Carmichael Dave Confronts Dana White on Fedor Emelianenko
by Michael Rome on Apr 16, 2009 7:18 PM EDT
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Dave Carmichael just posted one of the more explosive interviews with Dana White I've seen in a while. He refuses to back down on Dana's points about Fedor, and it makes for an extremely entertaining read. Hopefully there is audio soon, here is a good taste:
Carmichael Dave: Let me guess why it is stupid business. You guys make money and give the fans what they want based on one fight...but when he beats that ass, and leaves the UFC...the entire heavyweight division forever has the dreded "asterisk" on it. It in essence gives Fedor all the bargaining chips.
Dana White: Oh jesus! You live in fanboy internet land! If he beats ass and has all the bargaining chips?? What the fuck does that mean? He signs a deal he's happy with then fights and cleans out the division. He PROVES he's the best. Pretty clear and simply. You guys try to make it out to be some crazy conspiracy or some bullshit. I have done deals with thousands of guys that are way more famous than him.
We bring the fans all the fights they want to see already. You don't do a one fight deal with people in the fight business. I don't do it with people you've never heard of, so why should I do it with him? And if he's so great, he needs to fight more than once to prove it...
This is an interview worth considering when people claim Dana White never entertains hard interviews. At the same time, Carmichael is Dana's buddy. Still, one of the few times anyone has responded to Dana's talking points about Fedor in person. Dana also claims the Russians are sick of Affliction.
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Great interview...
Or GREATEST Interview? The whole vibe I got from reading that was good-natured, yet both sides had great points. I especially liked the “Oh, actually it was 4 UFC champs. I forgot about Coleman.” Hilarious.
Carmichael Dave: Neither of you "need" each other, you’re both doing just fine. But you always say you want what the fans want. Why not at least a one fight deal….Fedor vs the current UFC Heavyweight champion?
Dana White: Because that would be stupid business! Is that what the fans want? - Uh, yes, I think it is what the fans want.
Clearly the fans want the UFC to sign a bunch of Russian teammates of Fedor’s that they’ve never heard of and go bankrupt paying for a guy who isn’t a pay-per-view draw and building an arena in Russia. For one fight.
That’s what I want the UFC to do. Because I’ve suffered a traumatic brain injury.
Don't believe a word I say, I don't train BJJ. -- TangleBones
yeah...
it was weird reading him say this will probably be chuck’s last fight on live tv. I guess he’s anticipating shogun will win.
I read it more like Chuck has already decided this might be his last fight, win or lose.
by Chris Nelson on Apr 16, 2009 8:23 PM EDT up reply actions
Nah
I think it’s marketing bullshit. Chuck said in videos just this week that he won’t retire in the ring, he’ll retire in the gym. Same old song and dance. I think they’re just making it out to be some huge deal for if Chuck ends up winning, considering the Leites/Silva fight isn’t much of a real main event.
I poop rainbows.
by Charles Awad on Apr 16, 2009 8:30 PM EDT up reply actions
I love it.
I don’t buy into alot of the bullshit people spew about the Dana-Fedor issue. Obviously some of the Russian’s demands are over the top, and Dana is a businessman. I hope one day Fedor fights in the UFC…but if not, I’m not gonna lose any sleep over it.
Maybe asking them to take paycuts is bothering them.
by Michael Rome on Apr 16, 2009 8:01 PM EDT up reply actions
Seriously
Though, I was hoping to read more about that. It says in the body of the interview that they’re calling them to verify or something. Any word?
I poop rainbows.
by Charles Awad on Apr 16, 2009 8:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Money isn’t everything if it was Fedor would be in the UFC right now. You never know perhaps M-1 wants Fedor to fight more than once every 6 months or they are wondering why Afflcition can’t seem to get it’s act together?
Money isnt everything… and doing whats best for Fedor isnt everything.
Finky getting M! global up and running and taking care of his other business interests is everything.
So a US vs Russia season of TUF coached by Fedor and Randy where Finkelstein sits next to Dana and picks the Russian fighters; three fight deals for Gilbert Yvel, Roman Zentsov, Kirill Sidelnikov and Jason Jones; a M-1 global ring post sponsor decal; a corner office at Zuffa’s Las Vegas headquarters for Jerry Millen to use; “M-1 Challenge Presented by Affliction” changed to “M-1 Challenge Presented by Zuffa” and allowing Fedor to fight in the world Sambo tournament every year?
If film has taught me anything about Russians
It’s that the one with a false leg is hiding cocaine inside of it.
by Farthammer on Apr 16, 2009 8:04 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
ROFL
That shit was epic!
Dana White: Yes. He’s one of my best friends, but this could be it. He helped build this business, but this might be his last fight ever.
Carmichael Dave: UFC President Dana White….you’re off the stay fresh maxi-pad hotseat. Thanks for your time!
Dana White: No problem. You’re a moron.
LOL
Follow my analysis of all things MMA on BloodyElbow.com
haha
Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
http://CurseOfRonKarkovice.blogspot.com/
by Brent Brookhouse on Apr 16, 2009 8:27 PM EDT up reply actions
Fedor’s not going to spoil watching the UFC HW division get better and better for me.
by Derek Suboticki on Apr 16, 2009 8:39 PM EDT reply actions
What?
“Still, one of the few times anyone has responded to Dana’s talking points about Fedor in person.”
Rome, have you been around Dana when he is smoking and joking with the media? I’ve seen reporters you guys disparage refuse to back off the Fedor question too. I just don’t think actually working with the UFC people is exactly the way you picture it. People disagree with Dana all the time.
I have. They generally give him the opportunity to recycle a few of the same tired points without really getting into it with him. I just thought this was more confrontational than it usually is.
by Michael Rome on Apr 16, 2009 10:04 PM EDT up reply actions
"Thousands of guys way more famous than him?"
Nationally maybe, but I can’t see someone more famous worldwide than fedor fighting for the UFC. Any idea who he may be talking about?
This is part of the whole problem with the Fedor/UFC situation.
Fedor is very famous in the internet mma fan world. Unfortunately for him (and the people in that world) that is a very small percentage of the universe.
I’d say Brock, Couture, Chuck, Tito, and even probably Tank and Ken Shamrock at some point have been more famous than Fedor when Dana/the UFC was dealing with them.
People way overexagerate Fedor’s “star power” and “fame”, he is the best MMA fighter in the world but that doesn’t mean that he’s famous because of it(even in his own country). Outside of the narrow confines of hardcore MMA fans Fedor is unknown in the states, heck even in Japan where he is most famous he wasn’t setting any viewership records for his fights. Fedor’s importance is in how well he fights not how many people know who he is which is good because frigging Junie Browning is more “famous” than Fedor is.
Yet, in Emelianenko’s native Russia, a country that honors athletic heroes almost as highly as its greatest wartime generals, few will probably be watching.
“Emelianenko is a huge star, on par with Sharapova and Ovechkin,” said Pavel Lysenkov, a journalist with Sovietsky Sport, Russia’s premier sports newspaper, referring to the tennis star Maria Sharapova and the N.H.L. star Alexander Ovechkin. (Comparisons with Mike Tyson of the 1980s also abound.)
“But I’m very surprised that in Russia very few people know him.”
Lysenkov and others said that this was probably because television coverage of mixed martial arts is practically nonexistent in Russia and that the sport, which came to St. Petersburg in the mid-1990s, remains largely confined to Russia’s northern capital.
http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2009/1/22/731834/fedor-emelianenko-makes-th
How about asking if Fedor has legitimate representation?
Instead of Finky performing the fiduciary responsibility he has for Fedor – He instead is using him as a meal ticket to leverage up his other business interests.
Does anyone really believe Fedor sees even 50% of what he’s supposedly getting “paid”.
Don King would be envious of these guys.
by mmalogic on Apr 16, 2009 10:00 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
What I read
when it says
He PROVES he’s the best. Pretty clear cut and simple. You guys try and make it out to be some crazy conspiracy or some bullshit. I have done deals with thousands of guys that are way more famous then him.
Is that IF he fights and beats Mir/Brock then goes to back to Affliction, the UFC would have mortgaged the credibility of the HW division for one fight. Then Affliction could promote him as “The greatest HW in the World” and “With wins over CURRENT ufc champ…” It would be a huge black eye for the UFC. Now Fedor wins, it opens him up to a huge American audience who are front runners and want to see the best fighter in the world fight. God forbid he takes those fans over to Affliction. Lets be honest, there are fans out there who have no idea who Fedor is as they think the UFC is all there is. A PPV buy for them makes the UFC as much money as your PPV buys so why rob peter to pay paul?
A one fight deal just ends up the UFC spending a lot of money advertising Fedor so he can be a more well known fighter somewhere else, it’s just that simple. Even if he lost he would get big exposure in the US if he headlined a UFC card, from a business standpoint it is very foolish to put time and money into building up a fighter who isn’t going to fight for you.
It would be like CBS running one episode of Lost and advertising why people should be watching it on ABC, it just doesn’t make sense to spend money making someone elses product more well known.
One thing from that interview that would be great
is having a media outlet at any negotiations between the UFC and Fedor’s team.
I have a feeling the true problem in this is the UFC’s rule about exclusive contracts and Fedor’s reluctance to sign one. I can’t say I blame either side, because each’s way of doing business is working well for them right now.
Dana is right
Somebody needs to say it. So:
Doing a deal that involves Fedor running off to fight for other people is stupid.
Doing a deal that involves Fedor running off to fight for other people and paying him more than he’s worth as a PPV draw is stupider.
Doing a deal that involves Fedor running off to fight for other people and paying him more than he’s worth as a PPV draw and then having to hire his entire shitty fight team is the stupidest.
But d oing a deal that involves Fedor running off to fight for other people and paying him more than he’s worth as a PPV draw and then having to hire his entire shitty fight team and then building them a stadium in Russia is OLYMPIC CALIBER STUPID. That’s stupid on an INTERGALACTIC SCALE.
Don't believe a word I say, I don't train BJJ. -- TangleBones
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