, the title shot was given to Hunt and Josh rematched Minotauro.
Rogers landed a few good shots on the ground but he was not "one punch from knocking him out". You're being ridiculous here. The fight ended with someone being knocked out, and that someone wasn't Fedor. Rogers was still a dangerous guy with legit KO power in both hands, on a 10-0 streak and had like 30-40lbs on Fedor. Made for a great fight too.
It was a factor and I addressed it. But the Hendo that had to cut down to 185 and as a result had cardio that limited him to 1 round of high-paced fighting is so different compared to the guy at 205(+)lbs that was able to kick the shit out of Shogun at a high velocity for 3 rounds and starched Fedor. Yes, he lost to Jake. So what? The guy was still world-class and lost to another guy who is world-class just like him.
There are plenty of valid criticisms to be made of Fedor but you present very few of them, if any.
dubate -eXtv -stonepony - If you want to know why Fedor didn't sign, despite being offered the biggest MMA contract ever, just look at his SF record. UFC Hw's had already gotten too big, too strong, too athletic.
Smart thing would have been for him to sign at LHW where he belonged, maybe he could have been holding JJ's belt right now? I would have liked to have seen that fight.
You actually think Fedor was scared of the big bad 'new breed' of Heavyweights like Brock Lesnar, Frank Mir and Shane Carwin? Give me a break.
The reason he didn't sign with the UFC was the fact that they could never agree on a contract that fit both of their needs. Simple.
The notion that the guy was afraid of UFC competition is laughable to me. It's Fedor that we're talking about here.The money was right (he was being offered more money than Lesner). I think that the hangup was Vaddy's insistence on cross promotion (never going to happen) and the UFC's insistence on exclusivity (no Sambo competitions)
In 2009 the UFC gave Fedor the right to compete in Sambo but they didn't in 2007 when they had a real shot of signing Fedor but messed it up by offering a contract that basically 'fucked' Fedor (his own words) and did a bunch of stuff that was pretty unethical.
The main issue in the 2009 negotiations is that M-1 were so damn stubborn regarding the whole co-promotion thing and as a result never reached an agreement with the UFC (but they did with Strikeforce).
Pisses me off to this day but hey it is what it is. Doesn't really matter in the long run. The UFC is fine, M-1 are fine, Fedor is financially set for life and beloved by educated MMA fans and still fought top competition in America despite never signing with the UFC.
Fedor had all the power in Pride. And, Overeem wasn't beating anybody in SF. He wasn't "decimating" anybody, never has (not in MMA). I guess you're attempting to pretend that Coleman and Randleman were clean, and Fedor didn't fight the vastly superior Overeem or Barnett because they weren't clean...
"There are plenty of valid criticisms to be made of Fedor"
Let's explore them? I'm guessing the valid criticisms you're referring to, have to do with fashion sense and receding hairline?
The vitriol that spewed from Dana's mouth towards Fedor was personal and over the top. Why can't Dana's sack lickers ever admit that when he runs things like a toddler having a tantrum, it's not how a professional should handle business.
And to those who throw out Fedor's loss to Hendo as proof of Fedor's suckability in the ring, watch the fight. Hendo was getting mauled in the fight, and managed to get a lucky punch in. He wasn't dominating Fedor by any means; just the opposite.
Dana is the biggest loser in MMA.
stonepony - Fedor had all the power in Pride. And, Overeem wasn't beating anybody in SF. He wasn't "decimating" anybody, never has (not in MMA). I guess you're attempting to pretend that Coleman and Randleman were clean, and Fedor didn't fight the vastly superior Overeem or Barnett because they weren't clean...
"There are plenty of valid criticisms to be made of Fedor"
Let's explore them? I'm guessing the valid criticisms you're referring to, have to do with fashion sense and receding hairline?
Fedor did not have all the power in PRIDE. His own manager, Miro has spoke about Fedor getting paid peanuts compared to other champions (such as Minotauro getting around 100k a fight and Fedor getting around 15k, even after Fedor won the title), not having a championship bonus, and Miro being personally threatened by Sakakibara and some armed Yakuza members to sign a new contract with them in circa 2003. He had no power there. No fighters did. Great job at proving your own ignorance.
Never claimed Coleman and Randleman were clean. It's just that Fedor and M-1 had real sway at Strikeforce and wanted the obviously on-steroids Overeem to get properly tested because they knew the guy was on stuff and had enough power to almost get it done.
Fedor didn't fight Barnett because Josh turned the fight down and later pissed hot. We've already covered this and you're going in circles right now.
Why are you doing this? Do you get some sort of kick out of leveling invalid and poorly constructed critiques of one of the most beloved and legendary figures in the sport's history? Why do you say he is a coward? What prompts a person to act in such a way?
tetris -Shit even James Toney got what like 200k?KOdClowning -Really? How much did they pay lesnar? Did he have to prove he could fight coming un with 2 fights under his belt? I guess fedor didn't prove himself by having 30some odd wins against some of the best.tetris - What did dans offer him? 7000/7000?
I know you are making fun of the UFC pay, but hear it out. Maybe Fedor starts at 7 and 7 , but he was coming off of 3 losses. Usually the UFC doesn't sign fighters off of 3 losses. Not only that, but he would have gotten sponsors as well. I also find it hard to believe he couldn't command more than 7 and 7 either.
Further more, Fedor would have to prove he can still fight and he would be able to work his way up. He can win a sub or KO bonus as well.
Fyodor > Dana
Fedor was their golden boy. His management's lies are neither here nor there.
I didn't say he was a coward. See how your cult forces you to inject all of this nonsense?
And, like I said, if you ever criticized the man you would just burst in to flames and die. I'll just assume that yes those criticisms you were referring to were something irrelevant like his goofy clothes.
I bet if I even said that his walk-out music wasn't my favorite, you'd be incapable of letting it go without spazzing out and accusing me of hating Fedor.
RockyBullwinkle -eXtv -stonepony - Fedor had all the power in Pride. And, Overeem wasn't beating anybody in SF. He wasn't "decimating" anybody, never has (not in MMA). I guess you're attempting to pretend that Coleman and Randleman were clean, and Fedor didn't fight the vastly superior Overeem or Barnett because they weren't clean...
"There are plenty of valid criticisms to be made of Fedor"
Let's explore them? I'm guessing the valid criticisms you're referring to, have to do with fashion sense and receding hairline?
Fedor did not have all the power in PRIDE. His own manager, Miro has spoke about Fedor getting paid peanuts compared to other champions (such as Minotauro getting around 100k a fight and Fedor getting around 15k, even after Fedor won the title), not having a championship bonus, and Miro being personally threatened by Sakakibara and some armed Yakuza members to sign a new contract with them in circa 2003. He had no power there. No fighters did. Great job at proving your own ignorance.
Never claimed Coleman and Randleman were clean. It's just that Fedor and M-1 had real sway at Strikeforce and wanted the obviously on-steroids Overeem to get properly tested because they knew the guy was on stuff and had enough power to almost get it done.
Fedor didn't fight Barnett because Josh turned the fight down and later pissed hot. We've already covered this and you're going in circles right now.
Why are you doing this? Do you get some sort of kick out of leveling invalid and poorly constructed critiques of one of the most beloved and legendary figures in the sport's history? Why do you say he is a coward? What prompts a person to act in such a way?
Are you two really arguing over this? When was Fedor ever offered OVereem to fight? He wasn't becuase, as has been documented time and time again, Strikeforce was trying to build up a ppv between the two. Coker even said when he signed Fedor he would fight two times on CBS and thne they'd have a ppv against Overeem. How much more clear does it have to be?
It's very clear. Fedor didn't fight SF's best competition. Neither did Overeem.
For many of the same reasons.
stonepony - Fedor was their golden boy. His management's lies are neither here nor there.
I didn't say he was a coward. See how your cult forces you to inject all of this nonsense?
And, like I said, if you ever criticized the man you would just burst in to flames and die. I'll just assume that yes those criticisms you were referring to were something irrelevant like his goofy clothes.
I bet if I even said that his walk-out music wasn't my favorite, you'd be incapable of letting it go without spazzing out and accusing me of hating Fedor.
Fedor was who's golden boy? PRIDE's? No. Not even close. PRIDE's biggest stars were Sakuraba, Takada, Ogawa and Yoshida. No other foreign fighters came even close to their stardom. The biggest foreign names were Igor, Mirko and Wanderlei. Listen to the crowd pops when they walked to the ring and you'll hear a noticeable difference.
Shit, Fedor knew himself that PRIDE didn't like him as a champion that much. When he found out that Randleman beat Cro Cop he said that 'PRIDE's plans had been ruined' because he knew they wanted the more charismatic and appealing Cro Cop to be champion over a tubby Russian that never said anything noteworthy.
When you say a fighter ducks another fighter or organization, you're essentially saying they cowered away from them/it and by proxy are calling them a coward. Yes, I was reading between the lines but I thought it was pretty obvious.
Okay buddy. Fedor was a big nobody and Pride didn't want to keep him. Whatever.
What criticisms were you referring to? I think you just said that without thinking first. You'll be lynched by the other cult members if you do actually acknowledge any criticism of the guy.
stonepony - Okay buddy. Fedor was a big nobody and Pride didn't want to keep him. Whatever.
What criticisms were you referring to? I think you just said that without thinking first. You'll be lynched by the other cult members if you do actually acknowledge any criticism of the guy.
Come on now, don't strawman my point like that. That being said, I'm glad you've come around now and realise that 1. Fedor did not have any power in PRIDE in terms of his contract and 2. He was not a huge Sakuraba-tier star over there either.
I think you can criticize Fedor for taking fights like the Hong Man Choi fight, the fight against that Ukranian nobody right after being Minotauro, etc. Like I said, there are patches of his resume that don't really impress at all and it's fine to bring those up.
However, saying that he was afraid of the UFC level of competition or scared to fight Overeem or any of those things really doesn't stand to any level of scrutiny whatsoever and that's why I have an issue with people saying he ducked those guys.
"I'm glad you've come around now and realise"
Sarcasm. I gave up attempting to chip away at that one aspect of your pathology... "patches of his resume don't impress"
I guess that's kind of a criticism.
I didn't say he was scared. It was a calculated choice to keep him away from the killers though. He wasted his post-Pride years. Robbed us of some great fights. He wanted to retire undefeated. Easier to do against cans-lying-down like Ishii and Monson and grandpa Rizzo, than it is when you're fighting people like Lesnar.
I suspect this is where you tell me to stop accusing Fedor of being scared.
stonepony - "I'm glad you've come around now and realise"
Sarcasm. I gave up attempting to chip away at that one aspect of your pathology... "patches of his resume don't impress"
I guess that's kind of a criticism.
I didn't say he was scared. It was a calculated choice to keep him away from the killers though. He wasted his post-Pride years. Robbed us of some great fights. He wanted to retire undefeated. Easier to do against cans-lying-down like Ishii and Monson and grandpa Rizzo, than it is when you're fighting people like Lesnar.
I suspect this is where you tell me to stop accusing Fedor of being scared.
lol, you already proved how unformed you were about Fedor's PRIDE situation when you said he had 'all the power' there. I have no interest in what you have to say regarding that part of his career now when his own manager has talked in detail of how badly Fedor was getting messed around by them.
It wasn't a calculated choice though. You say that because it fits your agenda but none of it adds up. Fedor fought top-level guys in Affliction and Strikeforce, former champs and current contenders, yet the UFC was that much better that he stayed away for that reason? Not buying it.
Dana fucking White himself has said that Fedor never came there because they couldn't reach a deal regarding co promotion. Strikeforce, however, were fine with it and thus Fedor fought for SF/M-1. It's simple.
Why do you have to construct this whole narrative of Fedor being kept away from the 'killers' in the UFC when everyone that was involved in the situation says otherwise?
Look at the facts, look at what Dana, Fedor and Vadim have said, and stop making up things in your head that make sense to you.
And no, Fedor has said that his legacy doesn't really matter to him, he is not the guy that would get into fits concerning whether or not there was an L on his resume. If he really did then he wouldn't have entered the ridiculously stacked SF GP, which is a huge risk for someone not wanting to lose.
Fedor wasn't and isn't motivated by money like most people are. Respect is a huge thing to him, just look at how he acted towards everyone his whole career. Nothing but class
After Pride, fighting was no longer Fedors biggest concern in life. Family and religion came first. He wasn't going to go against his good friends (his manager/s) demands to come over to "face the pain" UFC. He doesn't need the money and it wasn't near as important to him as it was to his fans for him to fight in the UFC. its no surprise when you add in a disrespectful Dana White to all those factors that nothing was ever settled. He didn't feel like he had a single thing he needed to prove.
How well he would have done is all speculation. Im a huge fan but at that point he didn't have the same motivation anymore.
He did what he wanted, has plenty of money, and is happy. Good for him!
If you hate Fedor, your life must suck pretty bad.
There is nothing to hate about the guy. Dude has done it all with most repesct than anybody. Name another fighter that has as much class as FEDOR that has great accomplishments as him.
WHO??!?? Let's hear it...