Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Even in Philly, UFC’s White still talking about Fedor, Strikeforce

UFC 101 Press Conference

Alejandro A. Alvarez / Philadelphia Daily News

UFC President Dana White is questioned by the media following a press conference.

While the majority of UFC news from the “City of Brotherly Love” caters to tomorrow’s UFC 101 event, UFC president Dana White still can’t stop talking about Fedor and his deal with Strikeforce.

The UFC’s main man says he still can’t understand why Russian star Fedor Emelianenko didn’t want to be a part of the UFC.

"If I was sitting on Fedor's lap that deal wouldn't have got done," White said after Thursday’s press conference. "Didn't matter. The deal was not going to get done. We went in there to do a deal, they didn't."

White said it wasn’t about the money as reports suggested Fedor could have made $30 million for a six-fight deal.

"It's definitely not about money, it's definitely not about contracts,” he said. “What's it really about? I don't know, I don't get it."

Emelianenko responded to White’s accusations on a conference call Thursday, saying the UFC president disrespects his fighters and disputed the actual numbers in the UFC’s contract offer.

"From my viewpoint, the UFC does not have the proper attitude to fighters," Emelianenko said.

"The UFC attitude towards fighters is not a good one. They don't treat them like human beings. And I don't like their policy. The offer that we got was one kind, and then on the Internet they published really different numbers. The offer they gave us was really miserable."

While White has always been cordial with Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker, unlike his dealings with other MMA promotions such as the recently folded Affliction, he said if it comes down to it the UFC would fight the promotion he dubbed “Strikefarce.”

“They should have stayed the way they were," White said.” If you want to fight me, we'll fight. You know how that goes. And we know how it ends."

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