Fedor Emelianenko and the Rise and Fall of Strikeforce
by Mike Fagan on Aug 31, 2011 1:56 PM EDT
in Strikeforce News
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Every promotion Fedor Emelianenko has fought for failed.
Rings died in 2002 due to pressures of Pride's ascent. Pride collapsed in 2007, its parts sold to the UFC. (And if Zach Arnold is to be believed, it was Fedor's participation on Antonio Inoki's Bom-Ba-Ye show in 2003 played a huge role in that.) BodogFIGHT used Emelianenko once before calling it quits after losing a reported $38 million. Affliction spent their way into a hole as well before California denied Josh Barnett a license, sending the T-shirt company crawling back to the UFC.
Strikeforce didn't go out of business -- though it's long-term future is in doubt -- but its primary investors, Silicon Valley Sports and Entertainment (now Sharks Sports and Entertainment), made the decision to sell the company earlier this year. Rumors have explained the sale as SVSE not wanting to "take it to the next level" despite Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal reporting that the company expected to bring in $30 million in revenues this year.
Former Strikeforce Director of Communications Mike Afromowitz spoke with Sherdog about the Strikeforce sale, including Fedor's role in it (emphasis mine):
I think it was a deal that made it very difficult to be profitable from. So getting Fedor from a branding perspective was huge, and that was a risk that was, at the time, necessary to take. That was the biggest acquisition we had made as a company. Right away, signing Fedor put our company, put Strikeforce, in that many more households. Just the name Strikeforce -- it got out there.
...
You know, what's funny is somebody said to me not too long ago, ‘You are never going to make money with Fedor.' He said that to me because he thought that he understood the mentality behind Fedor's management. He said, ‘You are never going to make money with them.' [He] said that straight out to me. There's a lot of different thoughts out there, and I think maybe it wasn't the right move, but everybody wanted it at the time. And when we did it, it sure felt good. But it could have been part of the undoing.
...
I think there was a bittersweet feeling amongst certain people in certain circles. He had a great career, but it was a tough deal to swallow -- the whole Fedor deal. Him losing two in a row ... maybe it was for the best, from a business standpoint of course. Co-promoting is tough; there's a lot of different interests at hand.
The signing of Emelianenko seems to be a case of "more money, more problems." It upgraded Strikeforce from successful regional promotion to budding national company. With that came the additional headaches of M-1 Global holding Strikeforce and Showtime hostage in between Emelianenko's fights. Fedor's prestige convinced CBS executives to put MMA on network television, but with increased exposure comes increased responsibility, and Afromowitz specifically pointed out Jason Miller for hurting the business.
I highly recommend checking out the full interview. Afromowitz deals on all facets of his time at Strikeforce, and this is the most revealing look at what led to their sale thus far.
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The most important phrase of the interview wasn’t highlighted…
Co-promoting is tough; there’s a lot of different interests at hand.
The interests of M-1 weren’t necessarily the interests of Strikeforce. It makes it incredibly difficult to have a company remain financially viable. $30 million in revenue means nothing if you spend $60 mil.
by mjw2e on Aug 31, 2011 1:19 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Jason Miller?
I’m guessing he’s talking about that brawl between Miller and the Jake Shields crew on national TV.
I wonder how much it hurt the business and how. Did it turn off mainstream fans or corporate sponsors? Combo of both?
It’s going to be interesting to see as the UFC goes on FOX how they are going to control such things as when Paul Daley went after Kos after their fight. It’s one thing for that to happen on pay-per-view, another if it happens during a live FOX event.
In the case of the Nashville Brawl
it was just poor cage management by the Strikeforce officials running the show. Jason Miller never should have been in there in the first place.
As for the Daley incident, I mean you can’t really predict that kind of stuff, but as much as people might disagree, the appropriate response is to turn around and come down hard on the offender.
"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world."
- Jack Layton
Miller should have been in the ring to promote a rematch with Shields.
The way Shield’s camp reacted was the problem.
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What rematch?
The rematch that was never booked, never talked about and that no one wanted? If it was a planned fight that’s one thing but it wasn’t.
"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world."
- Jack Layton
He walked in saying “Where’s my rematch?”. You are correct, it was never booked but many people wanted it. Miller nearly subbed Shieldsa and more than held his own in their first fight.
You are missing the point. The guy goes in there to say “give me a rematch” and he gets jumped for it.
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Many people wanted it?
Who? I can’t imagine a single person who wanted to see a rematch of that stinker of a fight.
I’m missing no point. In no way to I excuse what the Cesar Gracie camp did. But Jason Miller never should have been in the cage to start with. He wasn’t involved in the fight in question, he wasn’t in either camp and he wasn’t being interviewed post fight. He walked in, uninvited and interjected himself into something that didn’t in any way shape or form involve him.
"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world."
- Jack Layton
by Worldisart on Aug 31, 2011 2:04 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Really?
Why? I can think of a million better things to do with 25 minutes.
"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world."
- Jack Layton
Masturbation is only ONE reason
" Tell me something Steve, How does a guy from Puerto Rico loose a ball in the Sun? "
i may be in the minority but it thought it was an alright fight
and would love to see it with elbows allowed.
by Body Triangle on Aug 31, 2011 5:23 PM EDT up reply actions
it was, especially due to the fact that Miller almost submitted him. that only made things more intriguing for me.
by Victor Rodriguez on Aug 31, 2011 6:21 PM EDT up reply actions
you didnt want it=/=no one wants it
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by Discman2 on Aug 31, 2011 2:27 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Dude
The fight was widely panned as being awful. There was zero heat for a rematch. There was not then and there is not now a big movenment to have Jason Miller and Jake Shields fight again.
"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world."
- Jack Layton
It was panned as awful
Because Shields won. Had Miller finished his choke, he would’ve been a hero. That was the selling point for the rematch.
Brent stated people were leaving the arena the fight was so awful
I went whale watching the other day. I think. There were a lot of people in that lake.
Selling point?
A fight that saw people leave the arena and change the channel and you think any promoter in their right mind is going to try to sell a rematch? Ha!
"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world."
- Jack Layton
by Worldisart on Aug 31, 2011 3:24 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
That was what, the third straight 5-round fight to go the distance that night?
"Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid." -John Wayne
Death before dishonor, drinks before lunch.
Never send sheep to kill a wolf.
by The American Ronin on Aug 31, 2011 3:27 PM EDT up reply actions
That was the Shields\Hendo fight
Shields\Miller was the co-main on the Fedor\Rogers card
"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world."
- Jack Layton
Doah!
"Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid." -John Wayne
Death before dishonor, drinks before lunch.
Never send sheep to kill a wolf.
by The American Ronin on Aug 31, 2011 3:36 PM EDT up reply actions
People usually complain abut Shields fights it wasn’t just the Miller one. I would have liked to see a rematch but regardless of whether you wanted one or not Shields and his group attacked Miller in the ring. How is that his fault? Maybe he shouldn’t have been in there but that doesn’t mean he should have been attacked by a group of people.
by pcusick13 on Aug 31, 2011 2:50 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
I never said he should have been attacked
I’ve said repeatedly in this comment section that it was wrong. I’ve also said Miller isn’t half the victim people would like to make him out to be.
"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world."
- Jack Layton
Miller was there to steal the spotlight. Beating was justified.
Miller was not invited to the cage. He came in there to get some free fame and take away from JS spotlight time. No one have heard of Miller prior to that. This sort of behavior will get you beat up in many places around the world.
Anderson Silva, Jose Aldo, Dan Henderson,Thiago Alves, Lyoto Machida, Anthony Pettis, and JDS are +1:
GSP sucks, and so as Jon Fitch and lets not forget Jake "pillow punches" Shields.
This sort of behavior will get you beat up in many places around the world.
That may be, but we are speaking in the context of a professional American sporting event, where it just doesn’t happen.
Of course, if Nick would have nutted up and fought Miller like a man, this would all be water under the bridge…
"Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid." -John Wayne
Death before dishonor, drinks before lunch.
Never send sheep to kill a wolf.
by The American Ronin on Sep 1, 2011 10:55 AM EDT up reply actions
I wanted it!
And although they shouldn’t have allowed him to just walk in like that, he wasn’t the one to start the physical stuff…
"Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid." -John Wayne
Death before dishonor, drinks before lunch.
Never send sheep to kill a wolf.
by The American Ronin on Aug 31, 2011 3:26 PM EDT up reply actions
If it was a hot event
they wouldn’t have cared but given that the entire event was pretty miserable in terms of grabbing casual fan interest and the main event itself was a real snoozer, that’s where the overrun becomes a real issue.
"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world."
- Jack Layton
That kind of thing happens all the time in other sports. Andre Johnson ripped a dude’s helmet off and started beating on him in the middle of a play during an NFL game on CBS and he wasn’t even suspended. There are a handful of NBA and MLB brawls with punches thrown every year. There’s a fist fight in almost every NHL game.
I’d say that the sportsmanship in the UFC is considerably better than any of the major sports leagues.
Miller hurt the promotion?
Dude was the victim in that brawl. They didnt realize Diaz, Shields and Melendez hurt their image, not Miller?
On another note, can someone please explain this: “And if Zach Arnold is to be believed, it was Fedor’s participation on Antonio Inoki’s Bom-Ba-Ye show in 2003 played a huge role in that.”
I know Fedor chose to fight for the Inoki show in 2003 but I wasnt aware of the connection in Pride’s downfall
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Miller never should have been in the cage
I agree that the responsibility doesn’t rest solely on his shoulders but don’t make him out to be the victiim here.
"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world."
- Jack Layton
Im not making out to be a victim.
He just was. He walks in and says “where’s my rematch?” and he gets attacked.
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He had no business being there
This isn’t professional wrestling where guys get to just interupt any interview they want.
"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world."
- Jack Layton
Liek Rashad Evans?
Like GSP? Like JDS?
The artful muppet formerly known as KrmtDfrog.
Please read my sardonic wit and over-blown sense of self over at headkicklegend.com
by Cory Braiterman on Aug 31, 2011 2:29 PM EDT up reply actions
You mean
Where the UFC brings them into the cage and they wait for an interview as opposed to intrupting an interview uninvited? Yeah, those were completely the same thing, sure.
"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world."
- Jack Layton
Right or wrong, he didn’t deserve to be attacked.
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
by Mike Fagan on Aug 31, 2011 2:36 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
True
Jason Miller was also very vocal to the media about what he did and did not like about Strikeforce.
Contributor at cagepages.com Come check us out.
Head Kick Legend
I've said repeatedly that Cesar Gracie camp was wrong
I just don’t think Jason Miller is really that much of a victim.
"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world."
- Jack Layton
Because, if you walk into the cage unannounced and ask for a rematch, you are asking to get stomped…wait…no?
In the aftermath the major criticism was not that Miller got in the cage but that they allowed everyone and their mothers from the Shields camp to enter. The Gracie-camp was the problem – in every way – that led to the fiasco. Miller may have been the spark but Strikeforce had watched the gasoline and dynamite stack up in the cage beforehand.
"A belt only covers two inches of your ****and the rest you need to back up on your own." Royce Gracie (allegedly...I just read it somewhere and thought it was cool for my sig!)
Probably shouldn't have been in there
But its not like that hasn’t happened before. Was just a bad moment all around. Strikeforce should have had security, Miller shouldn’t have interrupted Jake and none of this should have happened. Miller is smart enough to know what is going to happen when you pull that shit with the Diaz brothers in the ring. They might not have started it but god knows they are more the willing to end it. If that is the reason that CBS didn’t air anymore live events then obviously they weren’t in it for the long haul.
Right away, signing Fedor put our company, put Strikeforce, in that many more households. Just the name Strikeforce -- it got out there.
no… no it did not. I think mma fans whom already knew of SF just cared a bit more… overall SF had no brand recognition in the mainstream. At the time you could show a non mma sports fan a Fedor fight and have SF and M-1 logos all over the place and 8x out of 10 the fan would have said they were watching UFC.
Dude, that's just not true
Before they signed Fedor their biggest main event was Nick Diaz vs Frank Shamrock, or maybe Cung Le vs Frank Shamrock. Bringing Fedor into the fold made them a name across the country. People were talking about Strikeforce. They weren’t the UFC or anything, but they were out there.
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Head Kick Legend
Who was talking about SF & Fedor Not ESPN Not Sports illustrated...
There’s casual fans out there that have only begun to watch SF after the aquisition. SF never advertised or marketed there fights the right way regardless of whom was in the main event. There $ was going elsewhere. For this guy Afromowitz to think Fedor made SF a household name is insanity… what fucking households outside of fans that already knew of him previously?? Fedor can’t do great interviews due to language barriers, he isn’t a hype man, he isn’t looking to be anybodies hero… he had his legacy and it was a legacy very few north american fans brand new to the sport knew about at that time. SF did not brand themselves or Fedor through out this period outside of the usual mma media, if Fedor fought that first fight a
continued...
if Fedor fought that first fight as a ufc fighter it would have been so hyped and so heavily visable and advertised he would in fact have became a household name and be worth the $ him and his handlers want.
There's a world outside of ESPN and Sports Illustrated
Hell, ESPN and SI don’t even really give a shit about the UFC. And I would say that casual fans haven’t been watching SF post acquisition because ratings have been down.
Fedor isn’t a star like GSP or Brock Lesnar or anything, but he was absolutely the biggest name SF had access to. And a bigger name than Dan Henderson. Once they signed him they got out of San Jose. Whether you want to believe that or not is up to you.
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Head Kick Legend
You’re talking about “casual fans” – but that is a group even the UFC has problems appealing to. They end up selling their cards to the same core-demographic that nets them 300-500k buys more often than not. I think Strikeforce didn’t even have strong penetration in this core audience pre-Fedor and the signing helped them a lot.
"A belt only covers two inches of your ****and the rest you need to back up on your own." Royce Gracie (allegedly...I just read it somewhere and thought it was cool for my sig!)
If Miller "hurt" the promotion that badly do you really think Zuffa would have put him in the position he's in now?
This is why this guy Afromowitz is a former employee…
He sounds like a "sour grapes" kind of guy
I don’t really buy the whole Strikeforce “demise” narrative anyway. These people started up a regional promotion. By all accounts made it profitable and were enjoying some level of growth. Then sold it for 40 million dollars and by all reports turned a nice profit margin for their troubles.
The only demise was that some people lost their jobs in the exchange.
" Tell me something Steve, How does a guy from Puerto Rico loose a ball in the Sun? "
I'm sure it was an issue of more money more problems,
but they definitely got more money. Wasn’t SF ran by a staff of like thirteen people or something? Maybe that thirty million dollars should have been invested in some more help.
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It’s so funny if you read the interview because Afromowitz says “Mayhem hurt our business by going into the ring.. and Gilbert Melendez punching him in the face didn’t help.” Like come on man are you serious? Mayhem going into the cage would have been no big deal if he didn’t get jumped by a punch of guys yet you’re acting like his act was the problem.
Was Strikeforce really a successful regional promotion at the time they landed Fedor? I seem to remember they’d been in over their heads basically ever since the EliteXC acquisitions.
And I don’t want to sound like one of those “Fedor can do no wrong” types, but Strikeforce’s problems were largely their own fault. They were really unprofessional and not very good at promoting.
Sabotaging interest in your biggest event by turning the story to your new toy is not smart. Repeatedly deciding against announcing fights during events in favor of telling people to check the website in a few days does not build interest or awareness. They couldn’t even start weigh-ins on time.
Everybody seemed to have a soft spot for them and thought of them as the scrappy underdogs to the UFC’s evil empire, but I’m happy to not have to deal with Coker, Chou, and Afromowitz’s failings messing up the end product anymore.
50% more Ultimate than the leading competitor.
by Dodectagon on Aug 31, 2011 3:17 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Big time promotions shouldn't have such a razor thin margin...
of loss. If losing one or two million on an event is going to make them go bankrupt, then they have no business trying to national events with big-name main events.
How much did Affliction or BoDog pay Fedor (and his peeps) apart from percentages? 300,000? Half a million???
Okay, Affliction went down because Barnett failed his test and the whole event ended up getting scrapped… I can see that as a big loss (several million at least).
But it’s ridiculous to say that Strikeforce went under because of reasons like paying Fedor a million bucks (or whatever they were paying him).
They must have been making at least half a million at the gate and a few million from Showtime.
I would blame it more on the small shows like the Strikeforce Challengers events when only like a hundred people show up.
"He beat me fair & square. no, I’m sorry, he beat me fairly squarely" – GSP
the $ backers...
had no interest in advancing the sport or becoming a competitor to the UFC- they were there to make money. They were spending too much and not making enough and they wanted out. It was a business venture to them- not a passion play like it was for Coker.
"This is blood for blood and by the gallon. These are the old days, the bad days, the all-or-nothing days. They’re back! There’s no choice left. And I’m ready for war."
"I’m ready. It doesn’t matter with who or where. On foot or on horseback. With maces or poleaxes. To fight. To first blood or to death. It doesn’t matter, I’m ready to fight. I went hunting. For bears. With a knife. " - Aleksander Emelianenko
by John Danaher's Hair on Aug 31, 2011 4:27 PM EDT up reply actions
Agreed, to an extent
It WAS a successful venture from their standpoint. They started with a small capital investment. Turned a profit over the last 2 years. And sold the company for 40 million dollars.
Tough to argue it wasn’t a net gain for Coker and San Jose Sports MGM.
" Tell me something Steve, How does a guy from Puerto Rico loose a ball in the Sun? "
we don't know what their operating costs were.
we know that they claimed 30M in revenue, but we don’t know how much profit there was. It couldn’t have been doing amazingly well if SVSE wanted out so badly. I don’t doubt that they were close to really taking the next step financially, but that would have required financial risk, and obviously it was too much for SVSE’s blood. But yes- after the sale, you can’t argue that it wasn’t a net gain for the owners.
"This is blood for blood and by the gallon. These are the old days, the bad days, the all-or-nothing days. They’re back! There’s no choice left. And I’m ready for war."
"I’m ready. It doesn’t matter with who or where. On foot or on horseback. With maces or poleaxes. To fight. To first blood or to death. It doesn’t matter, I’m ready to fight. I went hunting. For bears. With a knife. " - Aleksander Emelianenko
by John Danaher's Hair on Aug 31, 2011 5:08 PM EDT up reply actions
There was not a nar damn report SF was losing money and the Fedor signing is exactly what got them bought by Zuffa
That’s an MMA success story. Not a fall. Strikeforce will continue to exist anyway for the foreseeable future.
I think people are just trying to look at this from their Zuffa tinted glasses
Dana said signing Fedor was a bad idea, so people are running as fast as they can to verify that. It’s a shame.
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given the results, was it a bad idea?
you could argue there were obvious benefits, but the downsides outweigh them by a ton. Dana was right about that.
by Victor Rodriguez on Aug 31, 2011 6:29 PM EDT up reply actions
I disagree
Without Fedor they aren’t the number 2 and they don’t get the check from Zuffa.
Contributor at cagepages.com Come check us out.
Head Kick Legend
Agreed...
and so…obvious…
"Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid." -John Wayne
Death before dishonor, drinks before lunch.
Never send sheep to kill a wolf.
by The American Ronin on Aug 31, 2011 9:26 PM EDT up reply actions
They didn't sign Fedor with an intent to get a big check from Zuffa
They were trying to be big time. Fedor got signed in August of 09 if my memory serves me, that’s supposedly when they got ‘big’ and in March of 2011 they were purchased by the #1 promotion.
So they lasted a little over 1.5 years after signing Fedor.
And also, it’s not biased or ‘Pro-Zuffa’ to recognize the risks in dealing with Fedor, well, Fedor isn’t really a risk, he’s a big name, but M-1 Global, the road block to Fedor, is a problem.
M-1 had dealings with BodogFIGHT, Affliction, and Strikeforce. The first two folded and the last one was purchased by it’s competitor and likely won’t last another year.
Oh yeah, they did SO well for themselves signing Fedor.
More like they made the best of what ended up being a backfired plan. Fedor and Hendo were their two big signings. Picture perfect Fedor, Hendo and Mousasi all fight on the April 2010 CBS card and all win big. Setting up Hendo for a 185 title defense or an opportunity to fight Mousasi and be a champ in 2 weight classes at the same time again…while at the same time setting up Fedor vs Alistair Overeem.
That would have set them up with 3 big names on good win streaks and some big matchups for the future. No promises on how well it would have worked in the very long run, but it certainly would have helped them out a bit.
That would have been ideal. Fedor lost the 2nd of his original 3 fights contracted, Hendo lost his debut and sat around for a long time before fighting again. The April CBS card was not exciting and the Scrap Pack Attack really put the icing on the cake.
Of course, UFC sometimes makes plans that don’t work. But the UFC has tons of options and often sets themselves up in no-lose scenarios. SF’s 2nd CBS card as originally sort of conceived could have been a resounding success. It just may have been the total opposite. It was a very heavy blow and they never quite recovered.
PACIFIC RIM
in theaters
July 12th, 2013
by Chris Groves on Aug 31, 2011 9:48 PM EDT up reply actions
DANA...
…was just licking his lips and waiting for Fedor to fail.
Win-Win situation.
But hell, 40 million and you gain a dozen decent name contenders…
"He beat me fair & square. no, I’m sorry, he beat me fairly squarely" – GSP
Not to mention killing off/taking over
The only other promotion that is anywhere near a legitimate competitor with you.
PACIFIC RIM
in theaters
July 12th, 2013
by Chris Groves on Aug 31, 2011 9:49 PM EDT up reply actions
This was entirely about killing a competitor, the fighters they add will be icing on the cake. Hell, they can’t get 3 fights a year for any of their top guys as it is…
"Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid." -John Wayne
Death before dishonor, drinks before lunch.
Never send sheep to kill a wolf.
by The American Ronin on Sep 1, 2011 10:57 AM EDT up reply actions
if it was not for fedor this company would of never made it to #2 status and they was on there way to do great things the owners just got scare and bailed. but if they would of stood with it strike force would still be in good shape. now everyone is just waiting for there collapse. the ex owners of sf will regret this 10 years from now trust me.
It's not clear whether Strikeforce was a successful company without Zuffa
Looking at their history it’s difficult to find a consistent approach except in that it’s been inconsistent all the way. Fighters don’t fight enough, the successful ones in the cage don’t always get the career matchups they should get, the divisions are very thin despite the acquisitions from EliteXC and even the high profile signings. The heavyweight tournament has been managed badly and now the ending will be very anticlimactic with neither Fedor or Overeem in the final and Cormier finding his way into the semi’s without even winning an alternate bout. They just lost their biggest moneymaking champion in Diaz and they paid way too much to Henderson and Fedor. They have talent in their roster, but lack the promotional firepower or events to build their talent with the fanbase. I actually wonder if the challengers series is successful, according to recent figures it doesn’t seem like it is.
M-1 Global = The quintessential of arrogance and stupidity
These guys ruined Fedor’s career. Their arrogance and I can say stupidity they failed to see the big picture when Afflication collapsed. I understood holding back on signing with the UFC after the Pride fall. But they had a golden opportunity to sign Fedor with the UFC and make what would have been fantastic fights for both Fedor’s career and the fans. Lesnar vs.Fedor at Cowboy stadium, Fedor vs. Couture. Fight the best win or lose would have cemented Fedor’s name as a true legend. Instead they opted to stick with the “co-promotion” shtick how did that work out for them? or to every promotion that sank into oblivion with them?
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