« Fedor press conference today in Anaheim | Home | How effective was the media campaign against Fedor? »
The activist media campaign against Fedor
By Zach Arnold | July 30, 2009
I haven’t said much on the whole Fedor “will he or won’t he?” story in regards to whether or not he will go to UFC. I’ve always felt that it will never happen, so why get antsy about it? I think Fedor’s camp will be perfectly happy with having the mystique of their guy being ‘the one that got away’ from UFC.
However, there seems to be a lot of media types who unfortunately are acting more like political activists than actual writers and reporters. What a shock, I know.
On various message boards and web sites (and a couple of radio outlets), we’re now lead to believe ‘rumored’ numbers like Fedor being offered $30 million dollars by UFC, and yet there’s no online ‘fingerprints’ from UFC’s behalf for it. It’s the David Axelrod graduate school of marketing here, but it also helps to have willing participants ready and able to carry your water. (Carmichael Dave is on KHTK in Sacramento and Dana White is a frequent guest.) Have you noticed how the campaign of information and misinformation online is working to discredit Fedor and try to paint him in a bad light? Look, we know he’s isolated and nothing is going to change and whatever happens for the rest of his career, it will be on him in regards to why he didn’t fight in UFC. If that offends you, then it offends you. Obviously he seems happy with his current business arrangements, so let him go off and do whatever he is going to do.
However, this idea that web sites and blogs should participate in an explicit active role of ‘being used’ for spread information/misinformation in regards to what UFC is ‘allegedly’ offering to Fedor’s camp is silly. It plays right into Dana White’s hands. Hey, if the MMA web sites say anything negative about him, he has ammunition to not give them media credentials for live events. And if the web sites start astroturfing in order to generate good press for UFC, well he has his cake and can eat it too.
One of the media tactics that UFC has used in the past with great success, on their own accord and/or through various media members, is that they will float a news item and do it so strongly that by the time there’s evidence to contradict the initial claim, it’s already too late because the majority of people have already bought into what UFC (or the media writer) has said. UFC has managed to use the speed and repetitiveness of news cycles, combined with media laziness, to craft the message they want the public to absorb. You always see this with ‘PPV buyrate trending estimates’ or, the best example, being the Zuffa Myth. It has been said that UFC invented rules and cleaned up MMA so many times in the press that even if you try to correct the record, only a small percentage of media consumers will figure the initial claim is bogus or spin - the majority of media consumers and writers just end up parroting what UFC said in the first place. In fact, this rapid response claim tactic is what UFC does best — and they have willing, anxious participants in the media who are ready to write it and carry water at any time. If you were in UFC’s shoes as a promoter and have a bunch of willing writers willing to carry your message unchallenged, you’d do the same thing. Can’t blame them. In this case, blame the messengers.
The amazing thing in all of this flurry of activity within the last 24 hours is just seeing how many people in the media are so willing to do whatever it takes to get Fedor into UFC. A perfect example of this is right here.
If anyone from M-1 is reading this, allow me to give you a heads up. The more news of these terms spread, the more the MMA fanbase (hardcore and casual) are going to turn on you in what I can guarantee will be pure viciousness in its backlash. Perhaps that is of little concern to you and your motives, but it is an inevitability.
Why the hell would Fedor or his camp care about what writers say about him? Seriously. They’re not the ones paying him $1.5 million USD per fight; promoters are. But I have to admit — Fedor’s camp has opened himself up to this line of attack when they sent out that goofy semi-press release stating that they wanted Brett Rogers instead of Vitor Belfort because of what they saw on a web site.
“Pure viciousness?”
So the same Fedor fans who are being encouraged to get upset by various web sites because he won’t sign with UFC are just suddenly going to stop watching the guy fight, especially if he fights Josh Barnett in Japan on NYE? Whatever.
I’m more than willing to be a pawn in this negotiations if it means we see Fedor vs. Brock in the UFC.
Let me stress that if you are a fan and you are adamant about doing whatever it takes to drumbeat support for Fedor in UFC, that’s your right. You’re a fan; you’re not a writer and you’re not trying to pass yourself off as a professional. Too many people on various web sites and blogs want ‘respect’ and want to be treated like a professional ‘journalist’, yet act in an entirely different manner. Perhaps Fedor is flushing down some cash down the toilet for not signing with UFC, but the longer this story progresses the more it seems that various UFC boosters are willing to flush their credibility down the toilet as well.
It’s one thing to be an ‘activist’ if you are trying to root out, say, steroids or the mafia from the fight game. It’s another thing to become an activist and to huff and puff when a fighter doesn’t want to sign with your favorite fight promotion.
Addendum: Couple of arguments already against what I’ve written here…
a) I’m not on anyone’s side here. Re-read the article and you’ll see that I’m not siding with Fedor. I don’t care if he’s in the UFC or not. I’m not an activist on this issue and neither should other writers who want to be taken seriously, either.
b) I’m amazed at what people take away from certain articles as opposed to what the whole point of the articles were in the first place. Case in point - the BJ Penn article here yesterday with his quotes about the media ended up turning into… you guessed it… a re-hash flame war debate on Penn vs. GSP, which wasn’t the point of the article. Now with the article about media activism in trying to pressure Fedor to sign with UFC based on generating a negative campaign, people start arguing about… why Fedor is a clown and a bad guy for not signing with UFC.
Topics: M-1, MMA, Media, UFC, Zach Arnold | | Permalink | Trackback | Share This
I could not have said it any better. Is there any question left that these “journalists” have emotional (and perceived future financial) attachments to the UFC primarily?
Seriously, no one in the UFC makes $5 million guaranteed. Not even close. But everyone flips the fuck out like that’s what they really offered Fedor? LOL. Rubes.
Or, the Zuffa Myth Myth, that Zuffa is the entity that perpetuates the myth. I continue to believe that people are giving the media too much credit in this matter. There are precious few journalists left, and of the reporters, 90% of them are rewriters who look up an article from someone else and reprint it with a few new quotes. Get the story wrong once, and everyone down the line gets it wrong.
Calling out “estimates” is kind of weird to me too. They’re estimates, they’re expected to be wrong. The numbers serve no useful purpose to the public anyway. It’s information for investors and fighters, and UFC has no good reason to overestimate those numbers in public when the fighters are going to look at the number and think “I’ve been cheated” later.
Other than the mentally ill, people don’t just lie for the hell of it, and I don’t see a reason for UFC to lie on either of these matters.
Got a short memory there on UFC pushing how well PPVs are going to sell. We hear one thing right after a PPV in terms of buys and then the real number comes in a month or two later and it’s… surprise… lower.
Guess which number fans know about in the end?
And for your “Zuffa Myth Myth” comment — as aptly noted in the post, the media is plenty lazy, but UFC has done their fair share on this too.
Other than the mentally ill, people don’t just lie for the hell of it, and I don’t see a reason for UFC to lie on either of these matters.
What was that after UFC 99 then?
Look, the UFC feels that they can depend on the media to post their version of events everywhere right now. That’s obvious. BloodyElbow isn’t going to give any counter offer or talk from M-1 or Vadim a second of positive thought. Maybe they don’t deserve it? But then the UFC doesn’t deserve absolute credibility either, and they’ve demonstrated that god knows how many times.
My guess is that Carmichael was told this by the best 100% source out there -Dana White. So much of it is hilarious too: Its contracted that Fedor/Lesnar would be the biggest PPV ever? LOL! What, is Zuffa gonna buy the show for 500,000 people just in case? 5 Mil a fight? Well, sure…if the money wasn’t coming on the downside, or wasn’t guaranteed, or wasn’t tied into the percentages on PPVs. What do you think the possibilities of that is?
Hilarious. All of it.
I cant believe the mass outcry to Fedor not being in the UFC. I dont understand why people seem to get so emotional about it taking it so personally. I’m a huge PBF fan when he retired fights v Cotto, Moseley, Pacman were out of the window. Did I take it personal and decide that PBF deserves all the hate. Hell no!!
Better yet, liger: Imagine people demanding Floyd sign to Top Rank and then touting rumors from the promoter about pay and clauses only. Completely ridiculous, right? Not in the MMA Blogosphere.
And Floyd Mayweather got paid $20 million guaranteed to wrestle at WrestleMania last year!
The MMA media need to realize that Dana White is a worker. To quote Paul Heyman - one of the best workers of them all, they should assume everything he says or stems from company sources is a lie and seek the truth to verify or disprove their claims, before giving credence to them. Fedor being offered $5 million per fight plus a PPV cut is absurd, unless Dana White has completely lost his mind with his recent success.
So let me get this straight…
Fedor is offered the most money in MMA history.
Fedor is guaranteed to get more exposure in America then ever before.
Fedor’s new exposure will even allow him to show off the M-1 logo.
Fedor then goes to the media with a “press conference” and answers no questions. Actually, they avoid every single one of them.
And yet you expect anybody… Fan or journalist to be on his side?
Bwahahahaha…. Best laugh of 2009 for me!!
There is obviously an alterior motive for Vadim. This is why he won’t bring Fedor to the table. He is giving him funny math and fears that Zuffa will do a quick 10 minute lesson to educate him on what tactics his manager is using to screw him out of millions.
When you get the best offer a sport has ever made, you take it. If you continue to complain after that… You lose your credibilty, bargaining power, and legacy. And that is what the media is feeding on. Try telling yourself it is anything else, and you are over thinking it or just not making any sense.
^You’ve basically proven Zach’s point.
The UFC has floated a rumor that those are the terms of the offer, without (if i understand the facts as they stand) ever coming out and saying it themselves. If it’s BS they can just shoulder shrug and say it’s someone who didn’t know what they’re talking about.
Point beinng - it appears that not one single “journalist” has attempted to verify this rumor and its just being assumed and reported as truth…and its veracity is growing as “truth” as it continues in the echo chamber of mma news.
45 is already going around making arguments and calling into question others credibility based on being armed with “facts” from a rumor being repeated as cold hard truth.
I don’t think I made one point clear enough…
They blatantly wasted the medias time yesterday. They gave short notice for a press conference. They acted like they would take questions but they didn’t answer one of them.
When you treat the media like they did, there is going to be backlash (unless you are Loretta Hunt and are too dumb to realize you just got your time wasted).
If baseball writers were subjected to that, that palyer would be ripped to shreds the next day on eery website and in every newspaper. You don’t waste peoples time with co-promotion BS that doesn’t even make sense. And the straw that broke the camals back was what Zuffa released.
There is a long documented history in baseball that some palyer who treated the media nicer (Mantle) got a free pass while players who treated like garbage got crapper on (Bonds). There are human emotions involved. And right now Fedor and Vadim are on most peoples last nerve.
If anything, some of the media has not been tough enough on them.
Its not so much that I believe everything that is reported that is pro-ufc, because I don’t.
I’m also not a MMA media member.
However, I would like to see the sport become legitimate, and I desire to see a clear champion in each weight class. Having the “best” heavyweight fighter compete in the “best” promotion only helps MMA gain credibility as a sport in the eyes of the mainstream media and the casual fan.
MMA is not human cockfighting, or human dog fighting. The mainstream media doesn’t give mixed martial arts the credit it deserves.
The way I see it, many members of the MMA media are tired of seeing MMA be treated as an unwanted stepchild by the general sports media, and a major fight such as Brock vs. Fedor would draw so much attention, and money, that even ancient sports media members such as Bob Ryan would have to pay attention.
The UFC has the rights to most of Fedor’s fight footage, and have the ability to market Fedor like no other promotion in the US.
It appears, and I don’t know for sure, that Vadim is holding up a blockbuster deal and opportunity for the growth of the sport of MMA in his own best interests. This only hinders what so many MMA media members, and die hard fans, have been trying to protray to the casual fan and ignorant observer, that MMA is a legitimate and credible sport.
The way I see it…the activist media campaign isn’t necessarily against Fedor, but his incompetent and self serving management.
This is campaign for the growth and acceptance of Mixed Martial Arts.
I hope journalists continue to point out the ridiculousness of Fedor’s management and decision making so far, and on the flip side I hope journalists report on why Fedor shouldn’t sign with the UFC, and why Fedor’s management is truly doing what is in his own best interests.
However, I haven’t read a single MMA article defending the actions of Fedor’s management so far.
Carmichael said he had a credible source. Why doesntthat work for him? It’s a two sided coin with you people. An unnamed credible source only works for you it it anti Zuffa…
He has a radio show to protect. He isn’t going to just put out bogus info without checking it first. And he basically said he was very cautious about putting out info on his radio show.
One last post on this topic and then I’m done discussing it.
If there is an audio file of Carmichaels show, go listen to it. At one point he slips and says he has seen the contract. Then he tries to go back on what he said, but it was obvious that he had seen it.
It makes it even more obvious that Zuffa felt like they were giving a more then fair offer and decided to let him see it to have him release the information. With that said, it is highly unlikely that White change the contract before hoeing it to Carmichael. Therefore, the information is legit. To deny this is just MMA fans typical MO of looking to hate on everything Zuffa does.
Therefore, the information is very very likely to be true. And when you combine that information along with the fact that Fedor wasted the media’s time…. And of course he is goin to get brutalized. The media was waiting to bash on Fedor. Zuffa just provided the hammer.
So when stuff is floated out there against the UFC, it is ok for the online folks to jump in??
How often is Dana and co taken to task by the online media? That is ok, but if the writing is something in favor of the UFC there is a problem?
Looking online, the backlash started after the M1 media call and picked up steam as the night went on. Not just writers but on the forums as well.
You seem to suggest that you are one of the few free thinkers of the MMA online community. I think that is an insult to many of the folks that work hard writing about MMA.
CD said he has verified some of the numbers with the Fedor camp. Maybe he is just lying, he certainly does not have any legit journalism in his past so I can see why he would fuck around with the truth to make Dana happy.
You often do a fine job, but your self-righteous act gets old.
you are our ombudsman
I’m not a pawn for anyone when I write articles, and neither should other writers in the MMA media who want ‘respectability’ and to be treated like ‘journalists’ instead of jock sniffers looking for free media credentials and goodies.
This is not purely an issue about anonymous sources. This is an issue about people readily admitting that they are starting a negative campaign, that they will be willing and active ‘pawns’ for a promoter so they can get their proverbial ‘crack’ in order to see a fight happen for their favorite promotion.
I would hope writers would have more self-respect than to lower themselves to publicly saying they want to be ‘pawns’ to push an agenda that benefits a promoter by negatively going after a fighter, but perhaps that’s not meant to be.
I often hear people play the ’self-righteous’ card against me, including my friend Ryan (Fightlinker) when I wrote that article about out-of-competition drug testing and how the media should be giving Keith Kizer more heat over it. Look — if people can’t call a spade a spade and if they can’t tell the truth and confront people who are playing politics on important issues in the business, then they don’t deserve respect from their readers. I feel more embarrassed than anything else that media types are so caught up with the Fedor/UFC story that they have publicly admitted that they will do whatever it takes to get their favorite fighter signed up to their favorite promotion.
I’m sick of Fedor’s Brett Favreism.
There is absolutely no way Fedor was offered $5-$6 mil guaranteed a fight. Anybody who believes that is a total idiot. At best the idea floated that if pay-per-views were big sellers, he’d get bonuses and DVD royalties that would come out to that much. But as base pay? You’ve got to be kidding me. Think about the uprising from fighters if that happened. Imagine being one of the TUF alumni, wanting more money after being stuck in that lousy TUF contract and hearing Zuffa plead poverty and the need to spend what they make on “expanding internationally.” Then you hear Fedor is going to make guaranteed $30 million under a 5 fight deal. You would blow a gasket and every single fighter in the UFC would be on the phone to their lawyers wanting a contract restructoring.
And it’s also funny the same writers who got mileage complaining about how cheap Dana White is, how he will get by on paying the bare minimum as long as he can will willingly set a new precident for fighter salaries on a guy who some of which also claim will never draw any money. This is insanely stupid. Shame on all of you for buying into it. And interestingly my cached word is “WORKED”, because that’s what you’re getting.
“I would hope writers would have more self-respect than to lower themselves to publicly saying they want to be ‘pawns’ to push an agenda that benefits a promoter by negatively going after a fighter, but perhaps that’s not meant to be.”
They are not pushing a promoters agenda. They are not lowering themselves These people are fans of the sport. They have looked at the facts. They have seen what Zuffa has offered. It is MORE then fair if not overly generous.
They think Fedor’s manager is being unreasonable and standing in the way from not only Fedor going into the UFC, but also Fedor/Brock. And the backlash then occcurs. And rightfully so.
In no other sport would fans defend the actions by Vadim and Fedor. Dana White is paying a manager EXTRA because he knows that’s the only way to get Fedor.
Zuffa has done their part. They are MORE then reasonable. So to think the media is just pushing the UFC agenda is laughable at best….
Fedor is the joke here. And if you put these facts out to any casual MMA fan, they would have laughed at you for bashing the media for taking the UFC’s side.
Yes, if there was more proof than some guy making claims from a company that is very anti-media.
It’s amazing to me how the summer of 2009 has become the age where Zuffa mysteriously thawed their icy relationship of the past 3 and 1/2 years with the media. What was the catalyst? The Hunt-incident?
Now suddenly the media has intimate access to the UFC, good enough to give them business advice according to some, and a company who once boasted about paying the majority of their contracts in private bonuses specifically to keep the media away from how they pay fighters suddenly is open enough to show a radio host an entire contract? It makes no sense. And I don’t even know the legality of it, if it’s a pending deal isn’t that confidential? All the leaked contract info from other sports is usually hearsay from anonymous sources in the organization, not inviting some random guy to swing by the office and read it over.
“They have looked at the facts. They have seen what Zuffa has offered. It is MORE then fair if not overly generous.”
What facts? Luke Thomas hasn’t seen the contract Zuffa offered Fedor. He doesn’t know for certain what the facts of the situation are. He’s just taking someone else’s rumors at face value. A proper journalist (like Dave Meltzer who admits that he doesn’t know whether the $5 million figure is a real number or not) wouldn’t give such credence to these ridiculous figures without verifying them independently himself. Odds are good that in a week or two’s time, it will be reported by Dave Meltzer or someone else that those numbers were BS, as Dana doesn’t want a dozen headline fighters being grumpy, demanding that their contract be renegotiated and asking for similar multi million dollar guarantees.
If that wasn’t bad enough, Luke’s comment about being a willing pawn for UFC shows a reckless disregard for the truth. That comment implies that he so badly wants to see Brock vs. Fedor in UFC, that he would happily float or give credence to rumors that he knows or suspects to be untrue, because the end justifies the means.
my anti spam word was ….worked
the UFC has “worked” over the MMA media with one simple call to their favorite Sac town DJ
Are you kidding me? 5 mil a fight, plus a cut of the PPV and DVD sales
if, this offer is true (lol) what would the other 199 fighters on the UFC roster have to say about this deal? A Silva, SP, Lesnar I’m looking at you
The reaction to this is just as hilarious. Could you imagine Sal Paolantonio writing an opinion piece saying he was gonna do anything he could as an ESPN journalist to prevent Michael Vick from being signed to an NFL team, then attempting to defend it and his legitimacy as an objective observer of the sport of football? What a joke.
But hey, it got a bunch of internet people (who I seem to remember being insignificant and would watch anything anyways) enraged and posting. Doesn’t matter what’s true or reasonable as long as the ad revenue is up.
You’re right. And I hope this gets thrown up in the face of all the “MMA journalists” who want to be taken seriously and get their press passes. Journalists are supposed to be objective, to report the facts as they are. If they want to editorialize, then they’re simply columnists, not journalists. Chewing out M-1 because your personal opinion is they should take a sweet deal is clearly editorializing.
And it’s also a side-effect of this bizarre powertrip MMA writers have been on. They’re in this insular bubble where they’re thinking about MMA 24/7 and the only feedback they’re getting is from their hardcore fan reader fanbase showering them with importance. They concentrate on that and don’t realize 98% of people who are UFC fans don’t read MMA sites, and if they do they don’t take it as seriously as MMA writers want to believe. They’re just such marks for themselves they can’t see it.
Another truth: public opinion means nothing to people in power. It’s like somebody thinking they can go on TV and say “President Obama should cut back on his health care plans” and thinking President Obama is going to say “You know what, that guy is right. Let’s stop this.” M-1 clearly don’t care about your opinion, Dana White clearly doesn’t care about your opinion. If you launched a “Fedor Must Sign With the UFC” petition tomorrow and got 10 million signatures, they still wouldn’t care about your opinion.
Alan,
You stated:
Could you imagine Sal Paolantonio writing an opinion piece saying he was gonna do anything he could as an ESPN journalist to prevent Michael Vick from being signed to an NFL team, then attempting to defend it and his legitimacy as an objective observer of the sport of football?
This comparison doesn’t work. The NFL is the top “professional football” league in the world. The UFC is the top “professional MMA” league in the world.
If Sal Palantonio were to write an opinion piece as to why Michael Vick shouldn’t sign with the CFL it wouldn’t be questioned.
Actually, when Brandon Jennings signed with a European team instead of entering the NBA draft or attend an NCAA school, many sports writers did write opinion pieces as to why this was a bad move.
Simply put, and I can’t summarize this anymore:
I want to see Fedor sign with the UFC because it will lend credibility to the sport. I want to see the best fight the best. The last thing I want to see is MMA turn into boxing, where the best rarely fight the best, and you have a hundred weight classes with a hundred belts.
I think the best thing for MMA would be:
1) One major promotion or league
2) A fighter’s union
-Side note:
http://www.bloodyelbow.com has a very good article up on as to why Fedor shouldn’t sign with the UFC.
I have no problem with Fedor not fighting in the UFC. We constantly read stories about how heavy handed Zuffa can be in negotiating fighters, especially when they have the upper hand. Now they have a fighter in Fedor with real negotiating power who will only sign on his terms, and he’s being crucified for it.
He has every right to say no. If Zuffa wants him bad enough, they will give in. If not, then Fedor will just sign with another promoter.
This comparison doesn’t work.
It does, actually. The point I’m making isn’t one about the level the UFC is on, but about the objectivity of people who are claiming to be in the business of MMA news. Of course, he’ll argue he’s not, just like he argues BE/SBN doesn’t have rankings.
At least with Brandon Jennings we had some confidence as to what the contracts available were. With Fedor, there’s not even the pretense of that. Leland Rolling was off his rocker yesterday about the $5 million dollar payoffs being left behind by Fedor yesterday without a single demand for more proof. Today he demands proof before he believes that Fedor will be paid significantly more in guaranteed money than any other fighter currently in the UFC. That says it all to me.
It’s official…
Fight Opinion is to MMA as Moon Landing Deniers are to NASA….
Unreal. Baseless theories and crazy scenarios play through your heads. All lack something called reality.
Unbelievable….
William, you missed his point. He wasn’t trying to get a direct comparison, he was talking about how silly it looks for so-called journalists to editorialize. It doesn’t matter what they’re writing about, if you think you’re a reporter but then throw in your personal opinions then you’re not reporting facts anymore.
Like when you saw NFL reporters covering Bret Favre’s endless retirement decision, they didn’t write “I don’t think Bret should return to the NFL because he looked awful with the Jets.” No, they report what Favre’s camp says, what the Vikings camp was saying, what the NFL spokespeople were saying, and left it to the reader to get an opinion. Obviously the writer would have had their own opinion, but they kept it to themselves. That isn’t happening in the articles Zach was mentioning.
Nice troll-deflect attempt, 45. But it fails miserably. Unless there was video footage of Fedor sitting in an office with Dana reading over his contract and then saying “Thanks, but no thanks” and FO was questioning if this was CGI edited in Arizona, we are not a bunch of Joe Rogan’s.
“Zuffa has done their part. They are MORE then reasonable.”
I’m torn on this one.
I have no evidence (and neither does 45, or anyone else) that the UFC has offered Fedor anything close to $6M per fight, but even if they offered half of that he’d be insane to turn it down.
On the other hand, now that Affliction is buried I can’t believe that Strikeforce, Dream or Sengoku would offer (or *could* offer) Fedor anywhere close to even $1M, which is his “base price” from what I recall.
Maybe he’s holding out for the NYE Fedor vs. Barnett superfight in Japan? Maybe they think Strikeforce will throw caution to the wind and give him some insane offer and co-promote with M-1?
Fighters have a VERY limited career, and it can end in an instant. You can’t begrudge Fedor for going where the money is.
But for reals people, give it up on the Fedor bashing. He’s not ‘ducking’ anyone…remember before his fight vs. Sylvia how many Fight Opinioners, and Sherdoggers, were putting their money on Big Tim? BEFORE that, remember how many claimed Fedor DUCKED Sylvia because me was afraid?
I’m still not seeing Alan’s point, maybe it will come to me.
Read any sports article on the web or in print, opinions are always sprinkled throughout. The days of the media not sprinkling their opinion in any piece are long gone, especially in sports.
Sal Pal gives his opinion as to whether a player is a good fit for a team or not.
Why can’t the mma media do the same for a given fighter? Especially for a fighter who considers himself the best in the world but has yet to fight for the biggest promotion/league?
I really think it is justifiable for a MMA media member to give his opinion as to whether Fedor signing or not signing with the UFC is a good thing or not.
To say that some MMA websites are only doing this for credentials to UFC events is disheartening to read.
IF this alleged contract that Fedor was offered is true, and Fedor still doesn’t sign, I’m sorry, but I will have to take it into consideration when making my own judgment as to who the best heavyweight fighter is, and it won’t reflect positively on Fedor.
However, very good point on the fact that we do NOT know if this offer was true or not.
But, I see nothing wrong with members of MMA media writing articles with the hopes of Fedor signing with the UFC.
Just as I see nothing wrong when a member of the media writes an article that is negative to the UFC.
The fact is, if Fedor does not sign with the UFC again, with contract terms that are fair for most fighters,…he will lost a lot of credibility amongst casual sports fans, casual mma fans, and even hardcore mma fans.
Count myself as one of those hardcore mma fans.
“If anything, some of the media has not been tough enough on them.”
Of course, some statements are just flat-out retarded.
A source of Jonathan Snowden’s told him that UFC’s offer of $30 million over 6 fights was NOT guaranteed.
http://ringpsychology.wordpress.com/2009/07/30/dont-believe-the-ufc-spin-the-real-details-on-fedors-offer/
Sal Pal gives his opinion as to whether a player is a good fit for a team or not.
Sal, when he’s reporting from a camp, will generally point it to sources; i.e. “Players and staff within the club feel that the player may be a poor fit for the club.” I have never seen him or any other decent, well regarded reporter get out there on a reporting piece and say “The Cowboys have signed ________, an awful, lazy player with a predilection for partying before playing.” Columnists do that. Reporters don’t. But like I said, the natural and totally expected response is “we aren’t reporters, we’re bloggers, and also, we got a lot of hits.”
[...] Zach Arnold thinks anyone sharing the latest deal offered to Fedor is unwittingly a UFC pawn: On various message boards and web sites (and a couple of radio outlets), we’re now lead to believe ‘rumored’ numbers like Fedor being offered $30 million dollars by UFC, and yet there’s no online ‘fingerprints’ from UFC’s behalf for it. It’s the David Axelrod graduate school of marketing here, but it also helps to have willing participants ready and able to carry your water. (Carmichael Dave is on KHTK in Sacramento and Dana White is a frequent guest.) Have you noticed how the campaign of information and misinformation online is working to discredit Fedor and try to paint him in a bad light? [...]
And another update from Snowden:
http://ringpsychology.wordpress.com/2009/07/30/fedor-update-less-than-2-million-guaranteed/#more-696
So, apparently it wasn’t in the 2-3 million dollar range. Still very high, clearly. Not nearly what everyone thinks it is or was.
So, so, so, so much hypocrisy.
Zach Arnold is the kind of guy who gets upset when you call a spade a spade, just because you don’t have the mathematical formula proving the spade’s spadeishness.
Except when he doesn’t like the spade. Then that spade is gonna get it.
The Carmichael Dave post was so obviously put out there by Zuffa to sway popular opinion against Fedor. Even just the wording, saying shit like “The UFC also relented on allowing Fedor to compete in combat sambo.” That makes it seem like they gave into EVERYTHING except the co-promotion thing. Awesome if true, but can’t be real.
Also, when was this contract presented? A day or two ago? Was it presented in Russian? Does Fedor have several lawyers with him? Huge decisions where you’re signing away years of your life can’t be made on a whim. I’d give it a couple weeks before everyone jumps all over Fedor & the Fink. Everyone is acting exactly how they did in the Cro Cop leaving after UFC 99, then ended up with egg on their face. Let it play out.
M-1 is definitely going to play this offer against other offers for leverage. They won’t get anything close to it then will probably end up signing at some point. The crazy thing is, I really think this is the apex of the deal. UFC knows they have a SUPER FIGHT on their hands between Brock & Fedor. With both those guys on top, I think they don’t mind shelling out big bucks for Fedor. If Fedor loses outside, of course all his bargaining power is gone. I also think he loses a little bit if Brock loses too. Fedor vs Carwin/Cain/Kongo/Nog 4/Cro Cop 2/Mir just don’t have the same luster.
So, so, so, so much hypocrisy.
Zach Arnold is the kind of guy who gets upset when you call a spade a spade, just because you don’t have the mathematical formula proving the spade’s spadeishness.
Except when he doesn’t like the spade. Then that spade is gonna get it.
LOLOL…what is the “spade” in this case? Please spell that out for us. Please make it be something other than “Fedor needs to sign with the UFC because it validates me and my interest in some fashion as a fan!”
“Carmichael said he had a credible source. Why doesntthat work for him? It’s a two sided coin with you people. An unnamed credible source only works for you it it anti Zuffa…”
Weren’t you the one jumping down Loretta’s throat for using an anonymous source?
This argument would hold water if it wasn’t for the fact that the same media has been responsible for the Fedor myth.
They are the one’s who kept him as the #1 ranked HW even though he took 3 years off from fighting top 10 HW’s and was fighting MW’s and freak show fights.
They are the one’s proclaiming him the best ever, even though his Pride counterparts have all been dismantled in the UFC by supposed lesser fighters.
You want to talk about myth’s start with Fedor, then maybe i’ll pay attention to the rest of this article. But I don’t see you writting pieces as to why a guy who isn’t a draw, has put several mma org’s out of business and won’t step foot in a cage should garner any of this much attention.
Go troll somewhere else.
Good work Zach. More excellent ‘truth in journalism’. I can always count on you to get out the straight line on hot issues.
I guess you can count me in as a ‘Moon landing denier’ as well. I love to research beyond what the media tells me and learn the truth in what is really going on.
Fight Opinion is the ‘Van Allen belts’of MMA media - keeping it real.
I enjoyed reading Zach’s article and then seeing it go so far above 45 Huddle’s head that he actually provides perfect examples of what ZA is talking about.
I think he has a point… if Dana White or one of his approved media surrogates like Carmichael puts information out there, we should just take it as divine truth. Anything less would be “anti-Zuffa”.
lol at 45 Huddle reading that article by Zach and having the basic response of, “But he was offered X amount because Carmichael Dave said so!” You literally could not have done a better job of proving Zach’s point?
Also, you know what else Carmichael Dave said on his radio show? That he doesn’t have all of the facts about the situation and that it could be that he’s being used as a pawn in the negotiations.
Also, the information from someone who actually IS a credible source, who wrote what is widely regarded as the best book about MMA (Jonathan Snowden), is that the guarantee per fight offered by the UFC was less than the guarantee per fight in the Affliction contract (roughly $1.5 million). But don’t let that stop you from being a willing pawn in Zuffa’s negotiations.
What does this demonstrate? That the numbers Zuffa leaked out, which were then spread by their willing pawns, were false.
As I said yesterday, what’s ironic about this is that dollar figures have never been what’s holding up the Zuffa/Fedor negotiations.
It just happens to be the quickest and easiest way to create an explosion of people online saying, “OMG! He turned down $5 million per fight!” as if that’s true, and as if the dollar figure is even what the two sides can’t agree on.
I’m still interested to learn if UFC contracts have contractual privacy clauses. If they do and this was a real contract, this idiot slipping and saying by accident he saw the contract would put UFC in a little bit of trouble. His stupidness would be the new “Elite paid me to stand with Kimbo. Ooops, did I say that?”
Still doubtful it’s real, though.
Meltzer in todays new Observer confirms that the UFC told him the story that Carmichael put out there.
It was also written yesterday. Given that Snowden, Helwani, and Smith are all saying the same thing, I think its pretty clear that there was no $30 million dollar contract. Makes you wonder about those buyrate figures, doesn’t it?
What I find ironic in all this is that while on one hand, a large majority of fans think that fighters are underpaid; on the other hand, a lot of people also seem to think that Fedor is not well within his rights to negotiate however he wants to gain the most favorable terms for himself or fight wherever he feels like fighting.
Silly rabbits, if you want fighters to earn more money, you should be encouraging ALL the popular fighters to approach negotiating with Zuffa the way Fedor’s agents have.
Btw, great article Zach.
Alan, are you suggesting we should be skeptical of PPV “trending estimates” that seemingly all from a single person who is paid by the same entity that sells the PPVs?
Grape Knee High— But if every fighter’s legitimacy and relevance as a fighter is determined by whether or not they accept whatever it is that the UFC is offering them, that adds a tremendous amount of leverage to the UFC’s side and takes a tremendous amount of leverage away from the side of all fighters. That’s a big part of the reason why the UFC and its surrogates tend to portray it as though a fighter is irrelevant if he doesn’t sign with the UFC, even Fedor.
To be fair, I think he reports what he’s told, and that’s probably what they tell him. I don’t think there’s a grand conspiracy there. Then again, I think the issue is that he ran with it as “confirmed”. Its pretty obvious he didn’t do the leg work he should have. So, if he won’t do it for a story about the #1 heavyweight in the world defecting, what about a fluff story like PPV buys?
The “trending patterns” and the actual numbers are two separate things, and they should be treated as such, but they often aren’t. Considering “trending patterns” to be the same as the actual PPV buyrate isn’t any more logical than considering an election poll to be the same as the actual election results.
But it does get the message out to the media that X event drew X buys. As Zach said, “We hear one thing right after a PPV in terms of buys and then the real number comes in a month or two later and it’s… surprise… lower. Guess which number fans know about in the end?”
At least Dave Meltzer is clever enough to hedge his bets and outright says he hasn’t verified the story to be true and it’s just the story UFC wants out there.
You anti-Zuffa guys are hillarious, you are so obssessed with paiting the UFC in a bad light that you will reach for anything to make your points.
There is no great Zuffa conspiracy, they don’t control PPV estimates they never have. Those numbers come from the cable companies themselves which relaese the estimates shortly after a show then the final numbers months after.
You guys really need to put down your tin foil hats because you keeps looking more and more desperate by the day. It’s no wonder that the UFC has pretty much shut down mma blogs credentials, when you read stuff from Alan and Ivan it’s pretty clear why Dana feels the way he does it’s embarrasing.
45,
If Zuffa isn’t paying you to attack Fedor online full-time, they’re ripping you off, too
http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2009/7/30/969425/the-tale-of-two-champions-fedor-gsp
Grape Knee,
Of course all fighters should stand up for themselves against the UFC’s unscrupulous management practices. They just lack the power to do so. That is why those of us who support fighters’ rights tend to end up championing the few mega-stars who are actually capable of challenging the UFC.
For ordinary fighters to be able to mount similar challenges, there is no other option but for them to unite and organize a fighters’ union.
There’s no conspiracy. Meltzer cites trending info based on cable companies and based on UFC sources, and he often says that it was from cable companies and/or UFC sources. My point is that trending info and actual PPV buyrates are two separate things that should be treated as such, instead of trying to get a report out there with a number in it ASAP.
EJ…I’m far from anti-Zuffa. I bet I’ve gone to more UFCs than you.
Now we have both sides confirming that the UFC has relented on the Sambo deal.
What I haven’t seen reported, or even leaked by the UFC (at least not yet), is that Fedor’s UFC contract would not contain the champion’s clause that auto-renews one year at a time for the rest of your life for as long as you’re the champion.
Rob Maysey, who has written more about UFC contracts than anyone, confirms regarding the champion’s clause that the “UFC version, as drafted, keeps renewing.”
If Fedor ever wanted to fight the champion’s clause in court as Randy Couture did for a year before giving up, there would be a solid 18-to-24 months from the time that the lawsuit was filed to the trial date, and even then, there is no guarantee that he’d win in a Nevada court system with judges like the Xyience/Bergeron case judge who got elected with campaign money from the Fertittas (that is not a secret, a rumor, or a conspiracy theory, as the judge publicly thanked the Fertittas on his web site for their contributions to his election campaign).
I don’t know that this would be the case for the truly popular fighters. They’ve already earned their legitimacy/relevance by being good and/or popular.
I wouldn’t suggest hardline negotiating for fighters who don’t already have leverage.
I don’t have a dog in this hunt. I would like to see Fedor in the UFC, but it’s his life and he chooses to go in another direction that is his prerogative. I’ll remain a fan of his and watch his fights regardless of who is promoting him.
That said, it seems like many of you folks are automatically assuming Carmichael Dave’s numbers are completely fabricated and Snowden’s updates are completely accurate. Aren’t they both opposite sides of the same coin? Shouldn’t we treat both sets of numbers with trepidation?
Personally, I am tired of the whole mess. I’m going to ignore any and all Fedor news until his next fight is announced. Then I’m going to make plans to be at home that night in front of my TV.
Grape Knee High— I’m not saying that I agree with that line of thinking; I’m just saying that’s how the UFC and its surrogates portray it.
Steve— Putting Snowden in the same class as Carmichael is pretty insulting. Are people forgetting that Snowden wrote what is almost universally regarded as the best book about the history of MMA that has ever been written? Does that not give him any credibility?
If there are very few journalists in the mainstream, there are even fewer in the sports world. Sports “reporting” is dominated by editorial, in part due to the influence of sports radio, in part due to ESPN, and in part because that’s how it has always been done (regular sports columnists). The reporting ends at the box score and the recap. The editorial is everything else, and the journalism that exists in the sports world is almost all either in SI (rarely) or books.
… and Josh Thomson is out of his fight against Gilbert Melendez, replaced by Mitsuhiro Ishida. (according to MMA Junkie, http://mmajunkie.com/news/15682/mitsuhiro-ishida-replaces-josh-thomson-meets-gilbert-melendez-at-aug-15-strikeforce-event.mma)
Melendez trying to avenge his first MMA loss is a good theme, but I’m looking forward to this fight a lot less than Thomson-Melendez II, especially given that Ishida is coming off of a loss.
GKH, I’m a radical leftist, I’m perfectly capable of thinking that Brock Lesnar and Cro Cop are overpaid and that Lyoto Machida is underpaid. Fedor has a significant amount of leverage because he’s proven that he will just walk away on numerous occasions, however, he’s running out of bigger fools.
To add to Ivan’s reply to Steve, Snowden’s story just makes a lot more sense too.
I mean basically here, Jon just kicked the ass of the entire internet.
I’m sorry, Ishida/Melendez II is a fight I have no interest in watching. Since I’ll be gone this weekend, I can probably wait on ordering Showtime for sure now until the Super 6 tournament starts up. Ishida barely matters and it can only do damage to Melendez’s reputation. Winning is meaningless now.
As for Snowden over Carmichael, the majority of reports since along with basic logic would lead me to expect Jon’s story to be right and the radio host’s to be wrong right now. Of course, pointing that out makes you a horrible UFC hater who wants Fedor to fight Werdum or something, I think. What’s the new story on *insert board here* about that?
If there are very few journalists in the mainstream, there are even fewer in the sports world.
Certainly this is true. Creative writing will always be easier than investigative journalism. You or I can talk about Somalia all day without ever going. Its a lot more difficult to be the guy who has to gather the information. We would hope and ask that he be at least as objective as possible. We saw precious little of that though from the usual suspects. Hell, this place wasn’t even breaking news. They all operate as message boards, some with more success than others due to proper cultivation of audiences vis-a-vis interaction with them following articles, but what makes this different from USENET circa 1994 is nothing beyond that people own their posts (to a degree) and can link to youtube videos.
Alternately, I don’t remember people who posted on USENET claiming to be journalists deserving of credentials merely by posting all that often. If they had, they’d be objects of derision and laughter, which is what this is to me. The subsequent arguments about whether or not Fedor is going to the UFC ultimately are irrelevant:
What matters is that the umpteen forums posting this are “taking a stand”, for whatever that means, and are attempting to force people’s hands. They’re not doing that for the good of the sport. Its to establish legitimacy and value of themselves. Honestly, I wouldn’t be in the least bit be shocked to see Fedor sign anyways. But it shouldn’t be the job of the media to circulate bad information that they think might be bad just to get a end result they prefer.
Two great articles on sherdog and aol mms fanhouse pointing out the ridiculousness of fedor’s management position and the obvious conflict of interest. I’d hardly consider these articles to be a mouthpiece of Dana white
Rather these two articles are stating the obvious, objective point…that Fedor’s management are a bunch of self serving idiots.
Is it wrong to write about that? I’m going to strongly say NO.
That’s not wrong to talk about at all, and if you want to point your criticism primarily at that, that’s fine. It is somewhere between reprehensible and utterly juvenile to throw around unsubstantiated claims as truth and then basically admit you’re willing to write hit pieces to try and force someone to sign with a promoter you favor. I suppose where it would fit on the scale between the two depends on what you imagine you’d get out of it. If all you’d achieve is personal satisfaction, you are a bizarre person.
Alan,
I’m not sure what you’re trying to say.
These journalists are exposing Fedor’s management for what they really are…and I applaud them.
I’m still not sure who is trying to write a piece to “force” someone to sign with a promotion. Would you point them out to me?
Again…whats the big deal if someone writes an article as to why someone should sign with a promotion?
Finally…how does this make me a bizarre person? No need to make this personal.
Maybe I’m missing the main point of Zach’s piece…which article or journalist admitted to writing an article in order to force fedor to sign with the UFC?
Writing an article as to why it would be wise to sign with one promotion, or foolish to sign with another, is not “forcing” someone to sign with a promotion. Its making use of the journalist’s right to freedom of speech.
The piece itself (Zach’s) was weak when it was published, but now that we seem to have confirmation that this didn’t just land on Carmichael’s desk, but was also transmitted to MMA writers as well, I think there’s a much stronger argument that this was a deliberate leak to influence negotiations.
Unless Meltzer feels like publishing whatever communication he received from UFC, I’m still reluctant to say that the information AS RELEASED BY CARMICHAEL was the information that UFC intended to release. A contract that’s potentially worth $30 million (with a lot of caveats) is a nice headline number though.
If the MMA newsletter writers, bloggers, and sports radio talksters are willing to act as de facto mouthpieces for UFC without double checking anything, then I’m not at all inclined to blame UFC for manipulating them or to feel bad for the “media” for being abused like that.
William,
The point of Zach’s article is pointing out the differences between journalists and editorials/columnists. If some is throwing their opinions and not really covering any sort of news in an objective manner, then he/she is a columnist, not a journalist. If he/she is covering what is happening in an objective, cold, and distant manner, then that is journalism. There is nothing wrong with someone stating their opinions, but to call it journalism is pretty incorrect.
I’m still not sure who is trying to write a piece to “force” someone to sign with a promotion. Would you point them out to me?
See the initial post.
Again…whats the big deal if someone writes an article as to why someone should sign with a promotion?
Because its not the job of any objective journalist to demand what promoter someone should sign to, particularly without full knowledge of what the terms are. Matter of fact, we’re at the point where people don’t even care about that.
Finally…how does this make me a bizarre person?
To what, demand Fedor bend to your will and fight for your preferred MMA promotion? Gee, man, I dunno. What is it that you so identify with in the UFC in particular that you have an emotional stake in it? Seriously. Because that’s what this is about; dudes with emotional stake in fight promoters, of all people, making demands on their behalf, facts be damned.
If the MMA newsletter writers, bloggers, and sports radio talksters are willing to act as de facto mouthpieces for UFC without double checking anything, then I’m not at all inclined to blame UFC for manipulating them or to feel bad for the “media” for being abused like that.
Absolutely! This should go without saying. I completely expect the UFC to do this. Hell, they would be doing a crappy job if they weren’t. Its the job of the journos out there to do the legwork. We’re seeing who’s going the extra mile right now and who doesn’t. Its not a knock on the UFC. Its a knock on the shitty writers who cover the UFC.
So wanting to see the best fighter in the best promotion makes me bizarre, and bloggers/journalist who write about why it’s a good idea for fedor to fight in the UFC and ditch vadim, means they are dana’s mouthpiece means they are Dana’s mouthpiece and are trying to bend fedor’s will?
That’s the most idiotic statemen I’ve ever heard.
Nothing wrong with being persuasive
“Nothing wrong with being persuasive”
It is when you want to call yourself a journalist. If you want to be persuasive, then you are a columnist, not a journalist.
I’d just like to point out the most recent Sherdog article is some of the most worthless, shitty reporting I’ve ever seen. They have some dude who doesn’t matter at all quoted as saying the UFC’s offers being the most financially lucrative is an “unsubstantiated rumor”… well you can google for about a minute and find an interview with Vadim on Sherdog saying that it was the most lucrative.
So then…which “journalist” is guilty of trying to be persuasive, and does a blogger qualify as being a journalist?
Even regular news journalists report with a hint of persuasion.
Journalism involves more than rewriting press releases and expressing your personal opinion or organizational opinion (real media outlets have a consistent voice that their writers are expected to use).
Journalism involves cultivating multiple sources inside organizations or close to organizations, conducting interviews, retaining evidence of source discussions (especially in cases where a source won’t be disclosed in the article so that your organization can fact-check your story), researching background information to form historical context, and then writing a presentation that is intended to be persuasive or informative (in other words, there generally ought to be a thesis or theme of some sort), and throughout expressing things in a professional and fair way (note that fair does not mean balanced, plenty of current media just reports what both parties to something say and give you ZERO information on what is true and what isn’t).
If you’re not doing that, you’re not a journalist in any but the most general sense, you’re a writer.
Which isn’t to say that there’s no value to just blogging opinions and linking to other people’s stories.
The value of blogs comes from exposing you to contrasting opinions, like the editorial page of a newspaper, but generally more interactive since there are usually comments.
You get that same kind of interaction with the best journalists though, they often do interviews with other media outlets and have to defend their stories. The classic example of a journalist is Seymour Hersh. Not everyone agrees with his stories, but it’s hard to argue with his deep sources and the organizational backing that he gets from his editors, even if you don’t like the conclusions that he comes to.
So then…which “journalist” is guilty of trying to be persuasive, and does a blogger qualify as being a journalist?
Look around. Most of them admit it. Again: Scroll up. The second part comes in with the obvious reality that they want to be considered journalists. Wanting to get press passes so that you can intentionally spread disinformation (and using the excuse that you’re just willing to do so blindly makes no difference) is at the very least morally abhorrent and completely disingenuous to the readers. But it makes for readership, and that’s all that matters. Luke Thomas isn’t going to give a shit about what I say about his journalistic integrity. He knows he has zero and he doesn’t care if he ever has any. He all but admits it. All he wants to do is get on the gravy train. Site views equal legitimacy just like PPV buys and TV ratings. No different picture in his mind.
“So then…which “journalist” is guilty of trying to be persuasive, and does a blogger qualify as being a journalist?
Even regular news journalists report with a hint of persuasion.”
Are you serious? Just about ALL MMA writers out there are condemning Fedor for not going to UFC. And all of them are saying Fedor should go to the UFC, listing reasons why. How is that not being persuasive?
And as you said, many journalists may give a HINT of persuasion, but that is merely a hint. There’s a VERY fine line to cross. Good journalists don’t cross or even come across that line.
I re-read the article and I’m just thinking, should blogs be held to the same standards as the print media?
But anyway, I wanted to share this “find
” with everyone.
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fedor_Emelianenko
Fedor officially joins the UFC
On Thursday July 30, 2009, UFC president Dana White officially announced the signing of Fedor Emelianenko in an undisclosed contract agreement. Dana White has posted the signing on his twitter page and Sherdog.com has confirmed these reports. Fedor’s Manger, Vadim Finklestein, has been quoted as saying, “now we will see who the best in the world is.” referring to a probable Fedor vs Lesnar match in the near future.
-What the hell…did wikipedia just break a major mma newstory? Obviously this has to be fake….right?
Well, Wikipedia broke the story of Nancy Benoit dying BEFORE she actually died, so clearly Wikipedia can predict the future!
Clearly this was someone posting bullshit on Wikipedia. Of course it’s fake! Hell, I remember a while back someone posted on the Kirby videogame page that Uwe Boll was going to do a Kirby live action movie, which was clearly false. And on the Chuck Norris page Wikipedia had to lock it for a while because a bunch of people were posting the Chuck Norris jokes.
Zach,
Good article. It is very, very rare to find an objective piece of journalism in all of mma. Congratulations, this is one of the few I have ever read.
White has a stranglehold on the mma media. Those he does not own, are intimidated by the UFC or have access cut off. We have seen how it works. Dana is a pathological liar and does not deserve Fedor. Hopefully we see him in Strikeforce on CBS and Showtime. I won’t spend a dime on the UFC because of White.
Good work!
I think it is a common belief of MMA fans and media that signing Fedor was supposed to be part of the deal when Zuffa bought PRIDE. I think Dana White intentionally let the Russian run from him so he will be a huge draw when the time is ripe for both UFC HW division and Fedor.
Putting pressure on Fedor to fight in the UFC is just like collecting an unpaid bail. I support the activist media campaign agaisnt Fedor.
30 millions for 6 fights is a pretty good guess though it should be cited as a guess.
“Unless Meltzer feels like publishing whatever communication he received from UFC, I’m still reluctant to say that the information AS RELEASED BY CARMICHAEL was the information that UFC intended to release.”
Jeremy,
Meltzer confirms in the latest Observer that the information as released by Carmichael was exactly the same as he received and was the information that UFC wanted out in the public domain. Here’s the key quote from Meltzer’s story on this issue:
“Carmichael Dave, a Sacramento radio host who is close friends with Dana White, laid out what he was told was the offer UFC made Emelianenko. For what it’s worth, and this is not verifying the story as much as confirming this is the story UFC wanted out, but what he said were the exact same things we had been told earlier in the week.”
My problem is not with Fedor, but more with M1 — they’re leveraging Fedor to leech the UFC. Hate the UFC all you want, they’re the reason the majority of sites and blogs are around.
The most hilarious thing I’ve read in a while is Zach asking why Fedor and his people would care what MMA writers think. Considering they didn’t want Belfort as an opponent because a poll at Sherdog (of all places) was negative on the idea, thats a pretty ridiculous thing to say.
Hate the UFC all you want, they’re the reason the majority of sites and blogs are around.
Who is hating the UFC here? Well, other than Ivan. They’re completely in the right to do this. Its the mouthbreathers who repeat this stuff that Zach and I are mocking.
[...] I wrote an article a couple of days ago about the intentions of what a lot of MMA writers and media types in regards to getting Fedor into [...]