The Dana White and Fedor Emelianenko soap opera has taken an interesting twist. The UFC president told MMA Fanhouse that he is “obsessed” with signing Fedor Emelianenko. White also dropped a bombshell noting that he has recently talked to Fedor’s management team and hinted that he may not be under contract to Strikeforce.
This has the potential be huge news in the MMA world. It was almost a year ago that Affliction went out of business and Dana White boldly stated that he would sign Fedor Emelianenko to a UFC contract. A few weeks later Fedor Emelianenko and his M1 Global team shockingly announced a deal with Strikeforce. Dana went nuts and bashed both Fedor and M1 for the failed negotiations. Is the new Dana White we see a kinder more gentle Dana White or is there something big about to happen?
It isn’t necessarily the fact that Dana White wants Fedor Emelianenko in the UFC that is newsworthy. It is what he said or didn’t say about Fedor’s contract status with Strikeforce. Dana White said that he has talked to Fedor, “more recently than you think.” Dana was then asked whether that was contract tampering. White responded that he would never and has never negotiated with anyone under contract. White was then asked whether this means that Fedor Emelianenko is not under contract and White just smiled and repeated that he would never negotiate with anyone under contract.
Like many, I was stunned when Fedor Emelianenko turned down an estimated $30 million deal last year with the UFC to sign with Strikeforce for less money and lesser competition. I took this as a sign that Fedor was more interested in keeping his legacy intact rather than becoming $30 million richer. The idea that Fedor Emelianenko would now be faced with guys like Brock Lesnar, Frank Mir, Cain Velasquez, and even Shane Carwin isn’t as appealing as fighting Brett Rogers and Alistair Overeem if your main objective is to protect your legacy. Until Fedor Emelianenko is signed to a UFC deal, I still believe that the fear of competition is what is keeping Fedor from stepping into a caged octagon.
So here we go again. It is quite possible that Fedor Emelianenko could be walking out as a mystery surprise at an upcoming UFC event. Dana White has gone on record saying that he would put Fedor Emelianenko immediately into a UFC heavyweight title match upon his arrival. Brock Lesnar is already penciled in for a July fight against Shane Carwin. So if this is the case, the earliest we would probably see Fedor Emelianenko fight in the UFC would be late September, early October.
At this point, it would be well worth the wait!
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Eric G.
Eric is the owner and editor-in-chief of the Camel Clutch Blog. Eric has worked in the pro wrestling industry since 1995 as a ring announcer in ECW and a commentator/host on television, PPV, and home video. Eric also hosted Pro Wrestling Radio on terrestrial radio from 1998-2009. Check out some of Eric's work on his IMDB bio and Wikipedia. Eric has an MBA from Temple University's Fox School of Business.
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