Ja to widzę tak, że jak M-1 uda się zrobić porządne gale i składać dobre oferty to Dana troche ludzi z czasem straci.In a none-too-likely coincidence, Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White headed a conference call Thursday afternoon only 30 minutes before an upset UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture (Pictures) was scheduled to meet with media in Las Vegas.
The conversation had no particular focus, with White offering comments on everything from the signing of Brock Lesnar (Pictures) to the long-anticipated clash between Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) and Chuck Liddell (Pictures). But as expected, much of the chatter drifted to Couture's resignation from the promotion.
White was initially ambivalent about admitting the call was designed to take focus away from Couture. A journalist asked him three times if that was his intention and never received a straight answer.
"We've got a lot of s--- going on and we're here to talk about it," White said. "Is it a coincidence I signed Brock Lesnar (Pictures), made Chuck Liddell (Pictures)-Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) and signed a new Spike deal in the same week?"
But, the reporter pressed, did White schedule the call knowing Couture was having a gathering of his own?
"I don't understand the question," White replied. "Am I doing press to f--- Randy Couture (Pictures)? No, I'm here to announce things."
Additional queries on the matter prompted White to elaborate on his feelings: "He just signed a new contract [with the UFC] eight months ago. I've got him. He's with UFC. I don't think Randy has ever said that he's looking to fight for another organization. That's all goofy Internet bulls--- that you read in chat rooms.
"Randy is pissed off at me right now. He's mad about things that don't have much to do with fighting. Maybe I should've paid him more attention. It happens. I'll give him some time to cool down, and we'll talk. We'll figure it out."
White declared he would not announce the heavyweight title vacant until Couture met with him directly. "As far as I'm concerned, he's the heavyweight champion until he tells me otherwise," the UFC president said.
White also expressed surprise at the manner in which Couture voiced his displeasure with the company: "Part of me is surprised by the way he's handling it, but part of me isn't, because I've dealt with his agent. The agency he's with is really a bottom-feeder in Hollywood, not CAA or Endeavor. The way his agent orchestrated the whole thing is Hollywood bulls---. It's not the first time I've dealt with this kind of stuff."
Conversation also turned inevitably toward Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures) and the fighter's decision to sign with upstart promotion M-1 Global, a subject that noticeably upset White.
"The problem was the deal wasn't about Fedor, but what his managers were going to get," he said. "Not once did they give a s-- what Fedor was going to get. That's why it fell apart. His manager is a f------ liar. It was all about him and not about Fedor.
"Good luck to him, because I don't want Fedor fighting in the UFC."
A man White welcomed instead is Brock Lesnar (Pictures), a former WWE pro wrestling personality and 2000 NCAA heavyweight champion in collegiate wrestling. Lesnar, who was also on the call, is expected to make his UFC debut Superbowl weekend on Feb. 2.
"The reason we signed him is because he's a real wrestler, a real athlete," White said. "We've seen in the past with guys like Couture, Matt Hughes (Pictures), Chuck Liddell (Pictures), guys who are good wrestlers wind up doing very well in MMA. We have high hopes for Lesnar."
"I know and understand that my wrestling capabilities are not going to take me to the championship," admitted Lesnar, who said his jiu-jitsu and striking training takes priority over wrestling. "You have to be well-rounded in every discipline. I have one MMA fight that I won. He was a tuna can but whatever. I'm going to prove to myself and to the fighting world that Brock Lesnar (Pictures) should and can be taken very seriously. I'm not setting myself up for defeat. That's not in my vocabulary."
"We're going to test him," White said of his yet-to-be-named first opponent. "People don't come into the UFC and get tomato cans."
Also on White's agenda was news that the UFC's deal with cable channel SpikeTV has been extended for an additional four years, bringing MMA-themed programming to the station through 2011. As part of the deal, Spike will broadcast seasons 9-12 of "The Ultimate Fighter," including one season in 2010 to be accompanied by the premiere of a new, unspecified series. Additionally, four UFC Fight Night events will be broadcast live per year.
Following Tuesday's official announcement that Liddell and Silva will be meeting on Dec. 29, the athletes voiced their enthusiasm for the pending meeting, which fans have discussed as a fantasy bout for several years.
"Everyone asks why I waited so long to make the fight," White said. "I wanted to talk to Chuck and see where his head was at. Chuck being Chuck, he said, ‘I want to take this fight.' Silva was sitting ringside when he fought Keith Jardine (Pictures), and I think Wanderlei was as nervous as any of Chuck's family or fans. They've wanted to fight each other for years, and now it's finally happening. It's going to be the biggest moment in this sport's history."
In response to hearing that Silva had wanted to fight him as early as 1998, Liddell said he had wanted Silva since the Brazilian won his first title in PRIDE. "Our styles would make for a great fight," Liddell said. "I always thought I could knock him out."
"For me, it's an opportunity to get back to the top," Silva explained. "I train in the Octagon every day. I'm going to KO Chuck, and then ask for the belt. [But] if it goes to the ground, Chuck is going to have problems with me. It won't go to a decision."
Additional notes from the call:
Though negotiations are currently dead, White is "100 percent sure" he will eventually come to terms with HBO … the Spike deal does not preclude a network presence for the UFC … there is no truth to rumors of a Spike fight during the Super Bowl Halftime Show … B.J. Penn (Pictures)'s attempt to snag the lightweight title is still a possibility for December … Andrei Arlovski (Pictures) is "sitting on the bench," according to White, and does not know when he might return … Spike executives have discussed an MMA awards show, but nothing concrete is in development … White is confident his promotion will arrive in Canada in 2008.
Pewnie Finkelstein jak z nim rozmawiał to widział w nim jakiegoś bachora i dlatego nie poszedł na żadne ugody
FaceBook
