While we're talking about the MMA GOAT, who is one of the few who didn't make it to the UFC? Here's a hint. He dominated the MMA scene in his heyday, racking up his 40 overwhelming victories in the pros, with only 7 losses and only one no-contest by knockout. is an artist. Resumes in this format cannot be found anywhere else.
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If you think so Fedor Emelianenko, you were right. He fought in many of the promotions that were at the forefront at the time. He fought for the Rings, PRIDE FC, and even Strikeforce. However, The Last Emperor never graced the UFC. why? Perhaps the reason is none other than Dana White.
Emelianenko Fedor didn't have a soft corner against Dana White
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Fedor Emelianenko famously fought former UFC fighters such as: quinton jackson, chel sonnensimilarly mark coleman Among many others. But that never existed inside the UFC Octagon. Because he and Dana White could never come to an agreement. The Russian recently shared a post about this decade-old news on Facebook.
In an interview with Russian news agency TASS after defeating Tim Johnson at Bellator 269 in 2021, Emelianenko recalled the negotiations that took place when the UFC was interested in signing him. He met Dana White and didn't like his attitude one bit.
“It's a very bad impression. Money is everything to him. He has no respect for fighters, he has no respect for any human being. Just money, that's all.” Mr. Emelianenko said of Mr. White: “There was nothing humane about him, and I found that very unpleasant. . . Of course money is important in life and family, but to trade relationships for money… is not acceptable.”
He also stated that he and his team were in talks with the UFC to sign a contract in 2009, but there were conflicts on both sides. He told TASS that they could not agree on the financial terms and ultimately no deal was reached.
In response to these comments in 2021, White said after UFC 267: “First of all, I don't even know Fedor. Fedor doesn't know me. We met once. His statement was that I was all about the money. No matter where we were, no matter what island we were on, he should have thought more about money when he made you that offer, so you're still fighting when you're 45. Probably not.”
Emelianenko was one of the fighters who tried to sign with PRIDE FC after the UFC acquired it.The idea was to pit the Russian against the then-UFC heavyweight champion. brock lesnar At Cowboy Stadium in Dallas, Texas. Now, nothing is going to happen even remotely between the UFC and Emelianenko.
“The Days of the Last Emperor's Final Battle”
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Since a failed fight behind closed doors in 2009, Fedor Emelianenko has amassed a record of 13 wins and 6 losses. But the UFC and Dana White made no attempt to renegotiate terms to make room for one of the greatest fighters in mixed martial arts history.
Emelianenko continued to fight for over 20 years before retiring from the cage for good.He last fought in February 2023 at Bellator 290, when ryan bader Second time. In their first fight at Bellator 214 in 2019, Emelianenko lost by TKO. Similar scenes were seen in the rematch, with “The Last Emperor” again knocking him down with a fatal punch, stopping the fight in the first round of the match.
White said this at a UFC press conference a few days after Emelianenko's retirement fight. “I don't want to talk shit about that player, he's retiring or whatever, but you guys know my old interview with me. I didn't think Fedor was that (a good) player. There wasn't even…I mean, he got knocked out at middleweight.''Dan Henderson. I think some of the people in the industry liked them and admired them. He could never try himself here. I never thought he was one of the greatest of all time. ”
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Suffice it to say, there is no love lost between the two. Now that Emelianenko is retired, all the fights he could have had against UFC greats will be added to the list of great fights that didn't happen.
Also read: Benoît Saint-Denis claims antibiotics cost him, doubles down on liability vs. Dustin Poirier at UFC 299 – “He fought completely dehydrated”
