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Thu Jan 29, 2009 8:45 am EST

Dana White interview: He isn’t going to chase Fedor

By Steve Cofield

You'd think knockout victories over two former UFC heavyweight champs would have UFC president Dana White salivating over Fedor Emelianenko. According to White, that's not the case. He didn't even watch the Affliction 2 fight card and still hasn't seen the Fedor-Andrei Arlovski fight. Even though close to 9,000 paid to get into the Honda Center and the card did a gate of over $1.5 million, White doesn't care: 

"If Fedor doesn't care than neither do I. If he wants to come over and fight the best in the world then that's cool with me. At the end of the day, if Fedor wants to fight here I'm here, if he doesn't I don't care."

White is sticking to his guns about the longterm future of Affliction fighting:

"Affliction is going away. They did horrible, horrible buys on Saturday night. I'd love to see them do another show because I'd love to see them lose another 5-6 million of their t-shirt money."

Watch the video of Cage Writer with White:

White is part of the growing legion of folks who believe Oscar De La Hoya went to Affliction card to conveniently avoid the booing that he was going to receive at the Antonio Margarito-Shane Mosley fight. White also said that DLH isn't interested in the MMA business only the 20-percent of Affliction's pay-per-views that he's getting. White did dispel the rumor that there was $5 million payoff made to DLH. 

Make sure to watch when White is asked about M-1's Jerry Millen, who made White the focal point of several pre-fight videos. Cage Writer also pressed White on what he thought about a recent investigative piece on the UFC and salaries done by the CBC. The word scumbags was used several times.

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79 Comments

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  1. The Great White
    1. Posted by The Great White Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:27 pm EDT

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    Dana is right. Why should he care if Fedor comes over or not. Fedor obviously isn't raking in the money for Affliction. Fedor is a great fighter and "possibly" the best in the world, but a huge draw he is not.
  2. Parrot
    2. Posted by Parrot Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:57 pm EDT

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    Most fighter's need the UFC, Fedor doesn't!
  3. The Great White
    3. Posted by The Great White Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:27 pm EDT

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    Dusty, beating UFC cast offs isn't proving anything. Before beating the great Tim Silvia and beating the glass jawed AA who had he fought in say hmmmm the last 4 years?? I know, I know because I say "possibly" I MUST be a "casual" MMA fan, but please check out the list of impressive wins since you obviously are caught up in the Fedor MUST be the greatest ever hype;
    Hong Man Choi was an impressive 1-0 before his fight and is now a robust 1-2
    Matt Lindland - This was his most impressive victory in the last 4 years before his great wins over Silvia and AA. Lindland is a natural LHW, btw.
    Mark Hunt - His impressive 5-5 record to date shouldn't be overlooked!
    Mark Coleman - Can you say OLD and WAY WAY over the hill?? Since his epic fight with Fedor he has dropped 3 of 5
    Zuluzinho - THIS guy was IMPRESSIVE coming in with his undefeated record in organizations like Vale Tudo de Bauru, and Independent events, but since his submission loss due to strikes in the first round against Fedor he has AMASSED a record of 2-4.
    I believe Fedor is one of the best in the world, but his competition isn't what it is like in the UFC. I know the PRIDE guys will disagree, but PRIDE has shown over and over that they will throw in tomatoe cans against its "names". Beating Silvia and AA to me isn't proof that he would beat Mir, Lesnar, Couture, Congo, Cain, etc. Maybe he would, but after seeing him losing to AA before landing ONE punch isn't enough for me to say BEST IN THE WORLD!
  4. The Great White
    4. Posted by The Great White Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:27 pm EDT

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    NUT - what I said has nothing to do with a "Dana Obsession". I know you constantly want to bash me for stating my opinions but I will just keep firing back after dodging your "laser beam" jabs. IF all you are talking about is money then YOU ARE RIGHT! Fedor doesn't need the UFC and the UFC doesn't need Fedor. BTW, Fedor had a "disclosed" purse of 300K for his fight which the UFC WOULD and DID offer him more than!!! Make sure you have your facts straight buddy. The only thing you did in your thread was say what I have been saying, and that he is KTFO ex UFC fighters. That was my only point other than Affliction is going to fold at some point because of the "overpaid" fighters they have on their card that aren't pulling in the PPV dollars.
    You like to TRY to bash me, but in reality you are bashing something that you THEN go back and state which makes you look punchy!!
  5. The Great White
    5. Posted by The Great White Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:27 pm EDT

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    BTW, in response to your "As long as Dana doesn't have Fedor the UFC doesn't have the big fish", I respond that as long as Fedor doesn't fight in the UFC he is in a small pond! Fedor must like being the big fish in a small pond. LOL! Another laser beam jab dodged, punchy!!
  6. The Great White
    6. Posted by The Great White Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:27 pm EDT

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    NUT - You, Dana and I are all right in a way. The UFC is the biggest and best promotion, period. FEDOR is the biggest name in the HW class, however until he fights in the UFC he will always be the guy who fought a vast majority of his fights against creme puffs in PRIDE and UFC cast offs in Affliction. You are right that Fedor can continue to fight ex UFC fighters when the UFC makes the decision to let them go. So far they have been right in doing so.
    BTW, I can't believe that you don't think AA was beating Fedor until he had a Tim Silvia fight relapse. That alone should tell you about the competition the UFC has in its stables.
    BTW, you may have landed a lazy jab but I didn't feel it. In fact just walked right through it and landed a straight right!
  7. Chris
    7. Posted by Chris Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:36 pm EDT

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    Wow, do you proof read your articles? I had to re-read the last portion about 5 times and I still don't fully understand what the hell it is supposed to say.
  8. Ricky C
    8. Posted by Ricky C Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:40 pm EDT

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    You guys are all a bunch of idiots. My IQ drops 10 points everytime I read the comments section on this blog.
  9. The Great White
    9. Posted by The Great White Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:27 pm EDT

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    Oh Ricky, you know your IQ can't possibly drop any lower, quit playing!!
  10. vudusup
    10. Posted by vudusup Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:38 pm EDT

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    Ricky C - I don't think it is realistically possible for your IQ to drop from reading these comments. If anything it is most likely helping your cognitive ability by taking the the extra effort to comprehend what they are trying to convey. If your IQ really did drop 10 points every time you read comments on this blog (I don't know how many times you have) then I would venture to guess that you are now mentally impaired severely.
    As far as the comment's themselves being incomprehensable, I would say they are pretty easy to understand and clearly have valid, well thought out points (even the punctuations aren't bad for the most part). So perhaps you should distance yourself from reading this blog if you are having trouble assertaining the subject matter, also it seems, for your own safety.
    That being said... KKKIIMMBBBOOO SLLLIICCEEEE!!!!!!!
  11. jtakeo11
    11. Posted by jtakeo11 Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:43 pm EDT

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    What makes the UFC have the best heavyweight fighters? Because they have Brock Lesnar, Mir, Nogueira, and Couture???? If these 4 were in Affliction and Fedor, Barnett, Arlovski, and Buentello were in the UFC, Dana White would be saying "Lesnar is a joke, he's a WWE fighter. If he wants to fight the BEST in the world, come to the UFC." It's seriously a joke. Everyone knows exactly what he'd say, Lesnar is a WWE fighter, Nogueira is old and was defeated already by Fedor when Nogueira was in his prime, Couture is old and washed up and Mir beat an old guy, a WWE guy that's pretending to be a fighter and Heath Herring, whoop dee doo! But since they are signed by the UFC, these guys are the best. hahahaha, it makes me laugh. The one thing Dana White does is promote his fights really well. Even after all of this exposure, people still really don't know who Fedor is. That's why he's not a big draw. It's just like if Lesnar was in Affliction and never fought in the UFC, he wouldn't be that big of a draw. People would say, "oh he's just a WWE figther, big deal." But they don't because Dana White has promoted him the right way. If White had Barnett and Fedor going head to head, believe me, that would rake in the cash. Just because the UFC has a ton of fans doesn't mean that their fighters are the best, sorry.
  12. jtakeo11
    12. Posted by jtakeo11 Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:43 pm EDT

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    What makes the UFC have the best heavyweight fighters? Because they have Brock Lesnar, Mir, Nogueira, and Couture???? If these 4 were in Affliction and Fedor, Barnett, Arlovski, and Buentello were in the UFC, Dana White would be saying "Lesnar is a joke, he's a WWE fighter. If he wants to fight the BEST in the world, come to the UFC." It's seriously a joke. Everyone knows exactly what he'd say, Lesnar is a WWE fighter, Nogueira is old and was defeated already by Fedor when Nogueira was in his prime, Couture is old and washed up and Mir beat an old guy, a WWE guy that's pretending to be a fighter and Heath Herring, whoop dee doo! But since they are signed by the UFC, these guys are the best. hahahaha, it makes me laugh. The one thing Dana White does is promote his fights really well. Even after all of this exposure, people still really don't know who Fedor is. That's why he's not a big draw. It's just like if Lesnar was in Affliction and never fought in the UFC, he wouldn't be that big of a draw. People would say, "oh he's just a WWE figther, big deal." But they don't because Dana White has promoted him the right way. If White had Barnett and Fedor going head to head, believe me, that would rake in the cash. Just because the UFC has a ton of fans doesn't mean that their fighters are the best, sorry.
  13. jtakeo11
    13. Posted by jtakeo11 Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:43 pm EDT

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    If Fedor wants to fight the best in the world, he'll stay right where he is. If he wants to fight guys that he's already beat, some wrestlers with minimal MMA skill, guys that should already be retired, but fight in front of a larger crowd full of redneck hicks, then he'll go to the UFC. Not to mention he'll be paid a lot more if he stays where he is and fights the best in the world. Why would he take a pay cut to fight worse fighters?
  14. The Great White
    14. Posted by The Great White Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:27 pm EDT

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    JTAKEO - Your post has so many holes it isn't funny. I agree with tid bits, but as a whole, it is kind of funny. If he wants to fight guys he has already beat he will go to the UFC - I guess you re referring to one guy, NOG. Yes, valid point LOL! Some wrestlers with minimal MMA skill, I guess that would be Lesnar and Couture. Yes, valid point Lesnar is a newbie in the sport but even you would have to agree that he would give Fedor more problems than Silvia did IN AFFLICTION and Couture goes without saying because even Fedor said in after his win over Silvia that the person he wants to fight most IS in fact Couture. Larger crowd, most of the time yes so I agree with that tid bit. Redneck hicks?? That is just stupid because we all know the same fans go to and watch Affliction as they do the UFC, INCLUDING YOU! He will be paid a lot more?? yes, again valid point since Fedor was paid a "reported" 300K when reports are he was offered 500K per fight in the UFC and again that wouldn't have included his contract take, only his per fight take. Overall tho, GREAT points JTAKEO!
  15. HAHA
    15. Posted by HAHA Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:08 pm EDT

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    read Iole's mailbag GW
    fedor gets a portion of all money due to him being part owner of M-1
    since AA made 1.5 mil, Fedor made more the that, the 300 k was only what was disclosed
    that is another reason he will most likely never be in UFC, m-1 want all rights to his fights and promotion
    hence a reason why he isnt promoted right or a major draw, the russians care about fighting more then hype
  16. Farthammer
    16. Posted by Farthammer Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:07 pm EDT

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    I was reserving judgment, but can no longer: Great White is either Dana White, or an absolute UFC fanboy. Keep in mind it's ok to like UFC; I love it for the most part.
    But saying things like Fedor beat nobody is moronic. He beat Nog twice when he was in his prime, he beat CroCop when he was the best striker in MMA, he beat Coleman and Randleman both almost 5 years ago when they were both still considered good and were juiced out of their minds. Yes, he has fought some sub-par competition. But he also destroyed back-to-back UFC Champs. And hate Sylvia and AA as much as you want; they would still be contenders in the UFC.
  17. HAHA
    17. Posted by HAHA Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:08 pm EDT

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    not sure if my other post made it thru
    but basically Great White
    Fedor gets money thru being part owner of M-1 Global
    the co-promote and get portion of all the money, so Fedor is broken off thru them
    In Iole's mailbag he states this and says since AA made 1.5 mil, Fedor must have made more
    the 300k is all that was disclosed, also this is a reason Fedor may never make it to UFC
    M-1 has rights to all of his fights and promotion, some UFC def will not give up
    IDK bout u guys but im hoping Afflicition at least put on Fedor vs Barnett hopefully on East Coast this time
  18. mmafan
    18. Posted by mmafan Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:46 pm EDT

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    ricky c.....i guess that makes you officially retarded then. you remind me of a mongoloid watching a magic trick..
  19. The Great White
    19. Posted by The Great White Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:27 pm EDT

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    Fart - (nice name) - I love hearing the UFC fan boy stuff, I always have this warm and fuzzy feeling inside!! I NEVER said Fedor beat nobody. When did I say that??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Enough quesiton marks for you?? I can add some if you like. Yes, go back over 3 years to pull up those fights and add in Coleman and Randleman from 5 years ago!!! You are absolutely right, he has fought sub-par competition and destroyed ONE ex UFC champ and was getting beaten by the other rather convincintly until he landed ONE punch. I am not a UFC fanboy and I am not Dana White. Stating AGAIN, sigh....I picked Nog, Kang, Rua, Cro Cop and more WHEN they fought in the UFC. I try to pick who I think would win a fight, not what organization they are from. Again, answer when I have EVER said Fedor hasn't beaten anyone??? I am on record as saying I believed he was the best HW in the world, but after his performance against Fedor I have questions SIMPLY because of the amount of competition he has had in the last 3-4 years.
  20. Farthammer
    20. Posted by Farthammer Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:07 pm EDT

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    Just do what I do: love MMA, love UFC, and hate Dana White. There is no reason to like him - is he fighting? No. Is he matchmaking? No. Is he the head-honcho? No. All he does is try and get on camera as much as possible because he loves himself (like Don King) and promote fights that don't need promoting (like Don King). He also does petty ish like relegate Jon Fitch to an un-TVised undercard because he holds grudges like a little kid.
  21. Clint
    21. Posted by Clint Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:27 pm EDT

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    Fart, I agree....Dana is just like a little kid.....But it sucks when fans lose out! Fitch should be on TV and fighting a top 5 guy.
  22. The Great White
    22. Posted by The Great White Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:27 pm EDT

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    Haha - If you add in his ownerships etc as an attempt to say he earns more than what was "stated" then you also have to take into account the FACT that what ANY fighter is "stated" to show in win/show or bonus money is NOT all they make either. Go to this post to see DISCLOSED salaries of ONE Randy Couture! Notice the date, this was at the end of 07. Get facts people, don't just SAY Fedor is paid more and the UFC didn't offer him a salary, plus bonus, plus PPV revenue because it just aint true!!
    http://www.bullshido.net/modules.php?name=News&file=showarticle&threadid=62096
    Notice it states Couture made 2.9 million in 07. He was paid 250K in fight money (which I have been telling you lemmings is NOT all he makes but ALL you see, plus 936K in PPV money)
    Notice it states Couture made another 160K as a commentator that same year.
    Notice it states Couture made 250K in fight money and another 787K in PPV money against Gonzaga.
    GEEE I wonder if Fedor's TOTAL contract offer was at least as much as Couture made in 07 IF NOT MORE!!
    Fact is, I come off as a UFC fanboy because most of you lemmings don't know FACTS, you only know what you take the little time to read.
    Damn if Fedor made 1.5 mill for that show and fights only one more time for Affliction this year, keeping in mind they may not have one more show, then he will equal what Couture made back in 07! Go figure! Damn you Dana for not paying these fighters what they are worth!!
  23. Shaun
    23. Posted by Shaun Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:44 pm EDT

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    He should be in the UFC but i dont think he will ever come over and fight the BEST!!!He'll just keep fight for that T-Shirt Company HAHA!!
  24. Clint
    24. Posted by Clint Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:27 pm EDT

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    Great White...so the PPV money is guaranteed? (No) I would think a man of your intelligence wouldnt count money made as a commentator either....thats not for fighting (Duh!) and why do you think Couture left? After Dana saw what he made he put an end to it. One example doesnt make it count for all fighters! And dont forget, Couture was tied into only fights in the UFC whereas Fedor could fight in other organizations and make more $$$.......Why do you think Couture had to get into acting. You are as weak as your arguement!
  25. The Great White
    25. Posted by The Great White Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:27 pm EDT

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    OMG, Clint you are just another in the long line of pathetic individuals that A.) dont' take time to read more than one post and B.) can't comprehend what someone is saying. For you too, when have I EVER said in ANY post that Fedor hasn't fought anybody???? When??? I said the last 3 years he has fought nobody and TWO EX UFC fighters. That is FACT, buddy. Nothing wrong with stating the obvious. Sorry you don't agree but he hasn't fought anyone that wasn't a ex UFC fighter OR a fighter of note going back to Cro Cop in August of 05. It isn't being critical, it is just what it is. He absolutely beat Silvia and AA, no question. But they ALSO beat each other. So what???
    I will keep it simple. IMO, unless he fights current UFC fighters he will go down in history as ONE of the BEST HW fighters in MMA of all time. But he can never be considered as absolutely the best fighter ever if he continues to fight nobodies and EX UFC fighters.

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