"Strikeforce President Scott Coker confirmed the news in an e-mail sent via company representative Mike Afromowitz."
"We offered Paul a six-figure contract to fight Fedor, but he turned it down," Coker said. "Paul's decision is understandable considering Fedor's level of skill but, at the same time, Paul didn't really fit into our plans. He's been a solid journeyman fighter and we wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors."
... "I've never claimed to be the best in the sport. But to say I turned down Fedor because of his skill level is a slap in the face." said Buentello.
HT: Sherdog.com
over 2 years ago
Nick Thomas
101 comments
0 recs |
Email
PrintComments
I think Strikeforce...
Is starting to look like the dude who beats on girls, but gets whooped by any dude worth his salt.
Continually insulting fighters via press release seems pretty weak when you don’t even acknowledge that you’ve made an enemy out of the premier MMA organizations… Also insulting fighters that would only bolster your shell of a roster seems wack…
I'm like PacMan fightin you silly kids... throw ya Hatton the ring, and get knocked outlike Ricky did.
lol.
by Loot on Sep 10, 2009 9:22 PM EDT reply actions 3 recs
Exactly.
This is just passive aggression from a group who should be doing anything but. If the enemy of the UFC is just doing snotty demoralizing things (admittedly, in a passive manner) people already dislike in the UFC, you’re not gonna encourage many allies.
Fedor didn’t say anything about the lack of competition of anything like that; He said they don’t treat you like a human. They treat you like an asset. an asset they’ll crap on the second you step out of line.
Looks like Strikeforce called his bluff.
Once the UFC honors his 1 fight left from Affliction (which I have my doubts they will), he will get a huge decrease in pay. And whether he likes it or not, he will be a gatekeeper in the UFC, sadly. Wish things would have ended in better terms. Bummer.
I think the UFC will likely give him a good contract. Maybe not the same kind Strikeforce would have given him, but good, and when you factor in sponsorships and all that, maybe better than Strikeforce would have given him.
The UFC can’t screw Buentello after making a big deal about paying off fighters to jump ship, or other fighters will see Buentello getting screwed and will respond by taking Strikeforce’s offers.
by Michaelthebox on Sep 10, 2009 10:16 PM EDT up reply actions
I would imagine he’s already got a deal worked out with the UFC at this point, he wouldn’t of broken off negotiations with Strikeforce if he didn’t. He will get paid good money as long as he is winning, just like every other fighter out there.
by who me on Sep 10, 2009 10:23 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I’m waiting for the crybabies to come out and cry because SF is talking shit about a fighter they cut.
How long do you think I’ll be waiting?
Call me a crybaby I don’t give a damn, that’s uncalled for, that’s a press released not a video blog appearance.
You don't look like a Tanaka.
You’re well within your rights to be upset, I’m just predicting this doesn’t come anywhere near the scorn and fury that comes down when Dana badmouths people.
Oh if Dana had a press release like that it would be like he was eating live kittens on Youtube, people would have a cow over it. What this shows isn’t how horrible and unprofessional Dana is it shows how the entire industry is. A fight promoter’s job is to promote his fighters and downplay the other guys. That’s how it works and that is what Strikeforce just did, Buentello didn’t play ball so the tossed him under the bus.
That said the press release is hilarious. So he was good enough to pay 6 figures and fight Fedor but he was just a journeyman that didn’t fit in with their plans(but they just said their plan was to offer him a fight with Fedor?). When you throw a fighter under the bus you aren’t supposed to toss your own organization under there with him :D
by who me on Sep 10, 2009 10:20 PM EDT up reply actions 14 recs
When you throw a fighter under the bus you aren’t supposed to toss your own organization under there with him :D
So true. This is a public relations clusterfuck of a press release.
by Michaelthebox on Sep 10, 2009 10:27 PM EDT up reply actions
Seriously, who in Strikeforce thought it would be a good idea to mention Fedor in this at all? Who at Strikeforce thought announcing they were offering a Fedor fight to Buentello wouldn’t make Strikeforce look bad? Why would you say he didn’t fit into your plans when you just spent a whole paragraph explaining how he fit into your plans and how much money you were going to pay him to be a part of those plans? It just doesn’t seem very well thought out.
by who me on Sep 10, 2009 10:46 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Dana About Sylvia, you know, their former HW Champ
"Are you kidding me, he seriously wants to return to the UFC?" asked White "He hasn’t won a fight in years and when he did he usually put everyone to sleep, the only time he’s in an exciting fight is when he’s getting his [expletive] ass handed to him. Look, he just got beat by a near 50 year old in under 10 [expletive] seconds, how do you expect to be taken seriously after that? he just made MMA look like a complete joke.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Sep 11, 2009 2:53 AM EDT up reply actions
That was after he got himself KOed in 8 seconds by a 50 year old boxer, and showed up to a fight about 30lb overweight.
After Tim and Andrei left the UFC, Dana was pretty mellow about them.
Keep firing Assholes!
Protect your caterpillar from Kimbo Slice.
Dana was trashing him before he fought Mercer.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Sep 11, 2009 3:35 AM EDT up reply actions
Yep and there is nothing wrong with that. Aside from being different in the fact that it was answering a question about a guy who the UFC let go a year and a half ago who also just made a joke out of himself and the sport as opposed to a official press release announcing a fighter leaving the company that is what you should expect a fight promoter to say in these situations.
Of course for it to be the same as what Strikeforce just did Dana would of first had to of written a paragraph above that one where he talked about how he really wanted Tim Sylvia back and offered him a lot of money and had plans for him to fight Brock Lesnar and then after he had trashed him wish him luck in his future. My issue with the Strikeforce press release wasn’t them bashing Buentello it was the crappy job they did of it and how poorly thought out the press release was. You don’t say that you are ready to pay a fighter big money and put them in a main event mega-fight and then turn around in the next sentence and say that they are just a journeyman and you didn’t want around anyway, that is just silly.
You are proving my point.
Dana did that and people were coming out of the woodwork calling him a jerk and saying how he is the biggest asshole on the world.
I personally think both are fine, fight promoters are professional shit talkers. To get mad at them for talking shit is silly to me, I’d just like some consistency.
I hope people don't miss the idea
Strikeforce offered to have Fedor fight Paul Buentello. Think about that for a minute. Think about how bad that is. They had at least 3 decent heavyweights but they chose to give Paul Buentello first dibs.
Yes, Affliction had talked about setting up that fight since Affliction 2. Paul Buentello felt he deserved that fight, for the reasons he states, but he also wanted to be PAID.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Sep 10, 2009 9:28 PM EDT up reply actions
On the same note, the UFC doesn’t want to pay him 6 figures, which is why he was stuck between the two.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Sep 10, 2009 9:29 PM EDT up reply actions
6 figures...
is an awfully broad #. it could be as little as 100k(not much for fighting fedor) and as much as 900k+(too much, sylvia like). betch the y are paying rogers more than what they “offered” buentello:):):):0
Because they wanted a tune-up to introduce Fedor before feeding him the “better” Strikeforce HW’s.
"Mindwarp earthlings seek to change our path" - Nick Blinko
Oh
I think if they need to get Fedor a tuneup they’ll have no trouble finding someone to do the “job.”
i can only imagine
the term “job” meaning “fluffer”, when Fedor and tune-up are in the same sentence…sry
They are so pathetic with their little insinuations in their press release. But proposing fedor to buentelo, wtf?
You don't look like a Tanaka.
by spectaa on Sep 10, 2009 9:27 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
I have no problem with SF talking shit about their fighters, but it’s pretty amusing when he’s still a guy that’s, what, the 4th best HW they have? 5th?
http://www.fourouncestofreedom.com
by Tim Burke on Sep 10, 2009 9:28 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
“Paul didn’t really fit into our plans.”
What plans? Do they actually know who Fedor is going to fight after Rogers? Overeem is likely candidate but they would have to build Werdum up a bit, and to me Paul would have been a perfect fight for Werdum.
Coker sounds like a guy who gets dumped by a girl anytime a fighter leaves.. “Well bitch I didn’t like you anyways!”
by DirtyML on Sep 10, 2009 9:41 PM EDT reply actions 4 recs
journeyman fighter? wtf, the dude has nearly 40 fights… not only that, but coker just admitted in that press release that they wanted fedor to fight someone that they viewed as a journeyman fighter. i’m sure brett rogers is a seasoned veteran now
by kanodogg on Sep 10, 2009 9:47 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
You seem to think that a “journeyman” is a fighter with not much experience.
Journeyman fighters are just those not expected to become champions at one point; tho who are “along for the journey”
In the medieval guild system, a journeyman was a craftsman who had completed training and an apprenticeship, but had not yet created a masterpiece. Seems like an excellent description of Buentello to me. :-)
Don't believe a word I say, I don't train BJJ.
I blog at TangleBones - you should follow me on Twitter here.
another strikeforce press release reeking of professionalism.
by woooburn on Sep 10, 2009 9:50 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
Does it even matter who Fedor fights at this point, really?
If he’s not fighting in the UFC he may as well be on bully beatdown.
by Fibbus on Sep 10, 2009 10:01 PM EDT reply actions 6 recs
That would be hilarioys
And the first time I’d ever feel bad for the bully, lol.
I'm the kind of girl who loves to watch a GOOD fight!
--------
Join the DC Area UFC Meetup Group
http://www.meetup.com/DCUFCGroup
by funnytiger on Sep 10, 2009 10:29 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
*hilarious
Crappy onscreen keyboard…
I'm the kind of girl who loves to watch a GOOD fight!
--------
Join the DC Area UFC Meetup Group
http://www.meetup.com/DCUFCGroup
by funnytiger on Sep 10, 2009 10:29 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
touch and an
e with that funny sign over it!
This pisses me off
Paul Buentello won’t ever claim to the best fighter, but he has never in his career ducked anyone and always bring his A-game. I’m surprised by this, because Coker has never been about this kind of think. I think he knows that Buentello is a good fighter and a valuable heavyweight to have in his weak division and really will miss him.
by mason_beer on Sep 10, 2009 10:39 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
I’m surprised by this, because Coker has never been about this kind of think
I guess you missed the hatchet job they did on Phil Baroni when he left. This has become Coker’s MO.
Exactly, but:
The two aren’t mutually exclusive. Nice is how you treat your secretary or the guy that makes your whopper. This is a business, and he has to act like a businessman.
An example: you can go to any market in Baghdad and buy a video-CD that contains a clip of a sweet old grandfather holding his granddaughter on his lap and singing “Happy Birthday” to her in English, then fast forward to watch him shoot a couple guys in the head with a handgun. That’s Saddam Hussein for you: a nice guy, great with kids, murdered a lot of folks.
Almost everybody’s nice. And it doesn’t mean shit. I mean, we’ve all watched the videos – Dana’s nice most of the time. But he’s a real prick when he needs to be. Anybody that was a fan of Strikeforce because Coker was “nice” has been fooling himself.
Don't believe a word I say, I don't train BJJ.
I blog at TangleBones - you should follow me on Twitter here.
Ok that was a scary post, you jumped from talking about a fight promoter being a fight promoter to Saddam Hussein shooting guys in the head…………… Was that seriously the point you were trying to make?
Fight promoters are not normal businessmen or the normal heads of companies, they aren’t expected to act like the CEO of Dell they are expected to act like PT Barnum trying to sell a product. We don’t know how Dana acts in his office day to day with the people he works with we only see the guy trying to get attention for his product.
i like him buentello but he doesnt learn he just burned a bridge he might of wanted to cross he should of sign with SF now if he gets cut from UFC where does he go? Dream/sengoku
Tito and Dana still speak the same language, and it is written on small green pieces of paper.
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
Random observation
I think having different coloured notes for different amounts of money is better than one colour!
Leads to cool (and often) fruity nicknames for cashola.
'He built his whole reputation as a waffle house chef. They’ve been serving him up ham and eggs with a side of canned tomatoes' - Don Frye on Fedor Emelianenko
by Well Read Idiot on Sep 11, 2009 7:45 AM EDT up reply actions
Ah Buentello. The same guy that told me at the first Affliction event that Aleks had HepC. I’ll actually trust his word over a ton of other people.
http://twitter.com/FlyByKnite
Meh
Buentello wasn’t really one of the guys that I cared about Fedor fighting anyway. Hell, I would have rather seen Monson fight Fedor
But yah, not exactly the classiest thing for Coker to say about Paul, even if it is true…
Supporting all Las Vegas MMA. Xtreme Couture FTMFW.
'09 is the year of the FW's.
this is what i didn't get from Paul's statements..
"I have made as little as $1 to fight the UFC champion and been paid as much as six figures to fight an up-and-coming fighter.
Buentello's old tweets have also hinted at this..
Ya strikeforce wants me to fight fedor …lol check out the great seats I have http://twitpic.com/e2gny I guess they would have deduct my check for the good seats. Hold please my nose is starting to bleed!
Fan: obviously they are tryin to court you with those awesome ringside seats.
Paul: I think yr right
Fan: hey paul is it true you are back in the ufc??
Paul: not a 100% yet
Sounds like I’m not a strikeforce fighter. No mention from the cage
He’s also talked about his future with MMA Fanhouse on Aug 21:
Said that he’s still on contract limbo and wasn’t with strikeforce.
It has always been about the money with Paul, and he wanted A LOT of it from Strikeforce.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Sep 11, 2009 2:56 AM EDT up reply actions
6 figures to fight Fedor isn't enough?
shit.
by Anton Tabuena on Sep 11, 2009 3:00 AM EDT up reply actions
He was trying to get PAID (Affliction style) because he knows the UFC wanted him to NOT fight Fedor. If he would have fought Fedor and lost, the UFC offer would have been off the table. It was obvious he either wanted a lot of money from Strikeforce to make it worth his while, or get out of his last fight and sign with the UFC.
Buentello vs Fedor was actually in discussion after Affliction 2, and would have been his in between promotion/contract fight while he signed something. The fight would have taken place in either M-1 or Strikeforce.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Sep 11, 2009 3:10 AM EDT up reply actions
After Affliction’s collapse, Buentello was dropped off his fight with Gilbert ‘The Spleen Eater’ Yvel and officially unemployed. Now it looks like Buentello will not sign with Strikeforce and instead go back to his UFC roots. When asked about Buentello’s future, his trainer (David Velasquez) said that Strkeforce hasn’t offered Paul enough money to fight Fedor and that they’ve been in talks with the UFC to return to his old organization.
http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2009/8/15/990751/paul-buentellos-trainer-david
by MMASuPreMaCy on Sep 11, 2009 3:20 AM EDT up reply actions
Just because they weren’t offering enough money doesn’t mean that Buentello has always been about the money, you seem to be painting a guy’s entire career by one quote from one of his trainers here. Of course guys are going to expect to make good money for fighting Fedor, that precedent was set a while back.
I was talking about the negotations with Strikeforce, not his entire career.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Sep 11, 2009 2:41 PM EDT up reply actions
So Buentello wanting a lot of money from strikeforce is bad, but Fedor wanting half the profits from a UFC event is ok?
No, both are good, but expecting a ton of money from Strikeforce is not something very reasonable, for a fighter like Paul. He can’t get an Affliction like contract from Strikeforce. There is a reason Affliction is not around anymore. That was my point.
The more money the fighters can get, the better.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Sep 11, 2009 2:42 PM EDT up reply actions
It has always been about the money with Paul, and he wanted A LOT of it from Strikeforce.
MMASuPreMaCy = Scott Coker?
Nah, I am saying the reason for the dispute was about money, plain and simple. I never said his entire career was about money. I mean the entire negotiation period. I never said it was bad or good, I said thats what the problem was about.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Sep 11, 2009 2:39 PM EDT up reply actions
Don't fear me:
… [crickets]
Can’t wait to see the Headhunter mixing it up in the big leagues!
Keep firing Assholes!
Protect your caterpillar from Kimbo Slice.
lots of opponents to choose from
i am a buentello fan, his win over eliers and the win over “baby fedor” were awesome. i cant wait for the fights the UFC gives him. duffee sure, but i would like to see him fight the loser of MIR/KONGO, or if they get Arlovski back, that would be good too. lots of possibilities, lots of knock outs.
ufc fan boy all the way
NICE!!! i hope the ufc picks buentello up. he sure can be exciting when hes in shape and ready for a war. also he has a great personality and character for the sport. btw (another fighter strikeforce has lost opportunities with and the ufc possible has gained).. hope they can keep up with these great signings and keep them for more than just 2 fights
We’d pay 6 figures for this bum to fight Fedor, but he wouldn’t do it because he isn’t good enough. I mean, we tried our best to put on a turd of a fight featuring a guy I am now willing to admit as being a journeyman but he turned us down. As such, he never really fit into our plans.
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
by Brent Brookhouse on Sep 11, 2009 9:24 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Sometimes I think it’s funny that people consider the strikeforce roster second-rate, till those fighters come to the UFC and suddenly everyone supports them.
I don't think Buentello is "top level"
but I think he’ll be valuable fodder for the new group of heavyweights coming out of TUF.
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
by Brent Brookhouse on Sep 11, 2009 10:15 AM EDT up reply actions
I know what you mean there.
I just think it’s interesting to point out the clear bias these days against strikeforce. All of a sudden I see people looking forward to seeing phil baroni fight and i’m sitting here scratching my head. Daley is another— he didn’t make an impact in strikeforce OR elitexc, but i’ve seen people worrying that he might take out a UFC welterweight contender.
Paul fighting Fedor would have been a tricky fight to sell
“Hey folks, why not sign up for Showtime and give up your Saturday evening to watch a fight between two guys that look like we dragged them out of an Exxon service station?”
At least Brett Rogers LOOKS tough. I’d be worried that Fedor and Paul might mistake me for a pile of donuts.
Don't believe a word I say, I don't train BJJ.
I blog at TangleBones - you should follow me on Twitter here.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Bloody Elbow
Related FanShots on Bloody Elbow
![Coach Trevor Wittman says Paul Buentello tapped out mainly due to pain from his dislocated finger, and considered retirement following his loss to Cheick Kongo:
"He couldn't take it anymore," Wittman today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "Kongo did a great job of applying pressure and (threw) nice elbows to the hip sockets and that high leg and the knees to the body ... that all had to do with it also. But his hand was in severe pain."
"The rules are (that) the fighter is allowed to put it back into place himself," Wittman said. "If he can't put it in and he can't continue, the fight is over. The doctor just kind of stepped in; I don't think the doctor understood the rules. We went over it with the commission in the back room. It was totally not the correct thing to do."
"[Buentello] said he was thinking about quitting," Wittman said. "I told him to not make any rash decisions. He was like, 'Oh, the UFC's going to cut me.' Honestly, from my perspective – and I try to keep it as real as I can because I love Paul, and I think he's a great fighter – I think he's got to have more dimensions at this high level of the game."
HT: MMA Junkie, Photo HT: MMA Weekly
UFC on Versus: Jones vs. Vera coverage](http://cdn2.sbnation.com/fan_shot_images/106273/kongobuentelloufcv1_dsc_2538_small.jpg)
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
MMA Rankings
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
