http://mmamania.com/2009/08/03/dana-whi ... is-a-joke/

" ....for signing a multi-fight co-promotional deal with Strikeforce rather than accepting different terms offered by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), according to a CageWriter report:

“”I’m in Abu Dhabi right now and my reaction is Fedor is a [expletive] joke. [He] turns down a huge deal and the opportunity to face the best in the world to fight nobodies, for no money. Fedor is a [expletive]!”

Exact terms of the deal were not disclosed with the Strikeforce-Emelianenko announcement earlier today. However, we do know that the “nobodies” that White refers to include Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem, Brett Rogers and Fabricio Werdum, among others. Impressed?"

So who won this round?

Fedor?

Or did they both loose maybe...

We lost.

Dana certainly isn't losing much; he'll continue making millions of dollars and expanding the sport, with or without Fedor in the fold.

I say we lost... on a super interesting fight (Lesnar/Fedor), and Fedor loses everything else...fans (like myself) money (from Dana) and chances to fight the best in the world. The ONLY interesting fight for him in Strikeforce is Alistair, that's it. I wouldn't pay to watch him fight Rogers, and I wouldn't watch Werdum fight for free, so, Fedor, you screwed up, bigtime

Fedor owns half of M-1. He doesn't want to fight forever.

If M-1 and Strikeforce continue onwards to some measure of success, to the point where they ever take even 25% of the MMA marketshare, it will eventually prove to have been a wise choice for Fedor.

As a fan, I'd like to see Fedor get in there and mix it up with Lesnar. But if I was Fedor's mother, I'd want him to sign with Strikeforce, fight 5 or 6 more times, beat everyone, get the belt, and then retire without brain damage.

Either one of two things is going to happen here:
(a.) he gets the Strikeforce belt and retires with the belt, while Strikeforce / M-1 continues to make him money as a partial owner or
(b.) his "mystique" continues to grow in Strikeforce with additional victories over American opponents with nice highlight reels (the American audience is critical for Fedor's continued growth), and after obtaining the Strikeforce belt he is put into another opportunity to fight the UFC Heavyweight at some point in the future- say 2-3 years from now, except then it will cost Dana more money, and by then it will be CO-PROMOTED with M-1 / Strikeforce.

In either case, I can understand why he made the choice he did.

Of course there is a third possibility, which is that Fedor moves into Strikeforce and loses a few times in a row, and all of his hopes and dreams crumble. I just don't see that happening. He is a phenomenal fighter and has been for years.

M-1 Global will not put a dent in the MMA market. They can't even book a show and venue correctly in the States, let alone accumulate a 25% share of the market. M-1 is solely dependent on ambitious promotions and one-off shows.

As for Fedor losing fans? No, not even close. Both the Internet and more knowledgable fans will still support him no matter where he goes. Sure, the fights he could of had in the UFC at this time are 10 times more interesting and challenging than the Top 20 fighters he'll be squaring off against, but the core fanbase is there. I reckon he'll pick up a couple more fans off the StrikeForce shows as well.

Who says he has to fight forever? God knows how much Dana was willing to pay the guy. Some reports say between 2-5 million per fight for a 5-6 fight deal. Noone says he has to fight forever, and hell, after a payday like that, he wouldn't have to do anything but lie down and get fat all day long if he wants.

You know who woulda gotten a deal done?

Gene Simmons.

Gene Simmons can only lick things, nothing else.

BlackSpade thoughts are closest to mine. This is business first and foremost. Skip that crap about glory bla bla. Fedor is businessman and don't think that he didn't calculate with his crew. UFC has shown how they treat fighters and it's slavery. They swalow you and puke you out in a second and don't think they wouldn't do it with Fedor in case he got 2 loses in first fights.

I agree with your post bro to put it bluntly