I like Dana and I think he's done a great job. But he recently was quoted by the Los Angeles Times as saying: "I've never lost a big star in my six years here."
First, here's the context: Brandon Vera has been talking of possibly signing with the new Showtime promotion if zuffa doesn't offer him enough money. Dana was suggesting that he had nothing to fear from his competitors.
Now, getting back to the quote. Does Dana really believe that everyone has forgotten about Ortiz, Barnett, Penn, Pulver and Bustamante? Yes, three of them eventually came back. Still, that remark was an outrageous lie and anyone who has followed this sport for at least the last six years will recognize it as such. I can't imagine why he would even stoop to such bullshit.
The only one of the guys you mentioned that would qualify as a "big star" rating-wise is Tito, and the UFC ultimately didn't lose him, since Tito never fought elsewhere.
Definitely weird of him to say that... but on the other hand, Brandon Vera is a bigger star than the others were when they left, save Ortiz but he never really left.
Actually, he did. He won the heavyweight title, with zero fights left on his contract. He then demanded at least two or three times what any other UFC fighters was getting. That would have been plenty of reason to let him go, but the failed steroids test only hurried him out the door.
"The other guys were all current champions. If they weren't the big stars, then who was?"
He didn't say he never lost a current champion. I assume by big star he meant guys who draw big numbers (Tito, Chuck, Randy, Ken). Bustamante, Penn and Pulver are great fighters and popular with the hardcore fans, but the ratings were lousy when they headlined PPVs.
"Definitely weird of him to say that... but on the other hand, Brandon Vera is a bigger star than the others were when they left, save Ortiz but he never really left."
Wasn't Penn pretty big when he left, bigger than Vera?
Barnett, Pulver and Penn were not "big stars" in the respect that they were not selling out venues and Headlining 400,000 buy PPVs.
Hell, Matt Hughs couldnt even do it until recently. Remember Hughes/Trigg 1, or Huges Sherk. 35,000 PPV buys.
More imprtantly, Pulver and Busta did not do all that well in Pride, And josh spent 3 years away from the game only doing a fight a year. As talented and skilled as they are, none of those 3 cost the UFC a huge sum of money to lose, and we all know it.
"Barnett, Pulver and Penn were not "big stars" in the respect that they were not selling out venues and Headlining 400,000 buy PPVs."
So your argument is that the UFC didn't have any big stars so anyone they lost back then doesn't count? It seems to me that all of those guys were as big (or bigger) a star back than as Vera is now. Btw, I don't mean to single you out, several others seem to agree with you (obviously, I don't).
I think that Dana meant he never had anyone leave that he didn't want gone. Penn actually tried to sue to get back in didnt he? Penn lost is how I remember it, then Dana brought him back.
"really? and how exactly will they do that? also, if they can magic up decent heavies in the bling of an eye, why are they not doing it already? its not like their hw division is too crowded with talent."
Although most people on the UG would say Brandon's skills would be very hard to replace, we only make up a small portion of the UFC's overall audience.
Sadly to say, many people that watch fights these days, would be hard pressed to distinguish someone with Brandon's techniques over someone who is a few notches below. Most people are more influenced by the marketing, hype, and the match ups.
In that respect, in reality, the UFC, can basically hype up many of their mediocre fighters, and still get the general audience excited (this is what they have done with many of the TUF fighters).
Unfortunately, these same people wouldnt even notice if Brandon left.