This is M-1 Global, This is the M-1 Challenge: "Dana says there's no way he's going to do a...

This is M-1 Global, This is the M-1 Challenge:

"Dana says there's no way he's going to do a co-promotion. How bad does Dana want to prove his fighters are the top in the world? If they want to say they got the top fighter in the world. Prove it. We're willing to prove it. Fedor's willing to fight anybody anytime. And he is, he's willing to fight anybody [but] on equal terms. We're not asking for more. We won't settle for less -- we're not asking for more though. Fedor will fight anybody on equal terms. So if Dana believes he has the best fighters in the world then shut up or put up. It was the same thing when I was at PRIDE. We got the best fighters in the world. Let the fighters fight. This is what it's about: the fighters fighting. Dana's made enough money, now let the fighters fight. If the fans want to see Fedor and Brock Lesnar, then let them fight. Whatever it takes, let them fight."

"Obviously they want to make the most money, but if they truly care what the fans want to see, then they'll do pretty much whatever it takes to make that happen cause we're asking for just equal treatment. That's it. That's all that is."

-- Jerry Millen says UFC Is the WWE of MMA

over 2 years ago Nick Thomas 50 comments 0 recs |

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THE REAL M-1 CHALLENGE IS TRYING TO NEGOTIATE WITH THEM

AMIRITE

by Chris Nelson on Jul 31, 2009 10:44 AM EDT reply actions

All I’ll say is this…

The production of those shows isn’t half bad at all. The promotional pieces are fairly good, and the fights themselves are a casual fan’s dream. Honestly, if people didn’t know Vadim and company were behind that promotion, people would probably praise it more. It’s actually not a half bad promotion at all. It blows EliteXC out of the water, that’s for sure.

Follow me on Twitter @lelandroling
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein

by Leland Roling on Jul 31, 2009 10:47 AM EDT up reply actions

So is what

you’re saying this, if their productions aren’t half bad, that also means they aren’t half good? No matter how anyone spins this, and I’m not trying to imply you’re spinning anything, M-1 brings very little to the table, and the demands can’t be met be anyone with even an iota of good business sense.

by proflex on Jul 31, 2009 11:32 AM EDT up reply actions

Their production is way better than most organizations. I’ll give them that. The statement I made has nothing to do with the quotes, so quit taking it that way. It was a mere observation.

Follow me on Twitter @lelandroling
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein

by Leland Roling on Jul 31, 2009 5:03 PM EDT up reply actions

Easy tiger

all I’m saying is that M-1 is trying to make everyone believe they are bigger and better then they actually are, and their demands are bigger then the UFC is willing to fill. I wasn’t taking anything anyway.

by proflex on Jul 31, 2009 5:16 PM EDT up reply actions

can you refer me to a particular m1 produced event that you think is comparable in quality to ufc-produced events? maybe even comparable in quality to the 2 affliction events?

i’d really like to see

by theblade on Jul 31, 2009 11:42 AM EDT up reply actions

Nobody said anything about comparable to the UFC. Affliction, I bet a few of the M-1 events are better than the first Affliction card. The dimly-lit card with Megadeth? Yeah, there were some better M-1 events IMO.

Follow me on Twitter @lelandroling
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein

by Leland Roling on Jul 31, 2009 5:04 PM EDT up reply actions

I cant figure out if you’re an M-1 plant or just a really terrible troll… M-1 hasnt put on an event from February of 2008, and every MMA company they have worked is out of business… so what exactly about that is “not a half abd promotion”?

by chucharro on Jul 31, 2009 1:00 PM EDT up reply actions

I cant figure out if you’re an M-1 plant or just a really terrible troll…

Probably not the best way to speak to a staff member around here, n00bster.

M-1 hasnt put on an event from February of 2008

You are smoking crack. (And they didn’t even have an event in February of ’08.)

And I fully agree, LR. They put on some great shows and have a gang of incredible prospects fighting under their banner.

by Chris Nelson on Jul 31, 2009 1:47 PM EDT up reply actions 5 recs

Chris Nelson is not having it folks.

"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito Ortiz on Vitor Belfort at Affliction:DOR

by Rundownloser on Jul 31, 2009 1:53 PM EDT up reply actions

Agreed. The M-1 Challenge shows and the way they are finding and building prospects is really great. They have done a lot to build MMA in Europe.

by MMASuPreMaCy on Jul 31, 2009 2:30 PM EDT up reply actions

What the fuck...

Are you talking about?

First and foremost, I said “not half bad PRODUCTION” I wasn’t speaking about the actual promotional management either. That has NOTHING to do with who they worked with or what events they put on. Learn to read before you post… ever again.

Follow me on Twitter @lelandroling
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein

by Leland Roling on Jul 31, 2009 5:05 PM EDT up reply actions

So equal treatment means bringing 1 fighter and doing no work and getting half of the profit?

Shut up Gary.

by Phildo on Jul 31, 2009 10:48 AM EDT reply actions 11 recs

UFC brings 200+ fighter contracts to the table. The largest MMA organization in the world. Million of revenues for each PPV event. They bring the largest draws in the world which include Brock Lesnar, Tito Ortiz, Kimbo Slice, and many others.

M-1 brings Fedor Emelianenko is not even a draw.

Sound fair to you?

Millen isn’t very smart. He has no leverage.

by AlwaysRelaxing on Jul 31, 2009 10:53 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs

Douche much?

by Newbs on Jul 31, 2009 10:54 AM EDT reply actions

reading this makes me reallyyyyyy pissed off..

I’d go off on how really fucking stupid that statement is, but the uncensored version would get me banned..

weoweoweo .deviantart .com

by Anton Tabuena on Jul 31, 2009 10:55 AM EDT reply actions

here's the censored post..

…..you ….. …. …. stealing … …. Fedor …. …. … ….. ….. ….money … …. …. … … … …. …. UFC … …. and …. … M1 …. …. …. ….. …. go …. yourself … ….!

weoweoweo .deviantart .com

by Anton Tabuena on Jul 31, 2009 11:01 AM EDT up reply actions 3 recs

Wait, wasn’t this the guy who worked for the company that caused Dana to hate co-promotion in the first place?

I sense a pattern forming…

by asa on Jul 31, 2009 10:58 AM EDT reply actions

its like the twilight zone.

by mma is #1 on Jul 31, 2009 3:06 PM EDT up reply actions

roughly 20 fighters on a fight card, so shouldn’t he only be asking for 1/20th of the profits from a show? ok, he’d be on the main card, so lets only count the undercard guys as counting as only half a person. that puts us at 1/15th. but he’s the main event, so we’ll count everyone else on the main card as only 3/4 of a person, so now we’re at 1/13th. M-1 should only be allowed 1/13th the profits considering he is only representing 1/20th the fighters. but take into consideration he isn’t putting any money forward… fuck him.
he says dana should be willing to do anything to get this fight signed… what about M-1, they cant concede co-promotion?

I'm old school hating Lesnar, I've been hating Lesnar since '08

by MicahW on Jul 31, 2009 10:59 AM EDT reply actions

This is one of the most idiotic, nonsensical, poorly argued pieces of speech since Sarah Palin announced she was resigning the governorship of Alaska.

How can anyone say Fedor is willing to fight “anybody, any time” when he has repeatedly avoided tough fights and asks for untenable contract terms to do business?

A wise man told me don't argue with fools
Cause people from a distance can't tell who is who

by thetakeover on Jul 31, 2009 11:02 AM EDT reply actions

Here’s an M-1 challenge for ya. Have Jerry Millen release a statement that does not instantly make me cringe.

"Brock Lesnar is a Bi-Polar Bear" and Kevin Lole called me a "clapping seal"

by beery_pbr on Jul 31, 2009 11:13 AM EDT reply actions

M1 can suck balls. They wanna do half M1 fighters when they have nobody but Fedor that fans actually want to see. They are trying to cash in hard on the UFC. They know that a Co Promotion with them is an idiotic business move and will never happen. They are like a whiney ass girlfriend that wont shut up. If they cared about the fans and the sport they would allow fedor to do a few fights with UFC.

by reciprocal on Jul 31, 2009 11:23 AM EDT reply actions

Letter to Jerry Millen :

Dear Jerry,

I read your letter and I appreciate you taken the time out of your…uhh….“busy” schedule to write your opinion on what you think of the way I do business. However, let me be absolutely frank with you :

Kiss My Ass.

                                                                  Sincerely,

                                                                  Dana White

by MetsGod on Jul 31, 2009 11:25 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs

From the sidelines

it looks like M-1, this apparently great global MMA organization that next to no one has heard of, is just trying to ride the coat tails of the worlds largest, most recognized MMA company to date. Seriously, if M-1 is this big success of an MMA promotion, and they are one of the best in the last decade, why do they need to push the co-promotion thing so hard. Why not put their money where their mouths are and run their own shows. Or is it simply a case of putting on their on shows wouldn’t draw enough interest outside of their only known commodity that they would go the way of Affliction? Jerry can be summed up very quickly, bench warmer that talks big, but has no clue. Oh and Jerry FYI, Dana doesn’t need to prove his fighters are the best, he has the best show in town, and the majority of the ranking systems out their are putting more of his fighters at the top then anyone else.

by proflex on Jul 31, 2009 11:29 AM EDT reply actions

M-1 is like cold war russia,

if you don’t know any better they seem like a real threat, but the truth is they have nothing that can do any damage to the ufc.

by dugmouth on Jul 31, 2009 11:52 AM EDT up reply actions

The interviewer should have been calling him out on some of these B.S. answers. How can someone hear these answers and not ask the obvious follow-up questions?

If they are so willing to take half the loss then Jerry Millen needs to be telling everyone at M-1 Global that they owe Affliction half the money they threw out the window.

by mattman73 on Jul 31, 2009 11:29 AM EDT reply actions

I agree… and After M-1 shows that they have paid for half of Afflictions losses directly related to Trilogy(not the fallout of failing) I want Millen to show me the Pride FC event where M-1 co-promoted if he wants to bring up Pride and "the best fighters fighting on equal (steroid-filled) ground.

by chucharro on Jul 31, 2009 12:03 PM EDT up reply actions

Why the hell should the UFC split profits with M-1. That would be like the NFL splitting profits with the Canadian Football League. Sure.. it sounds great for the CFL… but who gives a shit about the CFL!!!

by Mirjitsu on Jul 31, 2009 11:36 AM EDT reply actions

Being a

Canadian, I feel I can add something to this, well not really, you pretty much summed it up perfectly.

by proflex on Jul 31, 2009 11:41 AM EDT up reply actions

Before Millen, I thought that I needed to know a person for me to truly hate them.

"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito Ortiz on Vitor Belfort at Affliction:DOR

by Rundownloser on Jul 31, 2009 11:42 AM EDT reply actions

Just watched the video up top. Its as stupid as Millen. Not one damn fighter was mentioned besides Fedor and all they did was talk about how great M1 is in a desperate attempt to convince people how “Global” they are. Reminded me alot of their press conference earlier this week…worthless

by reciprocal on Jul 31, 2009 11:47 AM EDT reply actions

millen is nobody in the mma game

Fedor is corrupted heavily by M1. Why in the hell would the ufc want to co promote? What do they gain? They gain a low marketable fighter. If they signed Fedor and he headlined a ppv vs anyone other then Brock he wouldn’t be a ppv success.

I’m glad the ufc won’t co promote, I wouldn’t either. M1 Global won’t ever be worldwide, the UFC will. What bargaining chip earns M1 the right to make their own demands?

"What do you want from me?..... A Slap?"

by xtremecouture on Jul 31, 2009 11:48 AM EDT via mobile reply actions

is fedor like the final boss,that these up and comers face after they win the suppossed tournament?

b/c fedopr has no competition for him to face in M1

and they r gonna have to change that whole “in partnership w/ affliction” thing

unless this M1 parasite can find another big org to leech on2 they will die

by justizzer on Jul 31, 2009 11:48 AM EDT reply actions

Fedor is like the M. Bison of M1. He was from Russia

by reciprocal on Jul 31, 2009 11:56 AM EDT up reply actions

it’s all posturing on m1’s part, posturing as a “global” company, and now i think they are getting desperate, because a deal with the ufc is getting to be impossible with all those silly m1 demands

by theblade on Jul 31, 2009 11:49 AM EDT reply actions

If Strikeforce pays Fedor even close to what Affliction paid him the smartest thing for them to do might be a true co-promotion. That way when they lose money on those shows they can ask M-1 for half of it.

by mattman73 on Jul 31, 2009 11:52 AM EDT reply actions

Millen is the one person that can bring every single MMA fan together. Pride nuthuggers, Zuffa haters, Zuffa juicers, no matter who you ask, they hate Jerry/Gary Millen.

A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.

by iiowyn on Jul 31, 2009 11:53 AM EDT reply actions

“Fedor will fight anybody on equal terms… Dana’s made enough money, now let the fighters fight.”

So will Fedor be willing to fight for the same money Shane Carwin made on this last fight? You know as a warm-up to real competition.

Don't believe a word I say, I don't train BJJ. -- I blog at TangleBones - you should follow me on Twitter here.

by jemaleddin on Jul 31, 2009 11:54 AM EDT reply actions

Ah!

You know how that always goes in the business world “well…I’ve made enough money…no more concerns for me” I’m sure if Jerry was in Dana’s position he’d go ahead and not worry about making another cent because he “made enough money”

Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.

by Brent Brookhouse on Jul 31, 2009 12:13 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah, cause the Fertittas are rolling in it…. straight to bankruptcy court…

Don't believe a word I say, I don't train BJJ. -- I blog at TangleBones - you should follow me on Twitter here.

by jemaleddin on Jul 31, 2009 12:24 PM EDT up reply actions

Somebody has to pay for Frank’s new $30million bachelor pad.

by Steve4192 on Jul 31, 2009 12:25 PM EDT up reply actions

The Fertittas are not going to bankruptcy court Station Casinos is.

by mattman73 on Jul 31, 2009 8:05 PM EDT up reply actions

LOL at M-1 Global being willing to ‘share the risks’.

WHAT RISKS?

The UFC makes mad bank no matter who is on the card. They sold 400K PPVs for one of the most maligned domestic cards in recent memory (UFC 78). Perhaps if M-1 was willing to take 50% of the INCREMENTAL profit their demands would make sense. Brock Lesnar averages about 900K PPV buys per outing. Maybe if M-1 wanted half of everything over 900K I could see their point, but half of EVERYTHING? GTFO!

by Steve4192 on Jul 31, 2009 12:13 PM EDT reply actions

“As a worldwide spectacle, it’s rivaled in participation only by events as grand as the Olympics and the World Cup.”

That video’s a joke, right?

by kid_eh on Jul 31, 2009 12:45 PM EDT reply actions

bottom line, if you want Fedor, pay up…. thats about it.

"I’m not going to stop yelling because that would mean, I lost the fight!"-Kenny Powers
shooter/cutter for AllElbows.com

by ekc on Jul 31, 2009 12:59 PM EDT reply actions

More than pay up; pay way more than he’s worth to the sport.

"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito Ortiz on Vitor Belfort at Affliction:DOR

by Rundownloser on Jul 31, 2009 1:08 PM EDT up reply actions

I will kill myself if the UFC ever gives into the terms of M1!

by Bandaka on Jul 31, 2009 2:18 PM EDT reply actions

Positive Note

There is a positive thing to come out of this.

Anyone you find on any internet website saying that they think the UFC should go along with this 50/50 split of investment and profit can be immediately written off as a UFC-hating troll. There is no way on earth anyone can actually think this makes sense for the UFC on any level.

by Phildo on Jul 31, 2009 8:59 PM EDT reply actions