And some of these kids are stupid as fuck, one kid saying UFC is bringing MMA down cause they have an event a WEEK BEFORE the aff event, how is that hurting Aff? They have two events a week before and after Aff, oh but he shouldnt put on events cause Aff is, so he cant have an event this month then right? Dana built MMA to what it is now, like him or not, the UFC is the biggest shit out in MMA for a reason, why should he bend over for this manager and Fedor? They dont need him, shit Fedor needs them. If he beats AA, then JB, then what? The UFC doesnt need Fedor at all, Brock is the champ, if he beats Mir, UFC has Kongo, carwin, Gonzaga, Cain for him to fight. They might want to get Overeem, so the UFC is fine, I want Fedor in the UFC, but he dont want to go there, and the UFC isnt gonna break what they do for one fighter, I mean he may be the best HW, but Dana is right, he will say he is the best when he beats the UFC’s best. Fedor isnt the huge draw so if he dont want to fight for the UFC, fuck him then. I hope AA wins, then AA and the UFC are still good, Dana wants AA back, didnt want him to go, if he wins, then he comes back over, fights the UFC HW champ. Go AA, and only cause AA would come back, Fedor wont, so if Fedor wins, who cares, he wont come to the UFC.

GO FEDOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The real and only best fighter of all times no matter what weight class!

Dana White is a F’ bitch holding MMA’s popularity down from what it could really be!!!

money does not make you the best, talent makes you the best. Flashy names and cool logos don’t make fighters. so forget labels and organizations like UFC, K1 ect. Focus on what fighters have done.

White is being terribly unreasonable with Fedor’s passion for sambo. Just throw in a claus on his contract. ex. “if fedor sustains any injury during any combat sambo competitions that impeed his fighting for the ufc this contract will become null and void upon the inability of Fedor to compete for the ufc”

i am no business major, but that little inch to fedor not only gives the fans what they want (who enevitably decide who the major face of mma is) but protects Dana White’s money, business and reputation. Dana White wants too much control and too much control is never good.

Anyone who followed the whole Jon Fitch contract saga closely knows the kind of b.s. that the UFC requires fighters to agree to. Some of it is way over the line.

Clearly, as the concensus #1 P4P fighter in the world, Fedor has some leverage over the UFC if they are trying to sign him, and if he doesn’t like their ridiculous little requirements, he doesn’t sign the document.

If you knew you were worth more, you would reject their offer too.

That said…who cares! I’ll side with Dana White every time in these instances. Any of you remember a sport called ‘Boxing’? I do. It was pretty decent years ago. Now it sucks…badly! Too many promoter’s hands in the pot ruined the sport…who among us MMA fans wants the likes of Bob Aram and Don King ruining our sport? White is doing his best to prevent MMA in general, and the UFC specifically, from being overrun by managers and promoters…and he’s already said this publicly and frequently. Keep up the good work Dana, we don’t want MMA turning into a has-been sport like boxing.

So, given that record, we are supposed to take Finklechtein at his word that he never made a similar demand of the UFC when they negotiated, even though this is corroborated by the UFC and is clearly accurate with Finklechtein’s other business dealings? I don’t believe the guy at all, and I think that was really the point 45huddle was trying to get at. While Finklechtein may not have directly contradicted himself, he led credence to a clear history of demands that don’t match up with what he is now saying he demanded of the UFC. I am disinclined to believe much of what he says.

There were also alleged demands that the UFC take other Red Devil fighters if they wanted Fedor. Perhaps the dumbfounding matchup of Kiril Sidelnikov vs. Paul Buentello in the upcoming Affliction show provides at least some questions as to whether this rumored demand was not also true.

I would have liked to have seen Finklechtein be more directly challenged on some of these points, and on some of his statements. If this was just a piece to allow Finklechtein free reign to express his opinions free of challenge, and act as a press tool for him and his fighter… well, then, mission accomplished. But I would prefer to see an interview that not only allowed him to say his piece, but also challenged him on contentious points and helped to reconcile many of the conflicting views out there. I was not too impressed with Finklechtein’s answers the few times he was at a loss for providing a self-complimentary statement in this interview, and I think very little was accomplished in the entire piece.

For the record, I would expect the same journalisitc challenging to be a part of an interview with Dana White, as well.

Cage is also something different, but I think, that cage actually benefits fighters with strong GNP which is speciality of Fedor. But most of the time, I think, that these factors are overvalued and great majority of fights would end same, cage or ring. (I have no preference in ring or cage)

BTW: Yeah, of course Fedor will lose sooner or later. And I’m saying that one loss doesn’t change that much, but I’m pretty eager to found out the ruckus and uproar about overhyping it would make, hehe )

You’re wrong about the proving ground not being in the UFC because you’re not taking into account the intangibles. What I’m referring to is the octagon. Even the best fighters who’ve competed in front of 70k+ in Japan, in a ring before a quiet crowd have gotten the UFC/Octagon Jitters.

The lively, rowdy crowd and the Octagon have a way of messing with a fighters mental game. If you’d like, I can list all of the PRIDE fighters that have lost in the Octagon. Fedor is human and he will lose too. But he’s got to get rid of his management if he’s ever going to fight in the octagon.

Editor’s Note: Username edited. Please stop using the username you attempted to post under. If you do it again, I will have no choice but to ban your posting privileges.

BTW: I think, that based on result and type of defeat, Fedor should/could actually stay #1 even if he loses with Arlovski. (for example if he loses by cut, or in rankings, that doesn’t have Arlovski as #2)

If I must take a side in this discussion (which I really don’t want to do), then I’m with Vadim. Basically both he and Dana agreed, that there were certain points in the deals, that cannot be accepted by Fedor (and Fedor would be an idiot, to sign deal like that) and that’s it.

UFC does business certain way and for Fedor it is definitely do business another way. It is as simple as that. And so far, Affliction is doing better job in using Fedor, so no hard feelings there. We’ll see again in a year or two, after he meet all the top competetion in Affliction, maybe then there will be a new breed of HW’s in UFC for Fedor. Right now, proving ground is NOT IN UFC.

For all the “Fedor must prove himself” guys: He is a consensus champ. For like a 3-4 years in a row now. Challengers should challenge the champion, not the other way around. Just because UFC is a UFC, their fighters are not gods.

the only thing i see is that M1 is trying to ride with ufc’s popularity.

i will say this to that russian manager of fedor.
he said if dana claims dana got the best fighter then have dana’s best boy fight fedor? what i would say is if you want that to happen have fedor sign to ufc.
and stop trying to ride on ufc’s popularity. i mean yes fedor is a great fighter but fedor is not bigger than ufc to make demands ufc is bigger than fedor ufc should make the demands. 10 years from now no more fedor and the ufc will be bigger i guarandamnteed. so to fedors camp to ask for demands are just bullSh!t.

As a fan, and a consumer of many MMA blogs, I know many of us would like to see the Fedor question answered by seeing him compete with the best heavyweights in the world. Most would agree that Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir represent some of the best, as well as up and coming heavyweights like Shane Carwin and Cain Velasquez. As indicated in this interview, as well as the reportage surrounding the ongoing debate concerning co-promtions with the UFC, I’m not hearing anything from any source that makes me think such a co-promotion will ever become any more likely.

As to the veracity of Vadim Finkelchtein, the tone of his comments strike me as the art of an extremely competent con-man; slick, reasonable, legalistic, and seemingly forthcoming, while attempting to portray himself as a neutral force trying to help his friend Fedor pursue his career. Nothing new here to indicate that the matches many fans would like to see are any more likely to take place. Of course, it takes two to tango, and there is some culpability to be shared for this impasse among the Zuffa powers that be…

I can see the UFC allowing fighters to do BJJ but not combat sambo. Way more risk of injury. Same reason they don’t allow their fighters to do kickboxing or muay thai tourneys. And, to answer Mr Fink’s little jibe at the US, there is no reason nor is there a way for someone who graduated to go back and wrestle for his high school or college team. Amature wrestling in the US is virtually school-based, unlike combat sambo. It’s comparing apples to oranges.

Fedor is being mishandled and used so a few people can promote themselves and their little business venture. I’m convinced of it thanks to these interviews. I wasn’t sure what to think before, but I’ve learned alot from reading what Mr Fink has had to say. Your management shouldn’t also be your promoter. It’s just a bad idea. Imagine if every management agency demanded they be called a “Co-promoter” of every fighter they represent even though they don’t have to put up any of the risk or money that the real promoter does? It’s the equivalent of that mooch in every family who asks you to put his name on a gift even though he won’t give you any money for it.

It’s different from management/promotions like Monte Cox’s Adrenaline which is a way for his fighters to keep making money IF they don’t have a regular contract lined up. If Ben Rothwell signed with the UFC, Cox wouldn’t demand that it be a co-promotion with Adrenaline. He’s not a dick (so far). M-1 is just using Fedor to further their own ends. Fedor doesn’t need to be in the UFC, but he does need better management.